The goal of modern authentication is to satisfy compliance and multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements while maintaining security. By working with tokens that contain claims, developers can simplify the process to provide MFA solutions. In this article, you will find an overview of the process to satisfy MFA requirements with tokens that have claims, so you can go beyond simple authentication.
Prerequisites
Before you begin the steps in this guide, make sure the following prerequisites are met:
- that you have a basic knowledge of tokens, mfa, and authentication;
- that you understand OAuth2 and SAML2;
- that you have a token that contains one or more claims;
- that you have access to an Identity Server or service that understands the claim in the token;
- that you have a web application that you can modify.
Overview
Authentication is a complicated process that requires a good understanding of identity and access management (IAM). In the past, authentication solutions were mostly implemented using one-factor authentication, which is a static username and password combination. Since then, authentication has evolved to multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is more secure and allows for more than one authentication factor.
In this guide, you will learn how to set up MFA authentication with tokens that contain claims. First, you will need to understand the different types of claims and how they are used in tokens. Next, you will configure your Identity server or service to accept the claim in the token, which will enable MFA authentication. Finally, you will add the necessary code to your web application to take advantage of tokens with claims and the newly configured MFA authentication.
Types of Claims
The first step in understanding how tokens with claims work is to understand what claims are and how they are used in authentication. Claims are essentially key-value pairs that are stored in tokens. Typically, a claim has a type, a name, and a value. The type is usually a name like "role" or "is_authenticated", the name is the actual identifier for the claim, and the value is the value of the claim. Common examples of claims include user roles, user identity, device information, and user data.
Configuring Your Identity Server
The next step is to configure your identity server or service to accept the claim in the token. This will enable your identity server or service to recognize when a user has satisfied the MFA requirements and grant access accordingly. Depending on the identity server or service you are using, the steps may vary. Generally, it is a matter of setting up the appropriate configuration and then adding the claim key and value to the identity server's security policy.
Adding Code to Your Web Application
The last step is to add the necessary code to your web application to take advantage of tokens with claims and the newly configured MFA authentication. Depending on the language and framework you are using, the steps may vary. Generally, it is a matter of reading the claim from the token, validating it, and then providing access if the claim is valid.
If you need assistance with any of these steps, be sure to consult the documentation for your language or framework.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned how to satisfy MFA requirements with a claim in a token. You first learned about the different types of claims and then learned how to set up an Identity Server or service to accept the claim. Finally, you Learned how to modify your web application to use that claim to authenticate users.
FAQ
What is a token?
A token is a unique identifier that contains information about a user, such as identity, roles, device, and user data. Tokens are commonly used in authentication and authorization, to securely transmit user information.
What is a claim?
A claim is a key-value pair that is stored in a token. It is typically composed of a type, a name, and a value. Claims are often used for things like user roles or identity, but can also be used for other data such as device information or user preferences.
What is MFA?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security process that requires more than one factor of authentication to verify the identity of a user. Common factors of authentication include passwords, and tokens, as well as biometric or geolocation data.
How can a claim be used in authentication?
Claims can be used in authentication by sending a token that contains the claim to an identity server or service. The identity server can then validate the claim and grant or deny access based on the claim's validity.
How do I modify my web application to use claims for authentication?
The steps to modify your application depend on the language and framework you are using. Generally, it is a matter of reading the claim from the token, validating it, and then providing access if the claim is valid. For assistance, consult the language or framework's documentation.