What is OpenID4VP (OpenID for Verifiable Presentations)?

OpenID4VP (OpenID for Verifiable Presentations) is a protocol that extends the OpenID Connect standard, enabling users to securely present cryptographically verifiable credentials to prove their digital identity online without relying on passwords or traditional forms of authentication.

OpenID4VP simplifies secure authentication by allowing users to:

• Present Verifiable Credentials (VCs): Provide digitally signed documents or claims that prove identity attributes securely.
• Maintain Privacy and Control: Users control which specific data they share, enhancing privacy and data minimization.
• Enable Decentralized Identity (DID): Supports decentralized identifiers, removing reliance on centralized authorities.
• Streamline Secure Authentication: Eliminates cumbersome authentication methods by utilizing cryptographically secure verification.

This protocol is essential for applications requiring secure identity verification, such as financial services, healthcare, government services, and secure user authentication scenarios.

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OpenID4VP integrates with the widely-used OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication protocol, bringing the additional capability to verify user identity using cryptographic credentials, known as Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Here's a simplified overview:

1. Credential Issuance: Initially, a trusted issuer (like a government, bank, or employer) provides the user with a digital credential containing verified attributes. This credential is cryptographically signed, ensuring authenticity and integrity.

2. User Holds Credential: Users securely store these verifiable credentials in digital wallets on their mobile devices or computers.

3. Presentation of Credential: When a user attempts to authenticate with an online service (the relying party), the service requests specific identity attributes. Through OpenID4VP, the user can selectively present only the requested data from their digital wallet, preserving privacy.

4. Credential Verification: The relying party verifies the presented credential using cryptographic verification methods, ensuring the credential's validity without needing to contact the original issuer directly each time.

OpenID4VP delivers numerous benefits across digital authentication and identity management:

• Enhanced Security: OpenID4VP significantly reduces phishing risks and credential theft by leveraging cryptographically secure credentials rather than traditional usernames and passwords.

• Improved Privacy and Data Minimization: Users control what personal information they share, adhering to privacy-by-design principles and reducing the risk of data breaches.

• Seamless User Experience (UX): Eliminates password fatigue and simplifies secure logins, creating frictionless experiences for users.

• Compliance and Regulatory Alignment: Assists organizations in meeting stringent regulatory requirements (GDPR, PSD2, eIDAS), ensuring robust authentication and user consent.

• Support for Decentralized Identity (DID): OpenID4VP aligns with decentralized identity models, enabling users to manage digital identities independently from centralized databases or identity providers.

OpenID4VP is particularly valuable in environments where strong, privacy-preserving digital identities are necessary:

• Financial Services and Banking: Securely verifying customer identity during onboarding or authentication, significantly reducing identity fraud and enhancing compliance.

• Healthcare and Telemedicine: Ensuring patient privacy by securely verifying identity for accessing sensitive medical records, prescriptions, or telehealth consultations.

• Government and Public Services: Providing secure, frictionless digital identity verification for accessing e-government services, reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency.

• E-commerce and Online Marketplaces: Streamlining secure authentication and age verification processes, improving checkout experiences while preventing fraud.

OpenID4VP seamlessly integrates with modern authentication approaches such as passkeys (WebAuthn/FIDO2), creating even stronger and user-friendly identity verification processes. This integration helps organizations achieve a phishing-resistant and passwordless future, significantly enhancing security and usability in digital interactions.

In summary, OpenID4VP represents an advanced evolution in digital identity verification, combining secure cryptographic credentials, enhanced privacy controls, and user-centric identity management.

OpenID4VP allows users to securely present cryptographically verifiable credentials to prove their identity, enabling secure and privacy-preserving authentication without relying on passwords.

OpenID4VP lets users selectively disclose only required identity attributes, ensuring minimal data exposure and greater user control over personal information.

Verifiable Credentials are cryptographically secure digital certificates issued by trusted entities, used to prove specific attributes or claims about a user’s identity reliably.

Yes, OpenID4VP fully supports decentralized identifiers, allowing users to manage their digital identity independently, reducing reliance on centralized authorities.

OpenID4VP can seamlessly integrate with passkeys (WebAuthn/FIDO2), combining cryptographically secure credential verification with phishing-resistant authentication, improving security and user experience.