1. According to different objects, entity authentication is the authentication of communication subject, and message authentication is the authentication of communication data.

2. Different purposes: The purpose of entity authentication is to identify the true identity of the communication party and prevent forgery. It is a process of verifying whether the real identity of the subject is consistent with its claimed identity. The purpose of message authentication is to verify whether the message has been tampered with during transmission or storage, that is, to verify that the received message really comes from the real sender and has not been modified, and also to verify the sequence and timeliness of the message.

3. Different authentication methods: entity authentication generally uses digital signature, and identity authentication is mainly used at some time of connection establishment or data transmission. Message authentication generally adopts the method of message digest.

Extended data:

Significance and function of certification:

In the field of information security, on the one hand, it is to ensure the confidentiality of information, prevent confidential information in communication from being stolen and deciphered, and prevent passive attacks on the system; On the other hand, it is to ensure the integrity and validity of information, that is, to find out whether the identity of the other party communicating with it is true, to confirm whether the information has been tampered with, disguised, interfered and denied during transmission, and to prevent active attacks on the system.

Authentication refers to the process of verifying the true identity and is an important technology to prevent active attacks. It plays an important role in the security of various information systems in an open environment.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-entity authentication

Baidu encyclopedia-message authentication