

### What is OAuth Single Sign-On? {#what-is-oauth-sso}

  OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO) protocol provides the application the capability for secure designated access. It allows users in an organization/application to log in using OAuth/OpenID connect providers like Microsoft Azure AD, AWS Cognito, Google apps, Facebook, etc. & share their information with enterprise applications. It makes use of a token-based authorization mechanism to grant access to users across enterprise applications. In short, users can log in into multiple applications and services using a single set of credentials, minimizing the headache to remember multiple passwords. Set up [Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://www.miniorange.com/products/single-sign-on-sso) on your WordPress website via [WordPress SSO plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/miniorange-login-with-eve-online-google-facebook/). Implementing [WordPress SSO](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso) allows users to log into your websites with a single set of credentials using the WordPress supported OAuth providers.


### How does OAuth work?  {#how-does-oauth-work}

#### Entities of Open Authorization protocol

**End-User/Resource Owner:** Resource Owner is the end-user who wants to access the protected resource.

**Resource Server:** The resource which is requested by the end-user is present on the resource server. The resource server handles requests to access/update the resource and also forwards authentication requests to the Authorization Server.

**Authorization Server:** It is the authentication server that handles login requests and validates the user identity.

### Example of OAuth Authentication Workflow {#oauth-authentication-example}

![Open Authorization Real Life Example](/blog/assets/2023/real-life-example.webp)

A car owner hands the car key to the valet. To prevent theft, some cars come with a valet key which has limited access. The valet needs to access only a subset of services that are provided by the user to the valet through a valet key. Therefore, we have provided, “limited yet secure access”.

An OAuth token is like a valet key. As a user, you get to tell the consumers what they can use and what they can’t from each service provider.

### OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO) Workflow {#oauth-authentication-workflow}

 1.) Access to resources is attempted by an unknown user.

 2.) An authorization request is sent to the OAuth Provider by the web application.

 3.) The user is prompted to log in and the application is authorized by an OAuth Server.

 4.) The user is taken to the login page, where he or she can log in.

 5.) The user is authenticated by an OAuth Provider, who then transmits the permission code to the web application.

 6.) With the permission code received from OAuth Server, the web application transmits its own client ID and client secret.

 7.) After that, the server verifies the request and gives an access token to the web application.

 8.) The access token is used by your web application to access resources on the server.

 9.) miniOrange allows users to access protected features by using access tokens, ID tokens, and user information.

 10.) Now, the user is authenticated and logged in. Thus, the application gives access to resources.

![OAuth Single Sign-On Workflow](/blog/assets/2023/oauth-protocol.webp)

### Why should you use OAuth? {#why-use-oauth}

 Before OAuth, the basic authentication standard was HTTP, which required the user to enter a username and password to access each application. OAuth 2.0 allows your app to access our APIs, ensuring that you have the necessary permissions to access this data.
 
 Applications that allow users to log in with third-party services via Single Sign-on typically urge them to authenticate themselves by providing options such as “Login with Facebook” or “Login with Google”.

 ![A world without Single sign onh](/blog/assets/2023/world-without-oauth.webp)

 If we imagine a world without Open Authorization (OAuth) then each user’s security will be at risk. With the help of Oauth Single Sign-On (SSO), we don’t have to worry about passwords while giving a particular level of access to any 3rd party applications for a definite period of time.

 OAuth allows apps to authenticate users by establishing their identity through third-party services, It eliminates the need for the application to maintain its own authentication system.

 OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO) uses a single set of credentials for [authentication](https://www.miniorange.com/products/authentication) and gives access to many apps/websites, which makes data sharing easy.

 The OAuth 2.0 specification does not specify scopes, and there is no central registration of scopes.


### Applications of OAuth  {#applications-of-oauth}

With its emphasis on the B2B market, various organizations need a core SSO platform that could easily be adapted to customers’ preferred corporate identity technologies. With OAuth SSO, corporate users don’t need a registration process, nor do they need to set up separate user names or passwords. An SSO solution can also cut costs for both organizations and their customers by reducing or eliminating expensive support calls for password resets and user account management — a win-win situation.

OAuth is a developer-friendly identity and access management (IAM) platform that makes modernization and transformation projects easier for government agencies and departments while also providing a seamless experience for citizens. Citizen Services: Provide citizens with a seamless experience across applications and login credentials, as well as the assurance that their data is always secure and many more.

&nbsp; 1)**SSO for single-page web application**

OAuth 2.0 is a protocol that lets you authorize one website (the consumer or application) to access your data from another website (the resource server or provider). For example, you want to authorize a website to access some files from your Dropbox account. The website will redirect you to Dropbox which will ask you whether it should provide access to your files. If you agree the website will be authorized to access your files from Dropbox. At the core, OAuth 2.0 is about resource access and sharing.

&nbsp; 2)**SSO into mobile application**

OAuth Single Sign-On is a method of authentication that lets a user log into numerous applications using a single set of credentials, resulting in a single federated identity for all 3rd party applications. It removes the need for users to remember and manage many sets of credentials for various applications. OAuth has developed as a significant, standard protocol for enabling this pattern of authentication and authorization in native applications. The native application receives an access token as a result of the authentication and authorization. The native application saves this token, which is then used to authenticate any subsequent API calls. The tokens for numerous native applications are controlled by a single application that functions as a token agent when using native applications’ SSO.

&nbsp; 3)**SSO into Customer Relationship Management (CRM)**

Consider a scenario where an institute or an organization uses CRM to manage accounts and WordPress to offer online programs. SSO can be used with CRM to manage the accounts and WordPress to offer online programs. We can use OAuth Single Sign-On Protocol to connect WordPress accounts to CRM accounts to validate program access & allow users to log in into their site using their CRM credentials.

&nbsp; 4)**SSO into LMS**

Different identity and access management (IAM) technologies, such as Okta, Salesforce Identity, OIM, and others, are used to build up an organization’s login portal. The portal would allow users to access the LMS and other related LMSs with a single click. SSO allows employees to log into a variety of business programs, such as an LMS, with a single set of login credentials (ID and password). To access the LMS or any other related program within the enterprise, there is no need to memorize dozens of credentials. Employees will have a more convenient and smooth process because password recollection is no longer required. As a result, employees can move between systems, including the LMS, without having to change their credentials.


### Additional Resources {#additional-resources}

- [What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?](https://www.miniorange.com/products/single-sign-on-sso).
- [WordPress Single Sign-On (SSO) – OAuth & OpenID Connect](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso)
- [Why is OAuth Important?](https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/why-oauth-is-so-important-an-interview-with-justin-richer)

OAuth (Open Authentication) pronounced “oh-auth” is a technological standard that allows you to share information between services without exposing your password. It’s a widely-adopted standard that’s used by developers of websites and apps, and you probably use services every day that utilize OAuth.

What is OAuth (Open Authorization) ?



### What is changing from OAuth 2.0 to OAuth 2.1? {#oauth2.0-oauth2.1}

 The OAuth (Open Authorization) standard facilitates secure communication between services without having to reveal passwords.

 OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO) protocol allows applications to securely access and share information with enterprise systems, and its functionality is currently being enhanced.

 OAuth 2.0 was introduced in October 2012, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. Now, OAuth 2.1 is being developed to streamline and simplify the most commonly used features of OAuth 2.0 while also addressing security concerns.

 In OAuth 2.1, certain elements of OAuth 2.0 will be deprecated, and security best practices will be enforced. This update consolidates the advancements and refinements made to OAuth 2.0 over the past eight years, primarily focusing on enhancing security measures. 

 In OAuth 2.1, minor adjustments are made to ensure a stronger security framework than OAuth 2.0.

 Feel free to explore our [WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/miniorange-login-with-eve-online-google-facebook/), which seamlessly implements [Single Sign-On](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso) functionality using the OAuth 2.0 protocol.


### Key Differences between OAuth 2.0 & OAuth 2.1 Protocol  {#key-difference}

1.)The RFC 6749 OAuth core spec defines four grant types: Open Authorization Code, Implicit, Password, and Client Credentials. The main differences between OAuth 2.0 and OAuth 2.1 are described below.

2.)A Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE) is required for all OAuth clients using the authorization code flow.

3.)Redirect URIs must be compared using exact string matching.

4.)The Implicit grant (response_type=token) is omitted from this specification

5.)The Resource Owner Password Credentials grant is omitted from this specification.

6.)Bearer token usage omits the use of bearer tokens in the query string of URIs.

7.)Refresh tokens for public clients must either be sender-constrained or one-time use.

### Its Time for OAuth 2.1 {#oauth2.1}

[OAuth protocol](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-single-sign-on-sso-with-oauth-openid-connect) has been patched and extended a lot in the last decade of experience deploying systems using it. To address this changing landscape, the OAuth community has patched and added to the OAuth spec over the years. The [OAuth core](https://fusionauth.io/blog/whats-new-in-oauth-2-1) spec (RFC 6749) defines four grant types: Authorization Code, Implicit, Password, and Client Credentials.

PKCE is short for **Proof Key for Code Exchange**. It is a mechanism that came into being to make the use of OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code grants more secure in certain cases.

The authorization code is a one-time code that the client will use to obtain an access token. The code is retrieved from the authorization server, where the user may see what information the client is asking for and accept or refuse it.

The **authorization code** flow has a few advantages over other grant kinds. When the user authorizes the application, they are sent back to the application via a URL containing a temporary code. The code is exchanged for the access token by the programme. When the application requests the access token, it can be authenticated with the client secret, lowering the danger of an attacker intercepting the **authorization code** and using it themselves.

### The authorization code grant: {#auth-code-grant}

It has been expanded with **PKCE (RFC7636)** capability so that the default manner of using the authorization code grant according to this specification necessitates the addition of the PKCE parameters. Depending on the API, the **redirect URI** may be unnecessary, but it is strongly suggested. This is the URL to which the user should be forwarded once the authorization is complete. This must correspond to the redirect URL that you already registered with the service.

The **implicit grant (response type “token”)** and other response types causing the authorization server to issue access tokens in the authorization response are vulnerable to access token leakage and access the token replay. The Oauth 2.1 Implicit grant is inherently insecure when used in a single-page application (SPA). If you use this grant, your access token is exposed.

In order to avoid these issues, clients SHOULD NOT use the implicit grant (response type “token”) … unless the unless access token injection in the authorization response is prevented and the aforementioned token leakage vectors are [mitigated].

### The Resource Owner Password Credentials grant is removed:{#password-creds-grant}

This grant was added to the OAuth 2.0 specification with an eye toward making migration to OAuth compliant servers easier. In this grant, the application server receives the username and password (or other credentials) and passes it on to the Open Authorization server. Here’s an article breaking down each step of the Resource Owner Password Credentials grant. This grant is often used for mobile applications. While this grant made it easier to migrate OAuth with minimal application changes, it breaks the core delegation pattern and makes the OAuth 2.1 flow less secure.

**Bearer authentication** (also known as token authentication) is an HTTP authentication system that uses bearer tokens as security tokens. “Bearer authentication” can be translated as “allow access to the bearer of this token.” The bearer token is a cryptic string that the server generates in response to a login request. When sending requests to protected resources, the client must include this token in the Authorization header. These days, most tokens are JWTs. Clients store them securely and then use them to make API calls to the application server. JWT, or JSON Web Token, is an open standard used to share security information between two parties — a client and a server. Each JWT contains encoded JSON objects, including a set of claims. 

![OAuth resource server](/blog/assets/2023/oauth-resource-server.webp)

### Restricting refresh tokens: {#restrict-refresh-token}

Refresh tokens enable a client to obtain new access tokens without having to re-authenticate with the resource owner. If you require access to a resource for a longer period of time than an access token allows, or if you require infrequent access, refresh tokens can be useful. When a user has been logged into their email for weeks or months, a refresh token may be used. When an access token expires, the client can present a refresh token to obtain a new one. The **OAuth 2.1** draft specifies two types of refresh tokens: one-time usage or cryptographically bound to the sender. When using refresh tokens for the first time, after a refresh token (let’s call it refresh token A) is used to retrieve a new access token, it becomes invalid. Along with the requested access token, the OAuth server may issue a new refresh token (designated as refresh token B).

OAuth 2.1 represents the next step for the OAuth framework by combining Security Best Common Practices (BCPs) with the removal of irrelevant and deprecated specifications. **[miniOrange](https://www.miniorange.com/)** provides the most affordable **Secure Identity Solutions** for all types of use cases and offers different packages based on the customer’s requirements. You can enable **[WordPress Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso)** on your site using our WordPress SSO plugin and connect it to any Identity Provider.

Contact us at **[oauthsupport@xecurify.com](mailto:oauthsupport@xecurify.com)** and we’ll help you set up SSO with any required providers in no time.


### Additional Resources {#additional-resources}

- [Free IDP Trial – Free Single Sign-On (SSO) Trial | 2FA Trial](https://www.miniorange.com/businessfreetrial).
- [WordPress Single Sign-On (SSO) – OAuth & OpenID Connect](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso)
- [OAuth Single Sign-On – SSO (OAuth Client) – WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/miniorange-login-with-eve-online-google-facebook/)
- [WordPress OAuth Setup guides](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-single-sign-on-sso-with-oauth-openid-connect)
- [What’s new in OAuth 2.1? – FusionAuth](https://fusionauth.io/blog/whats-new-in-oauth-2-1)

OAuth 2.0 will be deprecated in OAuth 2.1, and additional security best practices will be mandated, capturing and consolidating updates and improvements made to OAuth 2.0 over the previous eight years.  OAuth 2.1 is an update to OAuth 2.0 with minor changes basically towards improving its security

What’s new in OAuth 2.1?


The digitalization of Healthcare industries has been revolutionary in the field of technology. And in this time and age, **“moving to the cloud”** is a more viable option for doctors and hospital staff, regardless if they are working in a small clinic or a large chain hospital.

But there does exist the threat of data privacy in healthcare and data leaks of sensitive information of patients and their medical data. Data security in healthcare for individual users becomes a challenge at each step of advancement for healthcare data protection. In this blog, we will talk about,

What is SSO? [Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso) for Healthcare data protection for all users, advantages of healthcare SSO, and implementing SSO for healthcare systems to learn about its working with an example. Check out our [WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/miniorange-login-with-eve-online-google-facebook/) where we have implemented SSO using the OAuth/OpenID protocol.


### What is Single Sign-On(SSO)? {#what-is-sso}

[Single Sign-On (or SSO)](https://www.miniorange.com/products/single-sign-on-sso) is an authentication and authorization process that allows a user to access multiple enterprise applications with just a single set of login credentials (such as username and password). SSO provides easy login to multiple applications at once, so you won’t have to individually log in to each application saving time and effort to remember credentials for each application. SSO provides better access control policies, improved productivity, and reduces the risk of security due to lost, weak, or forgotten passwords which also makes password management easier.


### WordPress Healthcare CRM SSO integration: {#how-does-oauth-work}

WordPress SSO for healthcare will provide easy login access for patients, their families, and the hospital staff (doctors, nurses, medical interns) into the hospital database. Any of the authorized users can log in to the hospital portal, and with a secure and stable SSO, the users won’t have to remember the passwords either. This is an example of Healthcare and cybersecurity.

If the institution has a chain of hospitals, the user just needs to remember a single set of login credentials to successfully log in and access patient data securely. This way, any doctor traveling from one hospital location to another can access a patient’s records of medical history by simply logging in to the portal of that hospital branch to get the data.

Healthcare SSO and Cybersecurity need to be implemented to set data privacy and manage identities and their access permissions across platforms so that the admin can perform actions on the PHI flow (Protected Health Information). Alongside, they have to also implement a **[Zero-Trust](https://blog.miniorange.com/zero-trust-security-model/)** Solution so that the security settings can securely connect the data with the medical staff and outside users, such as patients, their families, etc.

### Advantages of WordPress Healthcare SSO data protection: {#adv-healthcare-sso}

WordPress Healthcare CRM SSO for data protection has several advantages, such as:

- **A single set of login credentials:** With Healthcare CRM SSO, using a single set of login credentials the users can access different medical application portals (such as prescription data, medical history, medical insurance claims, doctor’s notes, and recommendations) which is secured under Healthcare SSO Data Protection. Users can also change their passwords without having to manually change them for every application portal.

- **Restrict access based on user roles:** WordPress OAuth SSO for healthcare provides doctors, interns, nurses, and patients a different login credential requirement under healthcare data protection. This way users can use healthcare SSO depending on the user roles assigned to them and accordingly interact with the application login portal. It also provides trustworthy data privacy in healthcare.

- **Additional security integrations:** SSO solutions in healthcare can be implemented for different domains and application login portals where the users can use their single login credentials to access healthcare data securely.

- **Advanced and stable security:** WordPress OAuth SSO solution in healthcare has an easy installation process, but is **unbreachable**. Healthcare SSO provides an advanced encryption method to secure passwords for all users and can be used for a very long time showing its stability. This way, users can depend on healthcare SSO to login to multiple domains and application portals.

- **Easy user provisioning:** The access to all medical data can be blocked for a staff member if they leave the hospital (or patient who has switched to another hospital, after migrating their data). So the admin of the healthcare system can edit individual user actions accordingly.

- **High Trust between users and healthcare providers:** WordPress Healthcare CRM SSO solution in healthcare is seamlessly easy. There is no exchange of passwords between users and hospital systems, hence there is complete trust that the integrity of any user data is safe and secure.

- **Better User Experience:** Since users have to just log in with existing credentials, they can avoid the process of creating a new account from scratch, and directly interact with the WordPress OAuth SSO solution in healthcare applications.

- **Cost-effective:** SSO solution in healthcare is easy to implement and the pricing available is cost-effective, as every time a user leaves or joins they won’t have to sign up and create a new account which saves time.


### Implementing WordPress Healthcare CRM SSO for Data Protection: {#implement-healthcare-sso}

Suppose we have a large chain healthcare provider, say “MyHospital”. “Dr. Maria” is a doctor working at MyHospital and “Derrick” is a past patient of MyHospital but at a different location. Dr. Maria can access Derrick’s information by using the SSO solution in healthcare to log into the patient history portal to check Derrick’s past diagnosis at the other branches of MyHospital. Accordingly, she can diagnose him correctly and write practices for him to follow, and add to his prescription.

As for Derrick, he can access the Healthcare system with SSO and check all his medical details, like diagnosis, information of the ailment, and the medicines and instructions prescribed by Dr. Maria. He can also access the insurance portal with SSO and directly check if his medical insurance plan covers his diagnosed health status, and let the hospital know about it then and there. All the new information is updated concurrently on the healthcare provider’s system.

![OAuth SSO Healthcare](/blog/assets/2023/oauth-sso-healthcare.webp)

Contact us at **[oauthsupport@xecurify.com](mailto:oauthsupport@xecurify.com)** and we’ll help you set up SSO with any required providers in no time.


### Additional Resources {#additional-resources}

- [What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?](https://www.miniorange.com/products/single-sign-on-sso).
- [WordPress Single Sign-On (SSO) – OAuth & OpenID Connect](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-sso)
- [WordPress OAuth Setup Guides](https://plugins.miniorange.com/wordpress-single-sign-on-sso-with-oauth-openid-connect)
- [OAuth Single Sign-On – SSO (OAuth Client) – WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/miniorange-login-with-eve-online-google-facebook/)
- [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)](https://faq.miniorange.com/kb/oauth-openid-connect/)
- [Know more about Healthcare Data Protection](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/08/26/securing-healthcares-digital-front-door/?sh=6b10c13f7238)
- [Securing Digitalization Within Healthcare](https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/securing-digitalization-within-healthcare)

What is SSO? SSO for Healthcare data protection for all users, advantages of healthcare SSO, and implementing SSO for healthcare systems to learn about its working with an example. The advancement of Healthcare data protection and healthcare integration with technology is moving at a rapid pace and will soon be scalable throughout for all users.

What is OAuth (Open Authorization) ?

What’s new in OAuth 2.1?

WordPress Healthcare CRM Single Sign-On (SSO) Integration