Single sign-on (SSO) happens when a person logs in to one application, independent of the platform, technology, or domain they are using, and is then automatically signed in to additional apps. The feature’s name comes from the fact that a user only signs in once.
You are, for instance, instantly authorized to YouTube, AdSense, Google Analytics, and other Google apps whenever you log in to a Google account like Gmail. Similarly, when you log out of one Google app, such as Gmail, you are instantly logged out of all the other Google apps, known as single logout. Another example of this is the Amazon suite of apps.
As consumers utilize your apps and services, SSO offers a frictionless user experience. Users just need to log in once to access your whole suite of apps, eliminating the need to remember several sets of credentials for each application or service.
Users are sent to the authentication domain whenever they visit a domain that needs authentication, where they could be prompted to log in. The user can be instantly sent to the original domain without logging in again if they are already logged in at the authentication domain.
Advantages of SSO
Criminals that operate online primarily target usernames and passwords. Every time a user logs into a new software, attackers have an opportunity to steal their credentials. SSO reduces the attack surface since users only log in once and use a single set of credentials.
SSO also accounts for human behavior. When employees are asked to use different passwords, they frequently don’t. In fact, 59% of users use the same or very similar passwords on several accounts. So, if a hacker gains access through one poorly protected website, they will likely be able to access other corporate systems.
SSO also aids with regulatory compliance. Regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley require IT controls to be documented and businesses to show that adequate safeguards are in place to protect data. SSO can be used to meet data access and antivirus requirements.
Regulations like HIPAA that demand strong user authentication for people accessing electronic data or that need ways to monitor activity and access can also benefit from SSO. Laws like HIPAA also call for users to log off automatically, which is supported by the majority of SSO solutions.
SSO Best Practices
Let’s say your business needs a platform for your employees to conduct research on. You opt to acquire QuestionPro for your research requirements and set up SSO so that users do not require separate login credentials to access the platform. Setting up SSO is challenging, and you must be sure you have taken the proper precautions to guarantee the greatest level of security.
Assemble the application’s essential information:
The apps a business intends to access using SSO will determine how they choose to deploy SSO. Learn about QuestionPro’s SAML SSO configuration first, and then select an identity provider to connect to QuestionPro.
Choose the right framework for your SSO deployment by selecting the identity provider (IDP). The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), created expressly for online applications, is a collection of open standards and protocols for exchanging security data like identity, authentication, and authorization across various systems. Thus, picking a more dependable and secure identity provider is crucial when using SAML SSO with QuestionPro. You may set up SAML SSO with QuestionPro by using third-party IDPs like Okta, OneLogin, etc.
Check the identification directory to make sure it is accurate.
All SSO systems require reliable directories with up-to-date user information. Organizations must match up their user’s identification, i.e., the user’s email address, as they will merge user identities throughout the company. After the migration to SSO, users won’t be able to sign in unless the right email address is filled out for each user in the application.
Ensure the safety of each SSO system component:
All SSO system components must be safeguarded inside the enterprise since SSO might be a single point of authentication failure. All apps registered with the system will cease to function if a malicious person manages to get the SSO login credentials.
How SSO works
The usage of sessions makes SSO and single logout feasible. Using SSO, a user may participate in up to three separate sessions: application-maintained local session, SSO-enabled authorization server session, and, if the user chooses to sign in using an identity provider like Google or Facebook, an Identity Provider (IdP) session.
In SSO, authentication is done by a central domain, which then distributes the session to other domains. Although different SSO protocols may handle session sharing differently, the fundamental idea is the same.
In SSO, the authentication domain creates a signed JSON Web Token (JWT) with JSON Web Encryption (JWE) containing all the information needed to identify the user. The client receives this token, but because it is signed, the client cannot alter it in any way. The authenticating domain and any other domains can utilize the token to identify the user by passing it back to the user’s original domain through a redirect.
How SSO can be implemented
Creating a single sign-on for every platform or application you use is possible. One master server that every application may access is required for this.
The majority of SaaS programs have their own user databases. Get these several user catalogs on the same page in order to allow SSO. This may be accomplished by using multiple outside merchants that have created a single point of integration to utilize throughout all of your different phases.
We’ll use Frontegg as an example of a tool to illustrate the SSO setup procedure. Frontegg is a developer platform that offers a sophisticated client interface with self-service, security, and enterprise capabilities. Frontegg offers its users a customizable admin portal instead of only providing authentication and SSO via an embeddable login box.
Clients may manage and monitor every aspect of their data using Frontegg’s admin site. This includes managing clients and groups, defining and assigning roles and permissions, gaining insight through audit logs, subscribing to webhooks, and more.
Frontegg may be incorporated into your application as a UI layer and used to provide a client-facing management interface for your end users, both at the individual and work area levels. Furthermore, Frontegg manages your backend via powerful SDKs that are compatible with various languages and frameworks.
Application Integration with Frontegg’s SSO Services
Now lets look at a step by step process of how we can Integrate a Login Boxto create SSO login in our app.
1. Install Frontegg ReactJS library:
npm install @frontegg/react
2. Add FrontEggProvider to wrap your root component:
import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import App from './App';
import './index.css';
import { FronteggProvider } from '@frontegg/react';
const contextOptions = {
baseUrl: 'https://principalfinancialgroup.frontegg.com',
};
// Replace this with your app logo 👇
const headerImage = 'https://assets.frontegg.com/public-frontegg-assets/acme-logo.svg';
ReactDOM.render(
<FronteggProvider contextOptions={contextOptions} headerImage={headerImage}>
<App>
<FronteggProvider>,
,
document.getElementById('root')
);
3. Frontegg uses the useAuth snare to reveal the client setting and confirmation state, allowing you to direct invalid clients to the login page and get the client’s information.
import React from 'react';
import { useAuth } from '@frontegg/react'
function App() {
const { user, isAuthenticated } = useAuth();
return (
<div className=App>
{isAuthenticated && (
<div>
<img src={user.profilePictureUrl} alt={user.name}/>
<span>{user.name}</span>
</div >
)}
</div >
);
}
export default App;
4. Run the app, sign up and log in
npm start
Frontegg is now integrated with your app. Now lets see how we can integrate the admin portal
1. Import the admin portal:
import { AdminPortal } from '@frontegg/react'
2.Add a link to open the admin portal:
const handleClick = () => {
AdminPortal.show();
};
<button onClick={handleClick}>Settings</button>
3. Set up the features of your admin portal. The preview provided below includes all the options for your admin portal capabilities, which you may alter based on your company’s needs. You must establish Roles and Permissions, add Users, and add other SSO-related information.
You are now prepared to utilize the Frontegg interface to integrate SSO.
Summary
Is SSO beneficial for an organization? In summary, it improves security and reduces time and money wasted by your IT team. The frictionless login process delights end users, and seamless access to all apps promotes employee efficiency from any place. It also enables you to swiftly and safely onboard B2B partners. In this post we covered some best practices and a tutorial for SSO application integration with a third-party tool.