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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Intermediate

Identity Proofing

Verifying that a person is who they claim to be before issuing credentials.

Definition

Identity proofing collects and validates evidence such as government ID, then verifies the person matches it, possibly in person or via remote biometric comparison. NIST SP 800-63A defines Identity Assurance Levels (IAL1-3). Weak proofing undermines even strong authenticators.

Example

A remote employee completes onboarding by scanning a passport and taking a live selfie for comparison.

Exam tip

Proofing happens at enrollment; authentication happens at each login.

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