Authentication vs authorization in HLD - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to identify the process that verifies user identity.

HLD

The process of verifying who a user is called [1].

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AAuthorization

BEncryption

CAuthentication

DAuditing

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing authentication with authorization.

Thinking encryption is the same as authentication.

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to identify the process that controls user access rights.

HLD

The process that determines what a user can do is called [1].

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AAuthorization

BAuthentication

CValidation

DEncryption

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up authorization with authentication.

Assuming validation is the same as authorization.

Authorization controls what resources or actions a user is allowed to access.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the statement about authentication and authorization.

HLD

Authentication is about [1] access rights to resources.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aencrypting

Bgranting

Ccontrolling

Dverifying

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Saying authentication controls access rights.

Confusing verifying with granting permissions.

Authentication is about verifying identity, not controlling access rights.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the sentence about authentication and authorization.

HLD

After [1], the system performs [2] to check user permissions.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aauthentication

Bauthorization

Cvalidation

Dencryption

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Reversing the order of authentication and authorization.

Using validation or encryption instead of authorization.

First, the system authenticates the user, then authorizes their actions.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to complete the explanation of authentication and authorization.

HLD

In a secure system, [1] confirms identity, [2] checks permissions, and [3] protects data.

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aauthentication

Bauthorization

Cencryption

Dvalidation

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up authorization and encryption.

Leaving out encryption as a protection step.

Authentication confirms who you are, authorization checks what you can do, and encryption protects data.

Practice

1. Which of the following best describes authentication in system design?

easy

A. Encrypting user data

B. Granting access to resources

C. Logging user activities

D. Verifying the identity of a user

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand authentication purpose

   Authentication is the process of confirming who the user is by checking credentials like username and password.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from authorization

   Authorization controls what the user can do after identity is confirmed, not the identity check itself.

3. Final Answer:

   Verifying the identity of a user -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Authentication = Verifying identity [OK]

Hint: Authentication = Who you are, Authorization = What you can do [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing authentication with authorization
• Thinking authentication controls permissions
• Mixing identity verification with data encryption

2. Which of the following is a correct example of an authorization check in code?

easy

A. if user.password == input_password:

B. if user.session_token is not None:

C. if user.role == 'admin':

D. if user.email_verified:

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify authorization logic

   Authorization checks what actions a user can perform, often by checking roles or permissions like user.role == 'admin'.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from authentication checks

   Authentication checks credentials like passwords or tokens, not roles.

3. Final Answer:

   if user.role == 'admin': -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Authorization checks roles/permissions [OK]

Hint: Authorization checks roles or permissions, not passwords [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using password checks as authorization
• Confusing session token presence with authorization
• Checking email verification as authorization

3. Consider this code snippet:

def access_resource(user):
    if not user.is_authenticated:
        return "Access Denied"
    if user.permission != 'read':
        return "Permission Denied"
    return "Resource Content"

What will be the output if user.is_authenticated is True but user.permission is 'write'?

medium

A. "Permission Denied"

B. "Resource Content"

C. "Access Denied"

D. Error due to missing permission

Solution

1. Step 1: Check authentication condition

   The user is authenticated (True), so the first if condition fails and does not return "Access Denied".

2. Step 2: Check authorization condition

   The user's permission is 'write', which is not equal to 'read', so the second if returns "Permission Denied".

3. Final Answer:

   "Permission Denied" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Authenticated but wrong permission = Permission Denied [OK]

Hint: Authenticated? Check permission next for authorization [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring permission check and returning resource
• Confusing authentication failure with permission failure
• Assuming 'write' permission equals 'read'

4. A developer wrote this code to check access:

if user.is_authorized:
    print("Access granted")
else:
    print("Access denied")

But the system always denies access even for valid users. What is the likely issue?

medium

A. The variable is_authorized is misspelled

B. The code checks authorization without authenticating the user first

C. The print statements are reversed

D. The user object is not defined

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze authentication and authorization order

   Authorization should only be checked after confirming the user is authenticated. Skipping authentication can cause authorization to fail.

2. Step 2: Understand why access is always denied

   If is_authorized depends on authentication, but authentication is missing, it will always be false or unset, denying access.

3. Final Answer:

   The code checks authorization without authenticating the user first -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Authenticate before authorizing [OK]

Hint: Always authenticate before authorization checks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Checking authorization without authentication
• Assuming authorization implies authentication
• Ignoring user object initialization

5. In designing a secure web service, which approach correctly applies authentication and authorization to protect user data?

hard

A. Authenticate users with passwords, then authorize access based on roles before serving data

B. Authorize users first, then authenticate them before data access

C. Allow data access after authentication without any authorization checks

D. Skip authentication if the user has a valid session token

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand correct security flow

   First, confirm user identity by authentication (e.g., passwords). Then, check what the user is allowed to do by authorization (e.g., roles).

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for security best practice

   Authenticate users with passwords, then authorize access based on roles before serving data follows the correct order: authenticate then authorize. Other options either reverse order, skip authorization, or skip authentication improperly.

3. Final Answer:

   Authenticate users with passwords, then authorize access based on roles before serving data -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Authenticate first, then authorize [OK]

Hint: Authenticate identity first, then authorize actions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Reversing authentication and authorization order
• Skipping authorization after authentication
• Trusting session tokens without authentication