When a user authenticates, PingAccess applies your configured application and resource-level policies to the Web Access Management (WAM) request.

After completing policy evaluation and determining that the authenticated user should be granted access to a site, PingAccess performs any required token mediation between the backend site and the authenticated user. PingAccess then grants the user access to the site.

Half Page Layer 1 Multiple Devices 2 Token App Website Access Security PingAccess PingFederate 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 Access Authorization Web apps Access OIDC authorization request and access token issued
  1. When a user requests access to a web resource from PingAccess, PingAccess inspects the request for a PingAccess token.
  2. If the PingAccess token is missing, PingAccess redirects the user to an OpenID Provider (OP)OpenID Provider (OP)OP In OAuth terms, an authorization server (AS). The OP/AS issues access tokens to protected resources for approved clients (relying parties). The clients use the access token to access the protected resources hosted by the OAuth resource server. for authentication.
    Note:

    When using an OP, you must already have an OAuth clientOAuth clientThe application in an OAuth framework that requests access to resources. If the request is approved by the authorization server, the client is issued an access token for the resources. configured in PingAccess.

  3. The OP follows the appropriate authentication process, evaluates domain-level policies, and issues an OIDC ID token to PingAccess.
  4. PingAccess validates the ID token and issues a PingAccess token and sends it to the browser in a cookie during a redirect to the original target resource.

    After gaining access to the resource, PingAccess evaluates application and resource-level policies and can optionally audit the request.

    Note:

    PingAccess can perform token mediation by exchanging the PingAccess token for the appropriate security token from the PingFederate Security Token Service (STS)Security Token Service (STS)STS An entity responsible for responding to WS-Trust requests for validation and issuance of security tokens used for SSO authentication to web services. or from a cache if token mediation occurred recently.

  5. PingAccess forwards the request to the target site.
  6. PingAccess processes the response from the site to the browser (step not pictured).
Note:

For more information, see the Session management configuration.