What you know authentication involves the most rudimentary form of authentication techniques available. It involves the use of passwords and tokens to gain access to a particular Web server or place. Passwords are at times easily forgotten or passed on to an unauthorized users unknowingly, leading to cases of fraud. In order for you to authenticate efficiently at all times, it is essential that you memorize your password completely, since the user name can be easily guessed. Passwords should not be written down, as this only increases the chances of an unauthorized person locating it and using it to gain information without your knowledge.
What you have authentication mechanism refers to the authentication where an object such as a smart card is inserted into a computer in order to grant a user access. The what you have involves a string of non-reusable passwords. This confuses people because only one particular password can be used at a particular time. This authentication technique is safer than its predecessor, as a break-in will require the unauthorized person to possess your object of authentication like the smart card and also have your passwords.
What you are authentication is the most advanced and safest of the authentication techniques available. This type requires personal physical attributes in order for access to be granted. The most common of this type of authentication is the use of Identity Card (IDs). The ID has a photograph of you and can be used to gain access in places where human beings rather than computers are involved. Scientific advances have been made to improve security with the introduction of fingerprint systems. Fingerprints are unique and hence impersonation is virtually impossible. Other what you are authentication types are the retina pattern and voice recognition mechanisms.
Even though authentication protects your data and information, it does not mean that the authentication methods are 100 percent efficient, as loopholes are bound to occur. Losing your smart card, for instance, can cause your data to be hacked into. The fingerprint system too has its loopholes, as a certain Tsutomu Matsumoto, a cryptographer, has devised a means where you can fake fingerprints.