A company wants to set up single sign-on (SSO) without passing credentials through to each piece of software and cloud service. Which protocol would meet this requirement?
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct protocol for this requirement is SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language).
Explanation:
Single Sign-On (SSO) allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications and services without needing to re-enter credentials for each one. In a typical SSO setup, the user’s identity is authenticated by a central authority, and this authentication is shared with various services or applications without transmitting the user’s password each time.
SAML is an XML-based open standard used for securely exchanging authentication and authorization data between an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider (SP). In a SAML-based SSO system, the user’s credentials are authenticated by the IdP, and the IdP sends a signed XML document (SAML assertion) to the SP. The SP can then validate the assertion to grant access to the user, without the need for the user to re-enter their password.
The key advantages of using SAML for SSO include:
- Centralized Authentication: The identity provider (such as an organization’s authentication system) handles the authentication, reducing the need for multiple sets of credentials.
- Security: Credentials are not passed to every service; instead, authentication tokens or assertions are used, which can be encrypted and signed, enhancing security.
- Scalability: SAML allows large organizations to manage authentication for multiple cloud services and applications without the need to configure credentials for each individual service.
- Flexibility: SAML supports both internal applications and third-party services, allowing organizations to implement SSO for various types of systems.
Because SAML enables a seamless flow of user information from the identity provider to the service provider, it is particularly useful when a company wants to avoid transmitting credentials repeatedly while still allowing centralized user management and secure authentication across multiple services.