Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Authentication is a fundamental pillar of cybersecurity in the web industry, ensuring secure access to systems, services, and sensitive data. As cyber threats evolve, robust authentication mechanisms are essential for safeguarding digital assets against unauthorized access, identity theft, and data breaches.[^1] This paper explores various authentication methods, including knowledge-based, possession-based, inherence-based, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and emerging passwordless techniques. Each section delves into the operational mechanisms of these authentication methods, their security strengths and weaknesses, and their applicability across different contexts, such as enterprise environments, cloud computing, and IoT ecosystems. The analysis includes a comparative evaluation of traditional passwordbased systems, biometric authentication, hardware security tokens, and adaptive authentication strategies. Additionally, this paper discusses vulnerabilities associated with each method, such as phishing attacks, credential stuffing, biometric spoofing, and social engineering, alongside mitigation strategies. [^2] By providing a comprehensive assessment of authentication security, this paper aims to offer insights into best practices and future advancements in authentication technologies.
Author: Lakshmanarao Kurapati
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409468385