Token Authentication

Token-Authentication refers to one of two methods of authentication, hardware based multifactor or passing tokens across a network link that are derived from a shared secret.

Hardware Based MultiFactor Authentication

Hardware based MultiFactor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) solutions traditionally are comprised of a hardware token generator such as the SecureID system from RSA.  These token generators display a frequently changing number which is combined with a static PIN that a user combines to log in to a network system.

Soft Tokens

Soft Token systems refer to  software based systems that generate tokens, generally in the form of small numbers or hashes that are exchanged between a user and a network service to prove that one entity knows a shared secret without actually passing that shared secret across the network.