SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/secplus-authn-vs-authz

You sign in, and then the system decides which folders you may open. What is that second step?

Authorization, deciding what you are allowed to do after you are identified.

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  1. Authentication
  2. Authorization ✔
  3. Accounting

Why: Authentication proves who you are. Authorization grants access privileges. Accounting, the third A, records what you did.

Huh, didn't know that: NIST defines authentication as verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, often as a prerequisite to allowing access.

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What is the biggest lie in the entire universe? "I have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions."
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References

Answer: Authorization. Authentication proves who you are. Authorization grants access privileges. Accounting, the third A, records what you did.

  1. NIST CSRC Glossary: authorization csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/authorization
    Access privileges granted to a user, program, or process
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. NIST CSRC Glossary: authentication csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/authentication
    Verifying the identity of a user, process, or device
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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Security & PrivacyTACACS+ is used for network device administration. Which transport and port does it use?Security & PrivacyCapturing valid login data and sending it again later to impersonate a user is called what?Security & PrivacyWhich control limits how many failed login attempts can be made on an account?

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