A Survey on Single Sign-On Techniques

Single sign-on (SSO) is a mechanism that uses a single action of authentication to permit an authorized user to access all related, but independent software systems or applications without being prompted to log in again at each of them during a particular session. It reduces the risk for the administrators to manage users centrally, increases user productivity by allowing mobility and allows users to access multiple services or applications after being authenticated just once. This doesn’t mean that the SSO system unifies account information for all services, applications and systems, rather it hides such a multiplicity of account information into a single account that the user needs to login. Once the user login, the SSO system generates authentication information accepted by the various applications and systems. The concept of SSO can be used within an Intranet, Extranet or Internet. This report explores various methods of SSO and the advantages by adopting it. It also discusses on implementing various types of SSO and the protocols that are being used.