NIST IAL2 is an identity assurance level in the NIST digital identity framework. It means a person has gone through stronger identity proofing than lower assurance tiers, with more reliable evidence and verification before an account or credential is issued. IAL2 is about proving who someone is at enrollment, not just checking a password at login.
This matters because attackers often abuse weak onboarding, stolen personal data, or fake vendor identities to get trusted access. In practice, IAL2-style proofing can help reduce impersonation and limit risky remote access, especially in high-impact environments such as OT and critical infrastructure. Defenders may pair it with multifactor authentication, privileged access controls, and short-lived access approvals. It is not a standalone guarantee: security depends on how the proofing is performed, what documents or signals are accepted, and whether exceptions are tightly controlled.