Types of Knowledge-Based Modalities

Something you know.

We know a lot of things, we can tell the system the things we know, and the system can confirm that the person accessing the system knows these same things.

Here are a few examples of knowledge-based information:

• Passwords.
• Personal Identification Numbers (PINs).
• Social Security Numbers.
• Driver’s License Numbers.
• Dates of Birth.
• Employee IDs.
• Mother’s maiden name.
• Name of your favorite pet.
• Name of the street you lived on as a child.

Some of these pieces of personally identifiable information (PII) are more commonly known than others. The, um, secret is to choose a piece of knowledge that ONLY YOU know.

But remember: anything that you know is potentially known by others.