SECAI Core · phase 10 of 15
Identification
The process by which a user account (and its credentials) is issued to the correct person. Sometimes referred to as enrollment.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- Identification is the process of issuing a user account and its credentials to the correct person. It is sometimes called enrollment, and it happens before any login.
- Example
- A new data scientist joins. HR confirms their identity, IT creates an account tied to that verified person, and an API key for the AI platform is issued to that account rather than borrowed from a colleague.
- Why it matters
- Every later control, authentication, authorisation and accounting, assumes the account belongs to who you think. Sloppy identification means a perfectly authenticated stranger.
- Hook
- Issuing the badge to the right face.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 10: Identity, Access, and Cryptographic Foundations
Before examining threats to systems, establish the foundational security primitives — identity, authentication, authorisation, and the cryptography underpinning them.
