As the name suggests, access control is a security measure that regulates access to a resource or facility. The technique is used to ensure that only authorized persons get to view specific files in a computing environment or can enter certain physical locations.

To manage these protocols, security systems are run using access control software. This makes the process as automatic as possible. The system is able to identify a specific user, authenticate their task, and allow them access to specific areas associated with the duty at hand.

Below is more information about how the authentication works, including the different factors that come into play. 

How Does Access Control Work?

While the user may not understand exactly how the system works, they are presented with easy-to-use electronic panels or apps. It is here where biometric data, personal identification numbers, or one-time passwords are evaluated before access can be granted.

These controls identify people by their security designations. The system goes further in evaluating the identity through a given set of instructions. For example, the software may require the user to enter an answer to a preset question. In such cases, the identification factor is issued during system sign up .

Businesses, organizations, and buildings use different kinds of access management software depending on the desired security. Additionally, the system may be tuned to certain standards as required by the industry’s compliance standards.

Types of Authentication Factors used for Access Control

Access security systems employ different authentication methods to evaluate security clearance. Conditional to the level of security required, the software can allow access by evaluating a single or several identity elements. Such factors are grouped into 5 main categories:

1.   Knowledge

Knowledge-based authentication assumes that the user has prior understanding of a security question. This type of security is reminiscent of the spy-era security protocols whereby agents were expected to know answers to predetermined questions as supplied by their handlers.

The security questions can be anything from the name of your pet to the name of your favorite elementary teacher. As a control measure, the answers are not expected to be generic to avoid infiltration by others.

2.   Possession

Possession-based security protocols work on the premise that the user has a verifiable access element on their person. The most common possession-based security factor is a one-time pin (OTP). This is typically a 6-digit figure that is sent to the user’s phone or email address.

The possession can also be in the form of a physical element. Such elements include access badges whose details are already recorded in the database of the access control software in use.

Other elements that can be presented when prompted by the system include USB devices preloaded with security protocols. Smart cards, security keys, and software tokens are also categorized as possession-based elements. If lost, defaced, or interfered with electronically, the user is automatically denied access.

3.   Inherence

Inherence refers to the elements that constitute the state of matter. As a security factor, inherence evaluates factors such as the physical appearance of a user. The system is preset to take note of biometric features that can only be attributed to the person requesting access.

Fingerprints have long been the go-to biometric element in security control systems. With advances in software engineering, factors such as retinal scans are becoming mainstream.

Other personal characteristics that can be evaluated by software include a person’s voice and other facial features aside from retinal scans that can be mapped and stored inside security databases. Furthermore, if the safety of a system or a building requires absolute evaluations, there is software that can analyze mannerisms such as a walking style. 

4.   Risk

Risk-based or adaptive authentication investigates the behavior of an individual or device trying to gain access. The software uses the values associated with risk to allow access or trigger another level of security protocol.

The factor is usually assessed based on preset queries whose values determine the allowable risk. For example, the software may deny access depending on the time of day a user tries to access a company’s internal system.

Typical questions when dealing with logical access include:

• Is it during working hours?
• Does the accessing device run the required software version?
• Is the user trying to mask their system usage?

5.   Geolocation

Multifactor authentication can also include location-based elements. Access management software can whitelist specific places where a system can be accessed. Such information can also be used in conjunction with other factors to allow or deny access.

Generally, when signing up, the system designates the allowable geographical area for the user to operate. This can be a given continent, country, state, city, building, or even a building’s floor.

Location can also be constrained to a specific panel coupled with other authentication factors. This means that a user’s access protocols will only work if entered on that one panel and will be invalidated if used on a different panel, no matter how similar or near the two panels are to each other.