Authentication

Authentication is verifying that a person requesting access is who he or she claims to be. Knowing who is making a request for service, or is sending a piece of information, is crucial to the security of the ISP's system. Technology that provides authentication (such as what Sun^TM Internet Administrator^TM provides for administrators), assures the system that a message is coming from a trusted source, and not from an intruder pretending to be a legitimate user.

Any technology that requires a login before granting access is providing some user authentication. Signed certificates, which can be used with the SunScreen^TM SKIP product, offer a strong form of authentication.