GitHub Two-Factor Authentication with SecSign ID
Protect your GitHub Account with secure authentication
Use SecSign ID GitHub two factor authentication for your GitHub account to securely protect all your data in the cloud. Works for iOS or Android mobile devices as well as for desktop.
Find out why our Two-Factor Authentication is the best, some key-facts for developers and why you should upgrade to SecSign for your business.
Learn more about the options of on-premise use and your own customized ID App in your corporate design.
Download the plugin as cloud version for a free and convenient protection.
Table of contents
GitHub offers version control for teams, allowing for easy tracking of edits and modifications. GitHub accounts often hold vulnerable company data, including bug control and sensitive software information.
By adding SecSign ID Two-Factor Authentication the login is protected from hacker attacks while offering a convenient login experience for the user.
Questions? Feel free to get in touch with us if you need help setting up your SecSign ID plugin or to request a plugin for a not yet supported environment.
1. Pre-requirements
To integrate the SecSign ID Two-Factor Authentication with GitHub you first need to setup an account with GitHub and have administrative access rights. More information about setting up an account and managing user rights are available on the GitHub website.
You also need access to the SecSign ID administrative panel. If you need assistance managing your administrative account please contact us.
2. Edit GitHub Settings
Navigate to your companies GitHub SAML single-sign on setup page and check “Enable SAML authentication.
Your Sign-On URL is https://
For example: https://admin.secsign.com/SAML_Login
The corresponding issuer is identical to the Sign-On URL.
3. Obtain the Public certificate
Leave the GitHub single-sign on page open and navigate to the SecSign ID administration page and choose user group. Select the user who is set to sign SAML responses in this group. Copy the PEM encoded certificate of the user in the GitHub single-sign on setup page at “Public certificate”.
Choose RSA_SHA256 as signature method and SHA-256 as digest method and save the settings.
Copy the displayed Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL for the SecSign ID Server configuration.
Example: https://github.com/orgs/SecSignDemo/saml/consume
Select “Save your recovery codes” and secure those codes in a secure place.
4. Setting up the new SAML service provider
Navigate to the “New SAML service provider tab” on your GitHub settings page and add the following parameters:
Name (example): GitHub
NameID Attribute store: SecSign ID Server
NameID source attribute: SecSign ID
This determines that the SecSign ID user name shall be identical to the GitHub Enterprise username. Alternatively, the SecSign ID server can be configured to look up the Git Hub Enterprise username at an LDAP server, for example in a Windows Active Directory.
Format: urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:unspecified
Service Provider Issuer: https://github.com/orgs/
Example: https://github.com/orgs/SecSignDemo
SAML response URL: The assertion consumer service (ACS) URL displayed in GitHub’s SAML single sign-on settings page of your organization, for example: https://github.com/orgs/SecSignDemo/saml/consume.
Please leave RelayState, Audience Restriction and Auth Context blank.
User group to sign: The user group to which you have assigned a
technical user owning the private key to sign SAML responses. Example user group name: “SAML response signers.”
Hash algorithm: SHA-256.
PSS padding: off
SAML attribute: GitHub requires at least one attribute to be present.
Select for example secSignID (http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/claims/CommonName).
5. Available APIS
We provide an ever growing list of APIs and plugins to easily integrate the SecSign ID Two-Factor Authentication in any project. An overview is available at Plugin and APIs.
We do not only offer APIs in different programming languages but also plugins for CMS, Server and VPN environments, oAuth2 and many more. These plugins use our APIs and offer additional functionalities, for example user management, easy and native installation, logging or integration in firewalls or Active Directory.
The JIRA plugin for example uses the JAVA-API. The PHP-Api and JS-API is used by WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Typo3 and many more. The ASP.net/C#-API is used for the Windows and Cisco VPN and the C-API is used for protecting Unix SSH services. The Objective-C API is used by our AppleTV and iPhone/iPad apps.
6. See for yourself
You can experience the SecSign ID two-factor authentication and the two-factor login by simply integrating the plugin into your website or test environment. Or you can try out the login process on our website without having to register first. You already have a SecSign ID or you want one? Login now and use the portal or use our hassle free registration.
See for yourself how fast and convenient the login process using challenge-response authentication with 2048-bit key pairs is. There is no need for passwords, and no passwords or other confidential information are ever transmitted. It is easy to integrate and simple to use.
For more information about the patented SafeKey procedure and it's unique security can be found here.
If you are missing an API for the programming language you are working with, feel free to contact us and we’ll find a solution with you. If you need help with the integration into an existing system or you can’t find the plugin for your content management system you are working with, don’t hesitate to contact our support team.
Your own ID-Server
On premise installations of SecSign ID offer the flexibility to connect with your preferred servers, services, and devices. And you can customize the SecSign ID with your own organization’s branding.
Why upgrade to SecSign?
On-premise or in the cloud
Choose between our SecSign ID Cloud or operate your own on-premise Two-Factor Authentication server.
Easy customization
Operate your own YourBrand ID app - Two-Factor Authentication customized to your needs.
Ready-to-use SDK
Integrate SecSign ID Two-Factor Authentication in existing apps with our ready-to-use SDK.
Easy user management
Use the Two-Factor Authentication Server to secure your company Active Directory/LDAP. Your own Identity and Access Management System, for example for mandatory updates and additional security features.
Cover all logins
Integration in any login environment: web, local, VPN, remote desktop, mobile logins and many more.
Plugins for all your needs
No need for complex integration: we have plugins for almost all environments.
