Implementing Federated Identity with Didit and OIDC

Simplified AuthenticationFederated identity, powered by OIDC, allows users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials, significantly improving the user experience and reducing password fatigue.

Enhanced SecurityBy centralizing identity management, organizations can enforce consistent security policies, multi-factor authentication, and robust fraud prevention across all connected services.

Streamlined OnboardingIntegrating identity verification with federated identity ensures that verified identities are consistently used across all integrated platforms, simplifying initial user setup and ongoing access.

Didit's Role in TrustDidit provides AI-native identity verification, including ID Verification, Liveness, and AML Screening, which can be seamlessly integrated into OIDC flows to establish a high level of trust in federated identities.

Understanding Federated Identity and OIDC

In today's interconnected digital landscape, users often interact with numerous applications and services. Remembering unique login credentials for each can be a significant burden, leading to poor user experience and security vulnerabilities. Federated identity addresses this by allowing users to authenticate once with a trusted identity provider (IdP) and then access multiple service providers (SPs) without re-authenticating. This model promotes convenience and strengthens security by centralizing credential management.

OpenID Connect (OIDC) is the modern standard that makes federated identity a reality. Built on top of the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework, OIDC adds an identity layer that allows clients to verify the identity of the end-user based on the authentication performed by an authorization server, as well as to obtain basic profile information about the end-user in an interoperable and REST-like manner. It provides a simple, secure, and widely adopted way to implement single sign-on (SSO) and share user attributes.

Key components of OIDC include:

• ID Tokens: Signed JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) that contain verified claims about the end-user, such as their unique identifier, name, and email address.
• UserInfo Endpoint: An API endpoint that returns additional claims about the end-user when requested.
• Discovery Endpoint: Allows clients to dynamically discover the OIDC provider's configuration.

By leveraging OIDC, organizations can reduce the complexity of identity management, improve security posture, and offer a smoother, more consistent user experience across their digital ecosystem.

Integrating Identity Verification into Federated Flows

While OIDC handles authentication and identity assertion, a critical missing piece for many businesses is the initial verification of that identity. How do you know the person logging in is who they claim to be? This is where robust identity verification comes into play. Integrating identity verification directly into your OIDC-driven federated identity flow ensures that every identity entering your ecosystem has been thoroughly vetted from the start.

For example, during the initial registration with your OIDC IdP, before an ID Token is issued, you can introduce a step to verify the user's real-world identity. This could involve:

• Document Verification: Using solutions like Didit's ID Verification to scan and authenticate government-issued IDs, passports, or driver's licenses. This includes OCR for data extraction and MRZ/barcode checks for authenticity.
• Liveness Detection: Employing passive and active liveness checks to ensure the user is a real, present person and not a deepfake or spoofing attempt, critical for fraud prevention.
• Biometric Matching: Performing 1:1 Face Match to compare a selfie with the photo on the ID document, confirming the user is the legitimate owner of the document.
• AML Screening: For financial services, integrating AML Screening & Monitoring ensures compliance by checking against watchlists and sanctions lists.

By making these checks an integral part of the identity provisioning process, you establish a high level of trust from the moment an identity is federated. This verified identity then propagates across all interconnected services, creating a secure and reliable foundation for all subsequent interactions.

Benefits of a Verified Federated Identity System

The combination of federated identity with strong identity verification offers a multitude of benefits for both businesses and users:

1. Enhanced Security and Fraud Prevention: By verifying identities upfront and continuously monitoring, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of account takeovers, synthetic identity fraud, and other malicious activities. Didit's Passive & Active Liveness detection, for instance, is crucial in preventing deepfake attacks.

2. Improved User Experience: Once verified, users enjoy seamless access to multiple applications without repetitive logins or re-verification, leading to higher satisfaction and engagement. The initial verification step, while necessary, is a one-time process that unlocks hassle-free future interactions.

3. Streamlined Compliance: For industries subject to stringent regulations like KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering), integrating verification into a federated system simplifies compliance efforts. Didit's AML Screening & Monitoring helps automate these checks, ensuring adherence to global standards.

4. Reduced Operational Costs: Automating identity verification processes reduces the need for manual review, saving time and resources. A robust federated system also centralizes user management, further cutting down on administrative overhead.

5. Scalability and Global Reach: OIDC is a globally recognized standard, and Didit's identity verification solutions are designed for global coverage, supporting a vast array of document types and languages. This allows businesses to scale their operations and onboard users from anywhere in the world efficiently.

How Didit Helps Implement Verified Federated Identity

Didit is uniquely positioned to enhance your federated identity strategy by providing a modular, AI-native identity verification platform that integrates seamlessly with your OIDC flows. Our architecture is designed for flexibility, allowing you to plug in specific identity checks exactly where you need them in your user journey.

With Didit, you can:

• Perform Robust ID Verification: Utilize our advanced ID Verification capabilities, including OCR, MRZ, and barcode scanning, to accurately extract and authenticate data from identity documents globally.
• Ensure Liveness and Prevent Fraud: Integrate Passive & Active Liveness checks to confirm the presence of a real human and deter sophisticated spoofing attempts, crucial for maintaining the integrity of federated identities.
• Leverage Biometric Face Matching: Employ 1:1 Face Match to compare a user's selfie against their ID photo, adding an extra layer of biometric security to the verification process.
• Streamline Compliance with AML Screening: For regulated industries, Didit's AML Screening & Monitoring ensures that federated users are not on watchlists, simplifying your compliance obligations.
• Benefit from a Developer-First Approach: Didit offers clean APIs and a modular design, making it straightforward to embed our verification services into your existing OIDC provider or custom identity solution. Our no-code Business Console also allows for easy workflow orchestration.
• Access Free Core KYC: Didit stands out by offering Free Core KYC, enabling businesses to get started with essential identity verification without initial investment, and a pay-per-successful check model with no setup fees.

By incorporating Didit into your OIDC-driven federated identity system, you're not just authenticating users; you're verifying that the identities themselves are legitimate and trustworthy, building a secure and compliant digital environment.

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