Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentity and Access Management Architecture

Match each enterprise identity and access management (IAM) protocol to its corresponding architectural use case and operational characteristic.

  • OAuth 2.0Enables scoped delegated authorization for API access without sharing user credentials, using short-lived access tokens.
  • OpenID Connect (OIDC)Provides an identity layer on top of authorization frameworks, issuing ID tokens to verify user identity across modern web applications.
  • RADIUSCombines authentication and authorization into UDP traffic, commonly used for centralizing network access control such as 802.1X infrastructure.
  • TACACS+Encrypts the entire body of administrative access packets over TCP and decouples authentication from authorization for granular command control.

Answer

OAuth 2.0 matches delegated API authorization; OpenID Connect matches user authentication extensions on OAuth 2.0; RADIUS matches UDP-based combined network AAA; TACACS+ matches fully encrypted TCP-based administrator device access.
Each protocol is paired according to its native architectural function: OAuth 2.0 provides delegated authorization, OIDC adds user authentication via ID tokens, RADIUS provides combined UDP-based network AAA, and TACACS+ provides fully encrypted, decoupled TCP device management AAA.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Differentiate between authorization frameworks and identity layers for web applications.
Identify OAuth 2.0 as the core delegated authorization framework and OIDC as the identity authentication layer.
OAuth 2.0 issues access tokens for APIs, while OIDC adds ID tokens for user identity.
2
Analyze network access protocols vs device administration AAA protocols.
Identify RADIUS for UDP network access AAA and TACACS+ for TCP administrator AAA.
RADIUS combines auth/authz over UDP, whereas TACACS+ separates auth/authz and encrypts full payloads over TCP.

Key Concept

Identity and Access Management Architecture Protocols
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