Credential
Credential may refer to any of the following:
1. In general, a credential is a document (or part of one) that assures a person's authority, competence, or qualification in a specified area. Credentials are issued by those who have the assumed standing or relevant expertise to do so. An example of a credential is an academic degree. A person with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Programming is likely to have substantial knowledge of how computer software is created and the programming languages used to create them.
2. With computer security, a credential is information or personal data that is utilized to identify a user. It includes a unique identifier, such as a username or account number, and a corresponding password, passphrase, or passcode. Credentials are used with various computer systems, networks, and online services to make sure the entity trying to access a system is authorized to do so.
Other common examples of security credentials include access cards, security tokens, and biometric data like fingerprints or scans of a person's face (facial recognition).
The process of providing credentials to access a system called authentication.