On most computer systems, a password is used to prove a user's identity. This password often is transmitted over the network and can possibly be intercepted by malicious hackers. Because this password is the one secret piece of information that identifies a user, anyone knowing a user's password can effectively be that user. Authentication methods protect the identity of the user.

The drivers support the following forms of authentication:

  • User ID/password authentication authenticates the user to the database using a database user name and password.

  • Kerberos authentication is a trusted third-party authentication service that verifies user identities. The drivers support both Windows Active Directory Kerberos and MIT Kerberos implementations.
  • Cookie based authentication uses session cookies to authenticate requests to an HTTP endpoint after the initial authentication to the server. The driver supports cookie-based authentication when operating in HTTP mode (TransportMode=1). For more information, see "HTTP mode."