如何从SP传递参数作为SAML属性？Ping Federate IdP初始化SSO咨询

Hey there! Great question about getting your App3 SSO flow set up with PingFederate. Let’s break this down clearly so you can implement this correctly and securely:

Core Answer #

You do NOT need to pass the user license number as a URL parameter to PingFederate. PingFederate is designed to pull attributes directly from your identity source (like your app’s user session, database, or LDAP) and inject them into the SAML response sent to App3. We’ll cover how to set this up, plus how to handle the new window requirement.

Step 1: Ensure PingFederate Can Access the User License Attribute #

First, you need to make sure PingFederate can retrieve the user’s license number from your system:

• If your app holds this data, use a PingFederate Adapter (custom or pre-built) to connect your app’s user context to PingFederate. This adapter will fetch the license number when the SSO flow starts.
• In your PingFederate IdP configuration, define an Attribute Contract that includes the license number (e.g., name it userLicenseNumber) as an output attribute. This tells PingFederate to include this data in the SAML assertion.

Step 2: Map the Attribute to App3’s SAML Requirements #

Next, link this attribute to what App3 expects in the SAML response:

• Go to your PingFederate SP connection for App3, navigate to the Attribute Mapping section.
• Map your userLicenseNumber attribute to the exact attribute name App3 requires (this could be a custom string like app3_license_id or an OID like urn:oid:1.3.6.1.4.1.5923.1.1.1.10).
• Save the configuration—PingFederate will now automatically include this attribute in every SAML response sent to App3 during SSO.

Step 3: Launch App3 in a New Window #

To open App3 in a new browser window from your app:

• Create a link that points to PingFederate’s SSO initiation endpoint, with the required parameters:
  • SpEntityId: The unique entity ID of App3’s SP configuration in PingFederate
  • Optional TargetResource: The specific page in App3 you want users to land on
• Add the HTML target="_blank" attribute to the link to force it to open in a new window.

Example Frontend Code:

<a href="https://your-pingfederate-domain/idp/startSSO.ping?SpEntityId=app3-sp-unique-id" target="_blank">Open App3</a>

Note: No need to include the license number in this URL—PingFederate handles pulling and injecting it into the SAML response automatically.

Why Avoid URL Parameters for the License Number? #

• Security Risk: URL parameters are transmitted in plaintext, which can be logged, intercepted, or exposed in browser history. SAML attributes are signed (and optionally encrypted) for secure transmission.
• Scalability: URL parameters have length limits, which becomes a problem if you need to add more attributes later.
• Best Practices: Following SAML standards keeps your implementation maintainable and aligned with industry security guidelines.

Quick Validation Tips #

• Use a browser plugin like SAML Tracer to capture the SAML response and verify that the license number attribute is present.
• Test on App3’s side to confirm the attribute is being correctly received and processed.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Shubham Singh