"Beyond Bearer Token Binding as the Foundation for a More Secure Web"

The overwhelming majority of security tokens used today on the web are bearer tokens (e.g. HTTP cookies, OpenID Connect ID tokens, SAML assertions, OAuth tokens). Any party in possession of a bearer token is able to use it to gain access to the assoc...

The overwhelming majority of security tokens used today on the web are bearer tokens (e.g. HTTP cookies, OpenID Connect ID tokens, SAML assertions, OAuth tokens). Any party in possession of a bearer token is able to use it to gain access to the associated protected resources, which makes them a highly attractive target for attackers. Although there have been many efforts to provide better than bearer security, none have achieved widespread deployment success. Token Binding is a new IETF protocol that enables strong cryptographic defenses against the use of stolen security tokens and, with a novel approach and the backing of some very significant industry players, has the potential to find the success that’s been elusive to previous attempts. This session will provide an overview of how Token Binding works and its application to higher level protocols like OpenID Connect and OAuth. Some bad jokes and gratuitous photography will be included to take the edge off the otherwise very nerdy content.