A Faceted Classification of Authenticator-Centric Authentication Techniques

TL;DR

This paper introduces new faceted classification schemes for Authenticator-Centric Authentication Techniques, developed from extensive literature review, to better organize and understand diverse authentication methods.

Contribution

It presents novel, flexible classification schemes for AuthN Techniques and Authenticators, based on a large literature review and semantic clustering, along with a comprehensive catalog.

Findings

Developed two new classification schemes for AuthN Techniques and Authenticators.

Created a catalog of 345 AuthN Techniques and Authenticators.

Demonstrated applications of the classification schemes.

Abstract

Authentication is a fundamental security means for protecting system resources. Authenticator-centric authentication techniques (AuthN Techniques) address how mechanisms and credentials are used via Authenticators. There are many AuthN Techniques that differ in many ways and there exist classification approaches that aim to structure them. However, they are limited in the aspects they classify and are not flexible enough to accommodate the diverse nature of AuthN Techniques. This paper presents two contributions. First, novel, faceted classification schemes for AuthN Techniques and Authenticators are presented. The schemes were developed based on 345 papers identified through a targeted LLM-assisted literature review and semantic clustering. The classification schemes were applied to build a catalog of Authenticators and AuthN Techniques; the second contribution of this paper. This paper presents our methodology, the classification schemes with example applications, the list of AuthN Techniques from the catalog, and discussions on future work.