Which token is generated by a cryptoprocessor on a dedicated hardware device, and its value is never transmitted directly?

Which token is generated by a cryptoprocessor on a dedicated hardware device, and its value is never transmitted directly?

• A. Hard authentication token
• B. Soft authentication token
• C. One-time password (OTP)
• D. Security key

Answer: (A)

Hard authentication tokens are physical devices that contain a dedicated cryptoprocessor. This hardware securely stores a secret key and uses it to generate a cryptographic response locally, so the secret never leaves the device. When you authenticate, you send the generated response, not the secret itself, which is why the token’s underlying value isn’t transmitted directly. That hardware-software isolation of the secret is the key idea here. Soft tokens are software-based and don’t rely on a separate hardware cryptoprocessor, the OTP is the value you transmit, and a security key is a hardware device used for signing challenges rather than producing a user-visible one-time code. So the description fits hard authentication tokens best.

Hard authentication tokens are physical devices that contain a dedicated cryptoprocessor. This hardware securely stores a secret key and uses it to generate a cryptographic response locally, so the secret never leaves the device. When you authenticate, you send the generated response, not the secret itself, which is why the token’s underlying value isn’t transmitted directly. That hardware-software isolation of the secret is the key idea here. Soft tokens are software-based and don’t rely on a separate hardware cryptoprocessor, the OTP is the value you transmit, and a security key is a hardware device used for signing challenges rather than producing a user-visible one-time code. So the description fits hard authentication tokens best.