Notes on ISO terminology

Decoding ISO definitions is both an art and science.

ISO definitions use the 'replacement rule' approach - this means that wherever a defined term appears in text, the reader can directly substitute the definition and the resulting text shall make sense.

Or, in ISO Directives-speak: "The definition shall be written in such a form that it can replace the term in its context."

So, when you read the following description of Identity Assurance, these defined terms come into play:

SC 27/WG 5 describes Identity Assurance as:

identity assurance is the term used to describe an assured process where:
1. An identity is established through verification of a set of identity attributes using acceptable evidence or validated systemically against an authoritative data source; then
2. This identity is bound to the entity.
3. The outcome of the process is one or more assured identifiers that can be used as the basis for authentication.
4. The process and the organization operating the process are assured in accordance with a defined policy that includes:

1. 1. A governance body or authority;
  2. A policy specification that is systemized in a process;
  3. One or more organizations that operate the process;
  4. The detection of policy violations, anomalies and indicators of compromise, and actions to address them;
  5. One or more organizations that assure and enforce the process and the processing organizations.

Definitions from ISO 27460-1 - A framework for identity management - Part 1: Terminology and concepts

Term	Definition
identity assurance	level of assurance in the result of identification NOTE Identity assurance expresses the level of confidence in provenance, integrity and applicability of identity information including confidence in identity information maintenance.
identification	process of recognizing an entity in a particular domain as distinct from other entities
identity	set of attributes related to an entity
verification	process to determine that presented identity information associated with a particular entity is applicable for the entity to be recognized in a particular domain at some point in time
attribute	characteristic or property of an entity that can be used to describe its state, appearance, or other aspects
identity information	set of values of attributes optionally with any associated metadata in an identity
identity evidence	identity information for an entity required for authentication of that entity
authenticated identity	identity information for an entity created to record the result of authentication
entity	item inside or outside an information and communication technology system, such as a person, an organization, a device, a subsystem, or a group of such items that has recognizably distinct existence
identifier	identity information that unambiguously distinguishes one entity from another one in a given domain
authentication	formalized process of verification that, if successful, results in an authenticated identity for an entity
enrolment	process to make an entity known within a particular domain NOTE 1 Enrolment leads to identity registration. Identity proofing is typically performed to establish the identity information to be registered for a particular entity.
identity proofing or initial entity authentication	particular form of authentication based on identity evidence that is performed as the condition for enrolment
domain	environment where an entity can use a set of attributes for identification and other purposes
Related Terms	Definition
identity information authority	entity related to a particular domain that can make provable statements on the validity and/or correctness of one or more attribute values in an identity
identity information provider	entity that makes available identity information
identity registration	process of recording an entity’s identity information in an identity register