(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

True or False: Authentication determines what an authorized user can do.

1. True

2. False

The correct answer is: False

The correct answer is that the statement is indeed false. Authentication is the process that verifies the identity of a user, ensuring that they are who they claim to be, typically through usernames and passwords or other credential types. However, authentication does not determine the permissions or access rights that an individual user has once their identity has been established. Authorization, on the other hand, is the process that comes into play after successful authentication. It governs the actions that an authenticated user is allowed to perform on a system or network. Based on this distinction, it is clear that authentication is concerned with identity verification rather than the level of access or permissions associated with that identity. Understanding this distinction is crucial in cybersecurity practices, as it highlights the layered approach to security in which authentication and authorization serve different, yet complementary roles. This clarity helps in designing secure systems that properly manage user identities and access rights.