Credential

Full Title or Meme

A Credential in the digital realm is a structure which contains, at a minimum, a secret value which can be used in Authentication of a Subject.

Context

• The original digital Credential was just a shared secret, usually called a Password.
• More secure Credentials keep private keys which are used to build an Identity Token which can include anti-replay elements, that (with User Consent) is sent to a requester.

Solutions

• A Certificate binds a credential to an Identifier of its Subject as well as (potentially) other Attributes.
• Typically there is also a binding to some sort of real-world credential, usually a piece of paper with a seal.