Page 103 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for July 2020

Understanding the Types of Single Sign-On

• ENTERPRISE SINGLE SIGN-ON is considered a primary authentication, intercepting login
requests when needed by secondary applications to complete the user and password fields. This
system lets one system interacts with other systems that might disable the login screen.

• WEB SINGLE SING ON or WEB SSO works with an application which can be accessed online,
and its works to verify a user on multiple applications by eliminating the need of getting identified
again.

The proxy server then intercepts the access data as well as facilitates the communication
following the transferring the results to the computer that requested it. Unidentified users are sent
to an authentication service, returning a successful login.

• FEDERATED IDENTITY relies on an identity management solution that utilizes standards to let
application to identify clients without having them to go through the authentication process again
and again.

• OPEN ID is a decentralized SSO procedure that involves the storing of user IDS at a URL that
any server can approve.

What are the Challenges Associated with Single Sign-On

• More robust passwords should be created. This is because if an SSO account is hacked, others
under the same authentication can easily get exposed to the attack.

• A breakdown with SSO at one site can affect all the linked sites. Therefore, it is important to
choose the right SSO system. It should be reliable and equipped with the plans to deal with
interruptions.

• Your SSO is affected by the problem in your identity provider. The provider's weakness in any
kind of interruption becomes your problem as well, and it might go beyond your control. Again,
you need to work with an efficient vendor.

• If a threat actor gets into your identity provider user account, all your linked systems are easily
getting vulnerable. This can be termed as a classic single point of failure and should be addressed
in the planning process. An efficient SSO provider ensures top-notch security.

• It is not easy to set up SSO due to the different environments.

• SSO is not recommended for the multi-user computers. After all, it causes sheer inconvenience
and security issues if other users use a machine that has logged in accounts of someone.

Cyber Defense eMagazine –July 2020 Edition 103
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