Authenticity
Authenticity is the degree to which the identity of a user, system, or information source can be trusted as genuine.
“The degree to which the identity of a subject or resource can be proved to be the one claimed.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Authenticity?
Authenticity ensures that data, communications, and system identities are genuine and have not been forged, altered, or impersonated by unauthorized parties.
Identity trust: Systems must verify that communicating parties are genuine.
Data integrity relationship: Authenticity often works together with integrity to protect information.
Testing considerations: Security testing verifies mechanisms that establish and maintain authenticity.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Authenticity appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Authenticity as interchangeable with nearby ISTQB terms. That makes test scope blurry and can lead to weak evidence for the release decision.
The tester anchors the discussion in the official definition, asks where the concept appears in the product, and designs examples that show the difference between Authenticity and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Authenticity is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which mechanism MOST directly provides authenticity for messages?
Question 2
Which test BEST validates authenticity for firmware updates?
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