OAuth

Definitions

1. OAuth is an open standard for access delegation that allows users to grant third-party applications limited access to their accounts on another service without sharing their password. For example, when a website offers 'Sign in with Google,' it uses OAuth to request permission to read your profile information from Google's servers. OAuth 2.0, the current version, defines several authorization flows (called grant types) suited to different application types: the Authorization Code flow for server-side web apps, the Implicit flow (now discouraged) for browser-only apps, Client Credentials for machine-to-machine communication, and the Device Code flow for smart TVs and CLI tools. The protocol involves exchanging authorization codes for access tokens, which are short-lived credentials the app presents to the resource server. Refresh tokens allow obtaining new access tokens without re-prompting the user. OAuth is widely adopted by Google, Facebook, GitHub, Microsoft, and thousands of other services, forming the foundation of modern federated authentication and authorization.

   In plain English: The technology that lets you log into one website using your Google or Facebook account, without giving that website your actual password.

Related Terms

• Two-Factor Authentication
• JWT
• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Access Token
• Dark Net
• Default Password
• Email Security
• File Scanner
• Fingerprint Scanner
• Group Membership
• Identity Management
• Impersonation
• Lockout Policy
• Login Attempt
• Logon Event
• MPA
• NDA Security
• Password Complexity
• Password Lockout
• PIN Entry
• Remote Access