Which authentication protocol is used by Azure AD?

  1. Kerberos only
  2. SSH key-based authentication
  3. Telnet protocol
  4. SAML and OpenID Connect ✓

Correct answer: SAML and OpenID Connect

Option D is correct because Azure Active Directory (now Microsoft Entra ID) supports SAML 2.0 for federated single sign-on with enterprise applications and OpenID Connect (built on OAuth 2.0) for modern authentication flows, making both protocols central to its identity platform. Option A is wrong because Kerberos is used internally within on-premises Active Directory domains and is not the primary protocol for Azure AD cloud authentication. Option B is wrong because SSH key-based authentication is used for secure shell access to Linux servers, not for Azure AD identity federation. Option C is wrong because Telnet is an unencrypted legacy protocol with no role in Azure AD authentication.

Topic: · azure active directory, saml, openid connect, authentication protocols

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