While user/password authentication and multi-factor authentication are generally secure, there are situations, such as third-party applications connecting to web applications, where storing user/password combos is unsafe.
How can we mitigate this risk?
Authentication protocols, including OAuth, OpenID, SAML, FIDO, and password managers, do not require traditional password-based authentication.
Let's briefly discuss them,
- ?? OAuth: OAuth is a protocol allowing applications to authenticate users without passwords. It relies on tokens generated by a server and is recommended to use OAuth 2.0 for security.
- ?? OpenID: OpenID is an HTTP-based protocol that uses identity providers to validate users' identities. It enables single sign-on (SSO) without sharing passwords with multiple websites.
- ??? SAML: Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) competes with OpenID and is often preferred for enterprise applications. It is XML-based and offers flexibility in authentication.
- ?? FIDO: The Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance offers passwordless authentication through the Universal Authentication Framework (UAF) and second-factor authentication through Universal Second Factor (U2F), using public key cryptography.
- ?? Password Managers: Password managers automate credential management and should be supported by web applications through standard HTML forms, allowing pasting and navigation between fields.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I'm excited to share that I recently delivered a presentation on OAuth 2.0 and OIDC at Civo Navigate. I will share the video link once it's available.
