Protect your WordPress site with SSO and Forced Authentication

A WordPress website wishes to use forced authentication via Single Sign-On (SSO) for user verification. When users click the login, they should be taken to the login of the selected identity provider (IDP), where they must enter their existing login information.

After successfully logging into the chosen identity provider, users will be offered direct access to the WordPress website. However, if the user enters incorrect IDP credentials or fails to authenticate, he or she will be denied SSO access to the WordPress website.

How to Enable SSO Forced Authentication for WordPress Site?

• Implement a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution on the WordPress site.
• Verify users through a selected identity provider (IDP).
• Ensure a smooth login experience by centralizing authentication through a chosen IDP.
• Improve access control and security measures.

Use-Case: Enable Single Sign-On (SSO) Force Authentication between WordPress and Azure AD

Environment Setup :

• WordPress website
• Azure AD (Identity Provider)

Solution Flow Requirements :

Admin is looking to implement forced authentication using SSO functionality as it only wants registered users to access their site. They want customers to first log into the identity provider and only after getting authenticated through a specific identity provider can they access the WordPress website.

Let’s divide this requirement into separate flows.

1. Basic SSO Experience :

When a user comes to a WordPress site they can choose to login via WordPress Login or Third Party Identity Providers (ex. Google, Microsoft, etc). In this scenario, the user has to come to the WordPress site and then select the login option.





Admin wants to protect his entire WordPress site from any unauthorized user.

2. Force Authentication/Protect Complete Site flow :

Admin is looking to force SSO authentication before giving access to the WordPress site. They want customers to first log into the identity provider and only after getting authenticated through a specific identity provider can they access the WordPress website.






When a user clicks on the WordPress website link, they will be given the choice to sign in with Azure AD / Google SSO. After selecting Login with Azure AD, users will be taken to the Azure AD login page, where they can enter their login information.

After successfully authenticating, registered users will be verified and granted direct logged-in access to the WordPress website as soon as they enter their Azure AD credentials into the login form.

Additional Resources

• Protect complete site with SSO (Forced authentication)
• WordPress Single Sign-On SSO OAuth/OpenID
• Protect WordPress Site Pages / Posts From Unauthorized Access
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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