300-445 Question 165
Single answerDuring a network assurance test for a web application, you need to implement a secure authentication mechanism that enables users to log in using their corporate credentials from a third-party identity provider. The chosen method must support Single Sign-On (SSO) and allow the web application to validate the user's identity without directly managing their credentials. Which authentication method should you implement?
- A
Basic Authentication
- B
Digest Authentication
- C
OAuth
- D
SAML
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
SAML is the best choice in this scenario because it enables federated authentication, supports SSO, and allows the web application to validate the user's identity without directly handling their credentials. This makes it an ideal solution for integrating with third-party identity providers in enterprise environments.
- A. Incorrect.
Basic Authentication is a simple mechanism where credentials (username and password) are sent in plain text (or base64 encoded) with each request. It does not support SSO or third-party identity providers.
- B. Incorrect.
Digest Authentication is an improvement over Basic Authentication, where credentials are hashed before being transmitted. However, it lacks support for SSO or external identity providers.
- C. Incorrect.
OAuth is an authorization framework primarily used for granting access to resources. While it supports token-based authentication, it is not specifically designed for SSO or corporate credential usage in the context of identity federation.
- D. Correct.
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is specifically designed for federated authentication, allowing users to log in using corporate credentials from a third-party identity provider. It supports SSO and ensures secure communication of identity assertions.