What is Assurance Level?

Assurance Level is a term to describe the degree of confidence in the registration and authentication processes. Below are their detailed descriptions:

	Definition	Example
	No or little confidence in the asserted identity's validity. This assurance level is only sufficient when there will be NO (or MINIMAL) risk for a compromise. The authentication mechanism can provide some assurance that the same user is accessing the service, transaction or data.	A customer presents a self-registered user ID that allows him/her to create a personalized homepage or receive e-newsletter. A third party gaining unauthorised access to the ID might infer information about the personal preference, but such risks are generally very minimal.
	Moderate confidence in the asserted identity's validity. This assurance level is sufficient when a compromise will have LOW risk.	Authentication is required for a customer to check the processing status of a transaction. The associated risks are not high if the application does not disclose sensitive information.
	High confidence in the asserted identity's validity. This assurance level is sufficient when a compromise will lead to MODERATE risk.	Remote access to medical records of a patient or a financial account that involves sensitive personal information.
	Very high confidence in the asserted identity's validity. This assurance level is required when a compromise will lead to HIGH risk.	Unauthorised access could lead to compromised investigations or hindrance to the detection of criminal violations.