Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
What is the difference between "Authentisierung" (authentication process) and "Authentizität" (authenticity property) according to the BSI?
Authentisierung is the process of verifying identity; Authentizität is the property of being genuine. One is an action, the other is a state.
According to the BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik — Germany's Federal Office for Information Security):
| Term | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Authentisierung (Authentication) | Process | The secure identification of a person or machine, using cryptographic secrets |
| Authentizität (Authenticity) | Property | The guarantee that a message has not been altered since creation and contains no false information about the sender |
Key emphasis:
- "Authentication" and "authenticity" are not the same thing — there's constant confusion in the literature
- Data authenticity → about messages (is the data genuine and unmodified?)
- User authentication → about entities (is this person who they claim to be?)
- The process that provides user authenticity is called Authentifizierung (authentication procedure)
Practical example:
- When you log into your bank (entering password) → that's Authentisierung (authentication process)
- When you verify a digitally signed document is genuine → you're checking Authentizität (authenticity property)