Editing Authenticator (section)

{{Short description|Means to confirm a user's identity}}
{{For|the role of the authenticator in the 802.1X authentication protocol|IEEE 802.1X}}
An '''authenticator''' is a means used to confirm a user's identity,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Information Assurance (IA) Glossary |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/nittf/CNSSI-4009_National_Information_Assurance.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/nittf/CNSSI-4009_National_Information_Assurance.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Committee on National Security Systems]] |access-date=31 March 2019 |date=26 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary of Telecommunication Terms |url=https://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/fs-1037c.htm |publisher=[[Institute for Telecommunication Sciences]] |access-date=31 March 2019 |date=7 August 1996}}</ref> that is, to perform digital authentication. A person authenticates to a computer system or application by demonstrating that he or she has possession and control of an authenticator.<ref name="NIST-SP-800-63-3">{{cite journal |last1=Grassi |first1=Paul A. |last2=Garcia |first2=Michael E. |last3=Fenton |first3=James L. |title=NIST Special Publication 800-63-3: Digital Identity Guidelines |url=https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63-3.html |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] (NIST) |access-date=5 February 2019 |date=June 2017 |doi=10.6028/NIST.SP.800-63-3|doi-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |editor-last1=Lindemann |editor-first1=Rolf |title=FIDO Technical Glossary |url=https://fidoalliance.org/specs/fido-u2f-v1.2-ps-20170411/fido-glossary-v1.2-ps-20170411.html |publisher=[[FIDO Alliance]] |access-date=26 March 2019 |date=11 April 2017}}</ref> In the simplest case, the authenticator is a common [[password]].

Using the terminology of the NIST Digital Identity Guidelines,<ref name="NIST-SP-800-63-3" /> the party to be authenticated is called the ''claimant'' while the party verifying the identity of the claimant is called the ''verifier''. When the claimant successfully demonstrates possession and control of one or more authenticators to the verifier through an established authentication protocol, the verifier is able to infer the claimant's identity.