SSO (Single Sign-On) and password managers frequently need clarification as being the same thing. Using either method, users can gain access to various websites and applications. Users now find it simpler to log in to multiple applications.
We will explain in this article how password managers and SSO both support multi-application login, although in very different ways.
What are Password Managers?
A password manager is software that stores and manages online credentials. Furthermore, it creates passwords. These passwords are often hidden behind a master password and kept in an encrypted database.
Your master password will be the only one you need to memorize once all your account passwords and usernames have been stored in the vault. Your password vault is unlocked by entering your master password, and you may get any password you require from a single place.
Many password managers do more than save your passwords for you; they also automatically fill in information for quicker access to online accounts, which is convenient and time-saving.
Issue Regarding Password Manager:
Although password managers were breached, they generally have a solid track record of protecting user data. However, users should know that poorly secured passwords cause 81 % of all data leaks. The passwords are vulnerable to social engineering and phishing attacks, despite their complexity and the impossibility of guessing.
Additionally, the hacking of one master password would provide hackers access to all apps and platforms that a user is authorized to use.
Advantages of Password Manager:
Password managers are an excellent choice to lessen your hassle of memorizing passwords. It has certain advantages, which are as follows:
- Password managers provide a feature automatically generates strong passwords for all your accounts. All you have to do is keep your master password in mind.
- Using password managers makes accessing all of your accounts simple. Your password manager can automatically fill up the login form for any account you want to access.
- Multiple devices are compatible with password managers. As a result, you may access your accounts on any of your devices using your password manager.
- Anyone who uses a password manager does so primarily to safeguard their accounts and boost security.
- Secured collaboration and sharing are yet another fantastic function password managers provide. You may share the password through the password manager rather than text your account login information to your loved ones.
Disadvantages of Password Manager:
The disadvantages of Password Manager include:
- Even though password managers make it incredibly simple to remember passwords, your master password represents a single area of failure. It indicates that if a hacker obtains the master password, they might be able to look into your accounts by gaining access to your password vault.
- Password managers are great at securing passwords but can’t guard against malware, phishing emails, and keylogger attacks.
- There is a setup process when you use a password manager for the first time. It could be more pleasant to install the password manager on every device you wish to use and input all the passwords you want to keep.
What is SSO?
SSO is a type of authentication that allows users to safely log in to numerous applications and websites using a single set of credentials.
SSO is built on forming a trust relationship between an application, referred to as the service provider, and an identity provider, such as OneLogin. This trust connection is established through the exchange of certificates between the service and identity provider.
The certificate can be used to sign identity data from the identity provider to the service provider, letting the latter know it is coming from a reputable source.
Tokens, which provide identifying details about the user, such as an email address or a username, are used in SSO to store identity data.
How does SSO work?
We can understand how SSO works with a simple flowchart, as written below:
- A user navigates to the program or website to which they wish to gain access, often known as the Service Provider.
- To request user authentication from the SSO system, also known as the Identity Provider, the Service Provider delivers a token containing user data, such as the user’s email address.
- First, the identity provider verifies whether or not the user has been previously authorized.
- The user will be prompted to log in if they still need to supply the Identity Provider’s required credentials. It could be a username and a password, or it could also have another authentication method, such as a One-Time Password (OTP).
- The Identity Provider will provide a token to the Service Provider verifying a successful authentication once it has verified the submitted credentials.
- The user’s browser transmits this token to the service provider.
- The trust relationship established here between Service Provider and the Identity Provider throughout the initial configuration is used to evaluate the token that the Service Provider obtains.
- The Service Provider is made available to the user.
Advantages of SSO:
Single Sign-on is advantageous to all kinds of firms. The benefits include:
- Users will save time by only needing one set of credentials and one portal to access the full range of company resources.
- Applications employ trust relationships rather than using different passwords.
- SSO serves as a central hub for authentication. Thus, there are fewer opportunities for malware or phishing attempts.
- Users can memorize a limited list of passwords. Because up to 50% of all help desk contacts are simply requests for password resets, this lowers help desk costs.
- Use standardized protocols to transmit sensitive user information securely, such as SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect.
- Anomaly-detection measures may take effect and prevent access even if credentials are compromised.
Disadvantages of SSO:
Despite all the advantages, there are also some drawbacks to SSO, including the following.
- Extremely secure passwords must be required. Any set of SSO credentials exposed could trigger a series of breaches for that user.
- Access to all associated services is suspended if SSO is offline. It would help if you used any SSO solution with considerable care.
- Single Sign-on is also unavailable if your identity provider goes down. Choosing the correct group of vendors is crucial since their susceptibility also makes you vulnerable.
- It may be challenging to incorporate legacy apps while using SSO.
Which is preferable? Password manager or SSO?
Regarding which is preferable, it depends on your specific needs. If you have a lot of different accounts and struggle to remember passwords, a password manager may be more beneficial for you. If you have various applications and services to access and want to simplify your login process, an SSO solution may be a better choice.
Some password managers offer SSO capabilities, so getting the best of both worlds may be possible. Ultimately, the most important thing is to use strong, unique passwords for each account and take steps to protect your online security.