The Ultimate Guide to Authentication and Authorisation Standards for Cloud Security

In today’s digital landscape, authentication and authorisation standards are crucial for ensuring secure access to resources, especially in cloud environments. This article provides a comprehensive guide to industry-leading standards such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JSON Web Tokens, SAML, SCIM, and WS-Fed. Understanding these standards is vital for implementing robust identity and access management (IAM) solutions, protecting sensitive data, and preventing unauthorised access. As cloud adoption grows, these standards play a critical role in ensuring secure communication, data exchange, and user identity management across cloud-based applications and services.

OAuth 2.0: Secure Access for Modern Applications

OAuth 2.0 is an open-standards protocol providing secure access for websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, and more. Using encrypted tokens, it eliminates the need for sharing credentials. Popular among major platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google, OAuth 2.0 is a widely adopted framework.

OpenID Connect (OIDC): Authentication Layer for Single Sign-On

OIDC is an authentication layer for OAuth, utilising public-key encryption. Designed for Single Sign-On (SSO), it employs REST/JSON for communication, making it suitable for native and mobile apps. OIDC is commonly used in apps requiring SSO.

JSON Web Tokens (JWTs): Secure Information Exchange

JWTs define a compact, self-contained method for securely transmitting information as a JSON object. Digitally signed for verification and trust, JWTs are used to pass authenticated user identities across various platforms.

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML): Enabling Single Sign-On

SAML is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorisation data using XML. Primarily used for web-based apps integrated with IAM solutions, SAML enables SSO. Widely implemented in enterprise IAM solutions, SAML facilitates secure access.

System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM): Simplifying User Identity Management

SCIM focuses on simplifying user identity management, especially in cloud environments. Facilitating user management through provisioning, SCIM enhances communication between cloud apps. Used for managing user identities in cloud-based applications and services.

Web Services Federation (WS-Fed): Transporting Security Tokens

Developed by a group of companies: BAE Systems, BMC Software, CA Inc. (along with Layer 7 Technologies now a part of CA Inc.), IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and VeriSign, WS-Fed defines the transport of security tokens between entities to exchange identity and authorisation information. Commonly used in Microsoft applications, WS-Fed enables secure access.