---
sourceDocument: Australia Platform security
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/de-DE/platform-security

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - de-DE

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Platform security

ft:clusterId :

    - psec

bundleId :

    - psec

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Authentication policy contexts

# Authentication policy contexts {#ariaid-title1}

* Freigeben Version: Australia
* 
* Aktualisiert 12. März 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 Minuten Lesedauer

Use authentication policy contexts to determine how and when your instance enforces
authentication policies.

Authentication contexts define how and when a policy is enforced during the login process.
Assign a policy to a policy context to define inputs and conditions regarding how your instance
handles authentication.

## Pre-authentication context {#auth-policy-contexts__section_hhm_dqx_3pb}

Policies in the pre-authorization context execute when a user first accesses the instance,
before the they see a login screen. You can use the pre-authorization context to allow or deny
access before your users are prompted for login credentials based on your selected policy.
Because these policies evaluate before a user enters any information, those policies cannot take
criteria such as a user's roles or groups into account.

For more detail on this context, see [Pre authentication context](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/jewpwIIOcRIJRS5VNHA_JQ "The pre authentication policy context defines how and when a policy is enforced during the login process. The policy used in this context executes before your users see a login screen.").

## Post-authentication context {#auth-policy-contexts__section_gbq_fqx_3pb}

Policies in the post-authorization context execute after your users enter their credentials or
SSO response. Your instance allows or denies access based on your selected policy. Because your
users have identified themselves via their login credentials, the policy can use user
information to determine whether to grant access.

For more detail on this context, see [Post-authentication context](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/WP0WKYBprUP8geObixGBXw "The Post Authentication policy context defines how and when a policy is enforced during the login process. The policy used in this context executes after your users see a login screen.").

## MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) context {#auth-policy-contexts__section_d4j_gqx_wpb}

Policies assigned to the MFA context define whether to enforce MFA during the login process.
Whether your instance enforces MFA is determined by the configuration of policies in this
context. For more detail on this context, see [Multi-factor Authentication context](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/J4~REDzsHgZRhtvBg6xTbw "The Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) policy context uses a policy to define how and when MFA is enforced during the login process.").

## Account recovery context {#auth-policy-contexts__section_vtz_xlx_jrb}

Administrators can configure account recovery (ACR) to perform recovery activities such as
addressing SSO misconfiguration or expired certificates. To use account recovery, you must
register at least one admin account as an account recovery user. Single sign-on can't be
activated on your instance until there is at least one account configured. For more information
about the context that can be set, see [Account recovery context](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/8K_SWGuSgTnYRlc_AaRI4A "The account recovery context uses a policy to define how and when the account recovery can be established.").

## Session Validation context {#auth-policy-contexts__section_z5q_jyw_mzb}

The Session Validation context can be used with the Adaptive authentication policy framework. The framework uses authentication policies to evaluate authentication requests (session) and then either deny or allow access based on
policy conditions. For more information, see [Session validation context](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/1Z2FCN0yJSwE6wTBEh2yeQ "Use the Session Validation Context as an additional layer of protection against session or cookie hijacking.").

## Default policy {#auth-policy-contexts__section_k3y_cqx_3pb}

Within the policy context, you can define a default policy in the Default Policy field. This default defines how your instance responds to the result of your
policy. The available default policy options are determined by which context you are using.
Detail on these options can be found in the docs describing these individual contexts.