Electronic authentication.

The process of authenticating a person’s identity and thus granting him or her authorization to access and alter data controlled by a particular computer system is called electronic authentication. Also known as e-authentication, this type of authentication has become increasingly important as most business and government data systems have become computer based. Typically, electronic authentication takes place when a person tries to make a particular transaction via computer. The transaction could be as simple as accessing a university library’s catalog or as sensitive as making corporate financial transfers.