Authentication Assurance Level
An authentication assurance level expresses the degree of confidence that an authentication event correctly establishes the claimed identity.
- Acronym
- AAL
- Synonym
- AAL
Definition
An authentication assurance level is a classification that expresses the degree of confidence that an authentication event correctly establishes the claimed identity. Assurance depends on factors such as enrollment rigor, authenticator strength, resistance to phishing and replay, verifier security, credential lifecycle controls, and recovery robustness. In mature IAM programs, assurance levels help align authentication requirements with data sensitivity, transaction risk, regulatory obligations, and business impact.
Why it matters
Assurance levels help organizations avoid using the same authentication requirements across all users, systems, and risk scenarios.
The Ariovis perspective
Authentication strength should match the risk of the journey rather than impose the same friction everywhere. Ariovis looks for a balance between security, maintainability and user experience.
Related services
Common pitfalls
- A common pitfall is deploying technically strong authenticators while leaving identity proofing, recovery, or exception handling weak.
Standards and protocols
- NIST SP 800-63B
- eIDAS
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