CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

Which mechanism allows several organizations to utilize the same authentication credentials?

1. OAuth

2. Federation

3. Single Sign-On

4. Access Control

The correct answer is: Federation

Federation is the correct choice because it enables multiple organizations to share identity information and authentication credentials. This functionality means that users from one organization can access resources in another organization without needing to create separate credentials. Instead, they can use their existing authentication details from their home organization, which streamlines access and enhances user experience. In a federated system, trust is established between different identity providers, allowing for secure sharing of authentication processes and user identities. This method is commonly seen in scenarios such as enterprise partnerships, where collaborating organizations maintain their own user accounts but allow seamless access to each other's systems. OAuth, while related to authorization rather than authentication, primarily focuses on granting third-party applications limited access to an HTTP service. Single Sign-On (SSO) allows users to log in once and access multiple applications but typically operates within a single organization and does not inherently provide the same cross-organization functionality as federation does. Access Control, in contrast, refers to determining what resources a user can access and does not deal directly with the mechanism for sharing authentication credentials among organizations.