Basics of authentication
Authentication is the process of confirming that something or someone is really who they claim to be. The ways in which someone may be authenticated fall into three categories, based on what are known as the factors of authentication:
Knowledge (something you know): password, PIN code, etc.
Ownership (something you have): security token, phone, etc.
Inherence (something you are): fingerprint, signature, various biometric identifiers
Following the path of most computer systems, Moodle offers basic authentication based on a knowledge factor. This means that in order to operate in Moodle any person must have a user account.
A user account consists of a username, password, and other personal information. Both username and password are used to authenticate a person who wishes to access the platform. Based on the outcome of an authentication, a user will be given or declined access to the platform. The authentication is performed (usually) by comparing provided data from...
