Mobile Identity Federation Explained

Key Concepts of Mobile Identity Federation

1. Identity Federation

Identity Federation is a framework that allows different organizations or systems to trust and share user identity information securely. This enables users to access multiple services without needing to create separate accounts for each service.

2. Single Sign-On (SSO)

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a method that allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications or services without needing to re-enter credentials. SSO leverages identity federation to provide a seamless user experience.

3. Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, particularly between an identity provider and a service provider. SAML enables secure identity federation.

4. OAuth

OAuth is an open standard for access delegation, commonly used as a way for users to grant websites or applications access to their information on other websites without giving them the passwords. OAuth is often used in conjunction with identity federation to provide secure access.

5. OpenID Connect

OpenID Connect is an authentication layer built on top of OAuth 2.0. It allows clients to verify the identity of the end-user based on the authentication performed by an authorization server, as well as to obtain basic profile information about the end-user in an interoperable and REST-like manner.

6. Identity Providers (IdPs)

Identity Providers (IdPs) are entities that create, maintain, and manage identity information for principals and provide principal authentication to other service providers within a federation or distributed network.

Detailed Explanation

Identity Federation

Imagine you have a membership card that grants you access to multiple gyms across the country. Each gym trusts the membership card issued by the central authority, allowing you to use any gym without needing a separate membership for each one. This is similar to how identity federation works, where different systems trust a central identity provider.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Consider a scenario where you log into your email account and, with a single click, gain access to your calendar, documents, and social media accounts without needing to log in again. This seamless experience is made possible by SSO, which leverages identity federation to provide a unified authentication process.

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

Think of SAML as a secure envelope that carries authentication information between an identity provider and a service provider. This envelope ensures that the information is not tampered with and is only accessible by the intended recipients. For example, when you log into a corporate portal using your company credentials, SAML is used to securely transfer your authentication details.

OAuth

Imagine you want to share your photos from a photo-sharing app with a social media platform. Instead of giving the social media platform your password, you use OAuth to grant it temporary access to your photos. This way, your password remains secure, and the social media platform can only access the photos you allow. OAuth is often used in mobile apps to provide secure access to user data.

OpenID Connect

Consider a scenario where you log into a mobile app using your Google account. OpenID Connect allows the app to verify your identity and obtain basic profile information without needing to store or manage your credentials. This provides a secure and convenient way for users to authenticate across different services.

Identity Providers (IdPs)

Think of IdPs as the central authority that issues and verifies your identity credentials. For example, when you log into a mobile banking app using your Google or Facebook account, the app trusts the authentication provided by Google or Facebook as the IdP. This trust relationship is established through identity federation.

Examples and Analogies

Identity Federation

Consider a university that has partnerships with multiple online learning platforms. By using identity federation, students can access all these platforms using their university credentials, without needing separate accounts for each one.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Imagine a corporate employee who logs into the company's intranet and gains access to email, HR portal, and project management tools with a single set of credentials. This seamless access is enabled by SSO, which leverages identity federation.

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

Consider a government employee who logs into a secure portal to access various services. SAML is used to securely transfer the employee's authentication details from the government's IdP to the service provider, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the portal.

OAuth

Imagine a fitness app that allows users to share their workout data with a social media platform. Using OAuth, the fitness app can securely access the user's social media account without needing the user's password, ensuring that the user's credentials remain protected.

OpenID Connect

Consider a mobile app that allows users to log in using their Google or Facebook accounts. OpenID Connect enables the app to verify the user's identity and obtain basic profile information, providing a secure and convenient authentication process.