Verifying the authentication of an information system user

This paper evaluates a number of methods for authentication and passwording. It first discusses the role of authentication as a component in an overall approach to information system security. It then classifies the various approaches to authentication into two categories: natural properties and artificial measures. Among the artificial measures, password is most common. The paper provides a quantitative measure for password robustness and 'lasting' power. It discusses encryption possibilities and provides a comparative evaluation of various password methods. The paper concludes by providing some guidelines for evaluating authentication methods.