Authorization Platform - January 2024 Release

The January 2024 version release of the Authorization Platform includes new features and product updates.

What’s New?

Using JWT for Identity Context

Users gain unparalleled control over Identity management by using virtual data sources in the Runtime request, which allows users to employ JWTs as an Attribute source. This dynamic approach not only increases autonomy and reduces dependencies on external sources, but also introduces enhanced granularity in Identity Attribute settings.
Key Features include:

• Flexible JSONPath Syntax: Navigate and extract specific information precisely from the JWT's JSON structure for fine-grained attribute control.

• Identity Attribute Mapping: Associate incoming JWT attributes with predefined templates to align with your identity infrastructure seamlessly.

• Identity Template Matching: Match the Identity Template by leveraging a flexible Matcher to a JWT claim. This improves the precision of Identity Identification, ensuring secure access to Applications based on JWT information.

Using JWT as Runtime Authentication

By using validated JWT tokens from Identity Providers to authenticate to the PDP, users can customize the Identity validation process to suit their organization's requirements, enhancing flexibility, adaptability, and security. This is an extension of the existing Authentication method, which relies on Client Secrets, providing more versatile options to accommodate a broader range of use cases.

Customers are advised to readjust their existing Scopes and PAA Settings. Refer to the documentation for more information.

Product Updates

PAA Standalone Deployment OS Requirements

PlainID now supports RHEL 8 when installing a new PAA Standalone. Note that as of this January release, RHEL 7 is not supported given the service's end-of-life (EOL). In addition to RHEL 8, users can also use the latest Ubuntu release for optimal performance and support.

Runtime Scope Cache

IP and Time Conditions now support a configuration option to decide if a Cache is utilized, ensuring that the Scope Cache remains unaffected by Policy Conditions. This setup allows for versatile customization and enhanced control.

API Authorizers

API Authorizers now have an influence on the Access Decision calculation flow by injecting parameters into the PDP.

PAA and Authorizers

This release includes security enhancements for the Policy Authorization Agent and Authorizer updates for Google BigQuery, Apigee, and Amazon API Gateway.

For upgrade instructions, refer to the Admin Portal at https://docs.plainid.io

We're happy to hear about your experiences with these new features and look forward to hearing more about what you want to see in the Authorization Platform.
For more information, visit the PlainID Documentation Portal.