If you want to use single sign-on with Microsoft’s clouds, the go-to method is a Microsoft product called Microsoft Windows Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 (ADFS). RSA on Monday announced ADFS can now tap into RSA’s SecurID tokens.
ADFS is a security token service that enables identity management functions, such as authentication and single sign on, to Web applications. It does this regardless of if such apps are located on premises or in the cloud. It even handles authentication to third-party add-ons to Microsoft cloud services Office 365 or Azure, Microsoft says. Now ADFS users can opt for RSA SecurID as the two-factor authentication token.
The integration of SecurID into ADFS is part of a long-standing relationship between Microsoft and RSA. At last year’s RSA conference (in March 2010), Microsoft announced its Forefront Identity Manager 2010, the successor to Microsoft’s Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007. In prior years, Microsoft teamed up with RSA for Microsoft’s data loss prevention tool, Microsoft Active Directory Rights Management Services (RMS) in Windows Server 2008. With RMS, Microsoft used RSA’s data-classification engine, the Data Loss Prevention Suite 6.5.
RSA isn’t working exclusively with Microsoft, however. Last month, at the Citrix Synergy conference, RSA announced that the RSA SecurID soft token has been integrated into the Citrix Receiver virtual desktop software client, too. It reiterated that partnership announcement with another press release on the deal on Monday and a blog post by RSA CTO Sam Curry. “Now we can provide integrated support for RSA SecurID…meaning that hackers have to jump through much bigger hoops to abuse an identity and get to data since that data doesn’t exist by default on the device itself.”
RSA is, of course, working hard to repair the damaged image of SecurID from a security breach in March in which hackers obtained information about SecurID. SecurID, an authentication system used by 40 million people in at least 30,000 organizations worldwide, had been compromised as result and RSA was hazy about the details. It posted a vague letter on its website on March 17, shortly after the intrusion.
At an RSA conference in London last month, the company revealed a few more details about the attack, and insisted again that it did not undermine the integrity of the entire SecreID system.
Apparently Microsoft and Citrix agree and have henceforth added SecurID to their wares.
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