Introduction
According to the ÑInternet Security Glossaryì (RFC 2828)
- Authentication refers to the process of verifying an identity claimed for a system entity
- Authorization refers the process of granting a right or permission to a system entity to access a system resource
An authentication and authorization infrastructure (AAI) is an infrastructure that provides support for authentication and authorization
AAIs are getting increasingly important in todays networked and distributed environments
Development roots:
- Kerberos authentication system
- Public key infrastructures (PKIs)