Password Security: From Diversity to SAML-SSO Evolution

In an increasingly digitized world, where personal and business information is increasingly stored online, password security is at the heart of digital identity. This article explains the inevitable need for complex passwords, the resulting password fatigue and the resulting security risk. It then explains how Single Sign-On (SSO) and, in particular, Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) solve the problem of password fatigue and why user-friendliness also plays a decisive role.

The need for complex passwords

Complex passwords are necessary to protect digital accounts and information from unauthorized access.

In a world where most aspects of daily life are digitalized, from email to social media and online businesses, passwords are the first line of defense against potential cyberattacks. Password complexity has evolved over time to meet the ever-increasing challenges of cybersecurity:

A simple password like “123456” is easy to guess. Complex passwords consisting of a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters make it more difficult for attackers to gain access to an account through automated brute-force attacks by systematically trying all possible password combinations.
Data leaks, in which user data including passwords are stolen, occur time and again. Complex passwords make it difficult for attackers to use stolen information immediately, as they first have to decrypt the passwords.
Using complex passwords reduces the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. By protecting personal information, it becomes more difficult for unauthorized persons to impersonate another person and carry out fraudulent activities.
Many organizations, service providers and platforms have security policies that require the use of complex passwords. This not only serves to protect individual users, but also contributes to the overall security of the network.

Overall, the need for complex passwords is critical to creating a robust security barrier and protecting personal and business information from the many threats in the digital world. Users should make sure to follow solid password practices to secure their digital identity.

Chronic password fatigue and its risks

Password fatigue occurs when people become lax in creating and managing their passwords due to the increasing number of online accounts and services. This phenomenon results from the repeated requirement to remember and securely manage various complex passwords.

Simple, easy-to-remember passwords are often used to minimize the effort involved. However, these passwords are more susceptible to brute force attacks and other methods of unauthorized access. Users tend to repeat passwords for different accounts. If one account is compromised, this increases the risk that attackers can access other accounts because the same password is used there. Password fatigue can also lead to users storing their passwords insecurely, for example by sticking them on post-its on the screen or storing them in unencrypted files on the computer.

Single sign-on as solution

To counter the problem of password fatigue, single sign-on (SSO) has established itself as an effective solution. SSO is an authentication method that allows a user to authenticate themselves once and then access multiple connected services or applications without having to log in again.

The idea of SSO is to reduce the number of login processes required and improve the user experience by minimizing the barriers to accessing various services. SSO is used in a wide variety of environments such as corporate networks, cloud services and social networks to provide an efficient, secure and user-friendly authentication solution. As users have fewer passwords to manage, there is less chance of weak or insecure passwords being chosen.

Why we offer SAML for our SEEBURGER Cloud Services

As the operator of SEEBURGER Cloud Services, it is crucial to offer a secure SSO solution. There are various protocols that can be used to implement SSO. These include SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), OAuth (Open Authorization) and OpenID Connect. In this section, we explain why SAML was chosen as the protocol and how this enables our customers to access our services in a secure and user-friendly way.

The use of digitally signed and encrypted SAML assertions ensures the integrity and confidentiality of the transmitted identity information, which leads to an increase in security and reliability. Since users only have to log in to their identity provider (IdP) once, both user-friendliness and productivity are increased.

Many SEEBURGER customers already have an existing identity infrastructure based on SAML. By offering SAML as an authentication solution, we enable smooth integration into our customers’ existing IT infrastructure.

Using SAML as an authentication solution increases the security of users, because they do not have to remember a multitude of user names and passwords. This reduces the risk of password fatigue and insecure practices.

SAML helps businesses meet compliance requirements, especially in industries where strict security policies and privacy regulations apply. By implementing SAML, we demonstrate our commitment to the security and integrity of user data.

How SAML works

Three parties are involved in the SAML process, and in our specific case, SEEBURGER is the service provider. The browser, as a means of logging in to the SEEBURGER Cloud Service, is operated by the user that needs to be authenticated. Our SEEBURGER customer provides the identity provider.

The way SAML works can be explained in five basic steps.

	Authentication request A user tries to access a SEEBURGER Cloud Service provided by SEEBURGER (here the Service Provider, SP). The user calls up an individual URL so that the SP recognizes that the user must be authenticated by the customer’s SSO solution (here the identity provider, IdP).
	User authentication at the identity provider The identity provider of the SEEBURGER customer authenticates the user using the required authentication methods (e.g. user name and password). After successful authentication, the IdP creates a SAML assertion containing information about the user.
	Issue of the SAML assertion The SAML assertion is an XML document that contains signed information about the authentication of the user. This includes user attributes, roles and authentication times. This SAML assertion is signed by the identity provider to ensure integrity and authenticity.
	Forwarding the SAML assertion to the SP The IdP forwards the signed SAML assertion back to the service provider.
	Security check and granting of access to the SP The SP receives the SAML assertion and checks its validity. After successful verification, the service provider grants the user access to the requested SEEBURGER Cloud Service.

Conclusion

SAML and SSO not only provide a convenient way for users to log in securely, but they also allow for login customization. In summary, this article not only highlights the growing importance of password security in an ever-changing digital landscape, but also emphasizes the evolution of advanced solutions such as Single Sign-On (SSO) and especially Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). These technologies are customizable and can be seamlessly integrated into existing infrastructures. Contact us to find out more about how you can benefit from these security solutions.

Outlook to 2024

As a customer-oriented company, we take a proactive approach to ensure that our platform capabilities and industry solutions continuously meet the changing requirements of our customers. A key part of our strategy is to actively engage with our customers and identify their needs. This dialog enables us to better understand their current requirements and respond specifically to their individual needs. Through this direct exchange, we create a solid basis for further improving our services and developing innovative solutions.

Contact form for interested parties

Would you like to use SAML for your company? Fill out our contact form and our experts will get in touch with you. We are here to answer your questions and support you with implementation.

Source: https://blog.seeburger.com/the-evolution-of-password-security-from-the-need-for-many-passwords-to-the-integration-of-saml-as-an-sso-solution/