About Authentication

The following sections provide information about authentication.

Section	Description
Credentials Management	How to obtain and manage credential information such as user names and passwords.
LSA Authentication	How to authenticate and log users on to the local system and how to create and call authentication packages and security packages.
Network Provider API	How to interact with other types of networks.
Smart Card Authentication	Describes the smart card authentication architecture.
SSPI	How an application can use various security models available on a computer or network without changing the interface to the security system.
Winlogon and Credential Providers	How to customize Winlogon behavior by implementing and registering a Credential Provider.