As my work projects start shifting towards Customer Identity Cloud and I dive deeper into OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, token management is becoming increasingly important. With custom development, everything tends to be more bespoke, offering a high degree of flexibility in how authentication and authorization are configured. This flexibility is both an advantage and a challenge—there’s no single correct way to implement authorization flows, which is why I needed to explore best practices to ensure security and efficiency. For example, OAuth 2.0 doesn’t define token lifetimes—it leaves that decision to the implementer. While this allows for customization based on specific needs, it also demands careful planning to strike the right balance between security and usability.
It was then that I found this article from IDPro, which provides an insightful exploration of token management strategies in modern identity systems. In this post, I’ll share a brief review of the article and some key takeaways that stood out to me.
One of the central points of the article is the importance of short-lived tokens. The author highlights how reducing the lifespan of access tokens can significantly mitigate security risks, particularly token replay attacks. Since stolen or leaked tokens can be misused for unauthorized access, limiting their validity window reduces the damage an attacker can inflict. However, implementing short-lived tokens comes with its own set of trade-offs, such as increased authentication and token refresh events, which must be carefully managed.
The article also distinguishes between bearer tokens and client-bound tokens. Bearer tokens are widely used due to their simplicity, but they pose security risks since any entity possessing the token can use it. On the other hand, client-bound tokens (or sender-constrained tokens) add an extra layer of protection by ensuring that only the authorised client can use the token.
The article also clarified the difference between credentials and tokens. Credentials authenticate who you are (e.g., username/password, certificates, or API keys), while tokens authorize specific actions after authentication. I was surprised to realise that a refresh token isn't technically a token—it's a credential used to obtain new access tokens. This means it must be protected with the same level of security as other credentials since, if compromised, an attacker can continue generating valid access tokens indefinitely. The article discusses security measures such as refresh token rotation, binding refresh tokens to a client, and implementing secure storage mechanisms to mitigate these risks.
It discusses frameworks like the Shared Signals Framework (SSF) and Continuous Access Evaluation Profile (CAEP), which enable dynamic token management by allowing real-time adjustments based on risk assessments. If you're interested in learning more about SSF, we already have a great article on our website—be sure to check it out!
This article does an excellent job of breaking down the complexities of secure token management while also addressing real-world implementation challenges. Rather than
simply stating best practices, it acknowledges the difficulties organizations face in enforcing them—whether due to legacy systems, user experience concerns, or technical limitations.
If you're starting out in Identity and Access Management (IAM), I recommend checking out IDPro it is an organisation that is dedicated to practitioners in the field of IAM. They have a growing collection of peer-reviewed articles that help you shape and inform your engineering practices. If you like you can apply to be a member and have direct access to community resources and channels. Their Body of Knowledge (BoK) is my go-to whenever I want to dive into any IAM related topic.
References
Flanagan, H., (2024) “Token Lifetimes and Security in OAuth 2.0: Best Practices and Emerging Trends”, IDPro Body of Knowledge 1(15). doi: https://doi.org/10.55621/idpro.108
Roxana Martins is an IAM Engineer at Distology Studios and certified Okta Administrator with extensive experience in Process Automation technologies including Okta Workflows.