This document provides an overview of the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) protocol. SAML allows sites to exchange user authentication, authorization, and attribute information via XML messages. It enables single sign-on, single logout, and attribute sharing across applications. SAML 2.0 uses standards like XML, HTTP, and SOAP to standardize single sign-on across enterprise cloud apps. It works by exchanging assertions about users via protocols and bindings to authenticate users among sites. Benefits include centralized identity control and single sign-on without exposing passwords.

1. SAML Protocol Overview
Security Assertion Markup Language
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2. What is SAML?
A series of XML-based messages that detail:
● Whether users are authenticated.
● What rights, roles, and access they have.
● How they can use data and resources based
on those rights and roles.

3. What is SAML Used For?
● Single Sign On (SSO)
● Single Logout
● Attribute Sharing
● Account Linking

4. Why SAML?
The newest version, SAML 2.0, uses
intellectual property and protocols from
secure frameworks to standardize SSO
across all enterprise cloud applications.

5. Existing Standards
used by SAML 2.0:
● Extensible Markup Language (XML)
○ XML Schema
○ XML Signature
○ XML Encryption
● Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
● Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

6. How Does SAML Work?
3 Main Protocols:
● Assertions
a. Authentication statements
b. Attribute statements
c. Authorization decision statements
● Protocol - the way SAML asks for and gets
assertions, for example, using SOAP over HTTP.
● Bindings - how SAML message exchanges are
mapped into SOAP exchanges.

7. How Does SAML Work?
Assertions are PROTOCOL
exchanged among
sites and services
using the protocol
and binding - and ASSERTIONS
those assertions
authenticate users
among sites.
BINDINGS

8. How Does SAML Work?

9. Benefits of SAML
● User passwords never cross the firewall
● Web applications with no passwords are virtually
impossible to hack
● “SP-initiated” SAML SSO provides access to Web apps
for users outside the firewall.
● Enterprise-wide, architecturally sound Internet SSO

10. Centralized Federation
with SAML Provides:
● One single point of web app access
● Identity control and auditing
● Security, risk aversion, and compliance

11. For more SAML related
Information...
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