The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Identity Provisioning: Identity provisioning involves setting up and managing individual user accounts and access permissions across various IT systems and services. This process incorporates establishing roles, granting appropriate access based on those roles, and regularly updating or revoking access as needed, especially as users join, move within, or leave the organization.

Identity Store: A database or directory where user profile data is securely stored. An identity store might contain information such as usernames, passwords, roles, and other user attributes necessary for authentication and authorization processes. By keeping all these data in one place, an identity store aids in managing and validating user identities efficiently.

Identity theft: The act of obtaining and using another individual's personal information without their permission for fraudulent purposes. Identity theft is a common concern in the digital world, as personal information can be easily accessed and stolen through cyber-attacks. Examples include using stolen credit card information to make unauthorized purchases or accessing someone's bank account without their knowledge.

Identity token: An identity token is a security token that is digitally signed and contains claims about the identity of a user, which can be verified by a system or application. Identity tokens simplify access management by substituting for traditional credentials and are often used in federated identity and single sign-on (SSO) systems.

Identity validation: The process of verifying that an individual's identity is valid and accurate. It is commonly used in IAM systems to ensure that only authorized individuals are able to access certain resources. Examples of identity validation include checking a user's credentials against a database of authorized users.

Idle standby: A state in which a system or device is ready to be used but is not currently in use. It is commonly used in systems that need to be available at all times, such as backup systems or failover systems. Examples of idle standby systems include standby power generators and backup servers.