Instructor: In this lesson,
we will learn about authentication and authorization.
The process of authentication
and authorization involves verifying a user's identity
and determining their access rights
to resources within a system.
Authentication and authorization concepts
include attestation,
the use of the security assertion markup language, or SAML,
OpenID, OAuth, and federation.
Attestation is the process of verifying that a system
or entity complies with certain policies
or standards, often as part of the authentication process.
The security assertion markup language,
or SAML, is a standard for exchanging authentication
and authorization data between parties.
OpenID is an authentication protocol that allows users
to log into multiple services
using a single identity provider.
An identity provider is a service
that manages user identity information
and asserts authentication to enable secure access
to multiple applications or systems.
Next, OAuth is an authorization framework
that allows third party applications
to access user data without passing their credentials
to the third party.
And finally, federation refers to the practice
of asserting identities across multiple domains.
Let's learn more about attestation,
the security assertion markup language,
OpenID, OAuth, and federation.
First, we have attestation.
Attestation is the process of verifying that a user, system,
or device meets specific security standards and policies.
It plays an important role in authentication by proving
that the user or entity trying
to access a resource is legitimate
and has not been compromised.
For example, in a secure workplace,
attestation can be used to ensure that a user's credentials,
such as a certificate or security token, are valid
and comply with organizational security policies
before granting access to sensitive information
or a resource.
This attestation process
helps prevent unauthorized access by confirming the identity
and authenticity of the user prior to granting resource
or data access.
Attestation often involves generating
a unique digital signature or hash value
that proves a user's credentials are genuine
and have not been altered.
This proof is then sent to a verifying party,
such as an access control system,
which checks that the user's credentials are valid
and meet specific security policies, protocols,
or compliance requirements established
by an organization or system.
So if the attestation process confirms
that the user is legitimate, access to resource is granted.
If not, access is denied.
This ensures that only trusted users can interact
with secure systems and data.
In applications, attestation is widely used
to verify the identity and security status of users
in cloud services, remote access setups,
and secure boot processes.
By verifying users and their associated credentials,
attestation helps protect sensitive data
and resources enhancing overall security by ensuring
that access is only granted to users
who meet stringent security requirements.
Second, we have the security assertion markup language
or SAML.
SAML is a standard that facilitates the exchange
of authentication and authorization data between parties,
typically between an identity provider
and a service provider.
SAML can allow users to authenticate once
with an identity provider
and then access multiple services
without needing to log in again.
This is known as single sign-on or SSO,
which simplifies the user experience
and enhances security by centralizing authentication.
For example, consider a business where employees need access
to various applications like email, file storage,
and HR systems within the same organization.
With SAML, employees log in just once
to the company's identity provider.
SAML is then used to securely pass their authentication data
to other applications,
allowing seamless access without additional logins.
This approach reduces password fatigue
and lowers the risk of security issues related
to managing multiple passwords.
SAML uses extensible markup language
or XML-based tokens to communicate authentication
and authorization information.
SAML is also popular in environments
that require secure cross-domain single sign-on,
allowing organizations to maintain control over user access
between domains and organizations
through a centralized authentication management.
Third, we have OpenID.
OpenID is an authentication protocol that enables users
to log into multiple services using a single set
of credentials managed by an identity provider.
This simplifies the login process by allowing users
to maintain a single identity
across multiple platforms and domains,
reducing the need to remember multiple usernames
and passwords.
OpenID is commonly used by websites
and applications to streamline user authentication
and improve security.
For example, when a user logs
into different website domains using their Google account,
they're likely using OpenID.
In this situation, Google acts as the identity provider,
verifying the user's credentials,
and then communicating this authentication
to other various websites.
This allows users to access multiple services
without creating separate accounts for each.
So OpenID provides a consistent
and standardized way to handle authentication,
enhancing user experience
and reducing the risk of weak or reused passwords.
It also benefits service providers
by outsourcing the complexity of user authentication
to a trusted identity provider,
allowing them to focus more on their core services.
Fourth, we have OAuth.
OAuth, which stands for Open Authorization is a framework
that allows third party applications
to access a user's data
without directly handling the authentication process.
In these scenarios,
unlike the authentication process handled by OpenID,
OAuth focuses on authorization,
determining what data the third party is allowed to access,
and what actions it can perform on behalf of the user.
This separation keeps user credentials secure
and limits the scope of what external applications can do.
For example, when you connect your social media account
to a third party application to share photos,
OAuth allows that application
to access specific data from your social media account
without revealing your login credentials.
So the third party application receives a token
that grants it permission only
to the data that you agreed to share,
and this token can be revoked at any time,
giving you control over what the application can access.
Overall, OAuth works by issuing tokens instead
of credentials, significantly reducing security risks
associated with sharing passwords
between services and providing a secure
and flexible way to manage access permissions.
Fifth and finally, we have federation.
Federation refers to the practice of sharing
and managing user identities across multiple domains
or organizations allowing for seamless access
to resources without requiring multiple logins.
Federation enables organizations
to trust each other's identity management systems,
allowing users to access services in one domain based
on authentication performed by another trusted domain.
This simplifies access management
and enhances user experience in multi-domain environments.
For instance, a university system might use federation
to allow students from one campus
to access resources at another campus
without needing separate credentials.
Through federation,
the student's home campus can authenticate their identity,
and the second campus can trust this authentication
and grant access to its resources.
This allows for efficient
and secure access without compromising the integrity
of each domain's security policies.
Federation often uses standards
like SAML to exchange authentication
and authorization data between identity providers
and service providers.
Federation is also widely used in businesses,
educational institutions,
and government agencies to streamline user access
and maintain secure, scalable identity management
across multiple systems.
Now, let's consider a complex example
that brings many of these concepts together.
Imagine a university system where students need
to access various online resources,
such as the library database, the student portal,
and third party educational tools
like alerting management system.
The university employs a federated identity management
approach to streamline access across these services
while maintaining security.
In this setup, the security assertion markup language,
OpenID, and OAuth work together to handle authentication
and authorization efficiently.
Here's how the process unfolds.
When a student logs into the university's main portal,
or SAML is the protocol used
to authenticate the student
via the university's identity provider,
which manages the student's credentials.
The identity provider verifies the student's username
and password confirming their identity,
but if the student prefers,
they can log in using an external account such as Google.
Leveraging OpenID for authentication.
OpenID allows the student
to use their existing Google credentials
with Google acting as the identity provider
for the university's resources.
This single sign-on assertion capability
within the university's domain simplifies the login process
for the student enabling access across multiple services
without reentering their credentials.
Once authenticated, the student might want
to use a third party educational tool that integrates
with the university system,
such as a note-taking application
or an interactive learning platform.
Here, OAuth manages the authorization process.
So instead of the student sharing
their university credentials
with the third party application, OAuth issues a token
that grants the application specific permissions,
such as access to course data
or reading lists
without exposing the user's sensitive login details.
This token-based system allows the third party application
to access only the information it needs,
enhancing security by limiting access
and giving the student control over what data is shared.
So this federated and SSO environment leverages
the security assertion markup language, or SAML,
OpenID, and OAuth
to provide a secure, user-friendly experience,
allowing seamless access to a broad range
of resources while maintaining strict access controls.
So remember, authentication and authorization are processes
that verify a user's identity
and determine their access rights
to resources within a system.
Key concepts in this process include attestation,
security assertions markup language, or SAML,
OpenID, OAuth, and federation.
Attestation verifies that a user, system,
or device meets specific security standards,
ensuring the authenticity of the entity
before granting access.
SAML is a protocol that facilitates the secure exchange
of authentication data between an identity provider
and service providers allowing users to log in once
and access multiple resources.
OpenID is an authentication protocol that enables users
to use a single set of credentials managed
by an identity provider to log into multiple services.
OAuth is a framework that handles authorization,
allowing third party applications to access user data
without directly handling authentication.
This is done often by using tokens instead of passwords
to manage permissions.
Finally, federation refers to the practice of sharing
and managing user identities across multiple domains
or organizations,
allowing users to access services across different systems
with a single authenticated identity.