Misconception M2 / F4

Authentication did not prove which human was present

Authentication proved which human was present.

Wrong claim

Why it feels true

A successful MFA prompt for jordan.h looks like Jordan was holding the phone.

Precise correction

NIST SP 800-63-4 (final 31 July 2025) treats authentication as proof offered for a digital identity, separate from which person is physically present and from what that identity may do next.

A shared YardOS login on a clipboard, or a nephew who taps Allow, can produce a success log for an account without the named person being there.

Maya can say the account authenticated. She cannot yet say which human was at the phone.

NIST SP 800-63-4 Digital Identity Guidelines, final 2025-07-31 ↗

MINI-CHECK

FleetLink logs a password and an approved phone prompt for Kim Park at 02:14, then a request for trailer 99, which Kim is not assigned. What can Maya claim?

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