The Multi-Context Broker

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The Multi-Context Broker (MCB) is an extension to the Shibboleth IdP that improves Shibboleth's handling of multiple authentication methods, including multi-factor authentication, as well as multiple authentication contexts and assurance profiles. This document contains information about the MCB, what it can be used for, and how it is installed and configured.

For a quick overview of the MCB and what it does, please see the slides from the April 30, 2014 IAM Online on the Multi-Context Broker, or The Multi-Context Broker, presented by David Walker and David Langenberg at Identity Week 2013.  The code is available from the MCB page on the Shibboleth wiki.

Read on for more detailed information.

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A Couple of Short Stories

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• If a user used her password to log in as a Bronze authnContext, she had to use the same password to re-login for Silver. Shibboleth does not know that the same authentication method is used for both Bronze and Silver, forcing re-authentication, even when a previous context’s authentication would suffice.
• If a user logs in with his password, accesses a Silver-service, but has forgotten his hardware token required to assert the Silver Authentication Context, he cannot decide to accept a lower level of service by telling the IdP to go ahead and assert Bronze on his behalf. The login handler doesn’t support such multi-factor use cases well.unmigrated-wiki-markup
• If an SP passed a list of Authentication Contexts (_e.g._, \ [Silver, Bronze, unspecified\]) with the intent of having the IdP provide the highest possible Context for the user, the IdP would not process the list in a prioritized fashion, resulting in a Bronze Context sent one time, Silver another, and unspecified as well.

In January of 2013, InCommon convened a group section to share their testing experiences to date and assist in the development of a requirements document for an initial set of enhancements to the Shibboleth IdP to address these issues that could be 1) delivered to the Shibboleth Consortium for consideration in future IdP release and 2) used as a basis for an RFP, jointly funded by InCommon and the NSTIC-funded Scalable Privacy Project, to develop a short term solution for campuses interested in implementing assurance over-the-wire.

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• The SP requests a specific Authentication Context, like Silver.unmigrated-wiki-markup
• The SP requests one of a set of Authentication Contexts, in priority order (_e.g._, \ [Silver, Bronze\]), that are required for different levels of service. The IdP presents a choice of authentication methods that will satisfy the request and for which the user is eligible, and returns the selected Context to the SP upon successful authentication. The SP then tailors the service provided accordingly.

In addition, the diversity in hIgher education IdP implementations and the supporting identity management and authentication systems, suggests a certain level of configurability and flexibility in how the Shibboleth IdP supports the bullets above. To support the Silver Identity Assurance profile, an organization may determine that bringing its password infrastructure into compliance is a viable option, where another may layer on a multi-factor solution and bypass the complexity and scope of the current password infrastructure. The solution must be able to manage the use of multiple authentication systems, contexts in which they are required, and the user’s ability to control their authentication method when multiple options exist.

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