Production release notes

May 2023

2023.05.0: Monthly Production release began deployment on May 15

* Features may not be available in all Okta Product SKUs.

Generally Available Features

Okta AD agent, version 3.15.0

This version of the agent contains the following changes:

  • Bug fixes. Active Directory (AD) agent auto-update health check caused auto-update to fail when upgrading from version 3.13.0 to 3.14.0.

See Okta Active Directory agent version history.

Okta On-Prem MFA agent, version 1.7.0

This version includes support for extended client session timeout. See Install the agent.

Confluence Authenticator, version 3.2.2

This release contains security fixes. See Okta Confluence Authenticator version history.

Okta Jira Authenticator, version 3.2.2

This release contains security fixes. See Okta Jira Authenticator Version History.

Import users to Office 365 using Microsoft Graph API

This feature allows Okta to process imports using the Microsoft Graph API. This background process doesn’t change existing procedures and makes imports more scalable, supporting Microsoft 365 tenants with larger numbers of users, groups, and group memberships. See Import users to Office 365 using Microsoft Graph API. This feature will be gradually made available to all orgs.

OAuth 2.0 On-Behalf-Of Token Exchange

Exchange helps retain the user context in requests to downstream services. It provides a protocol approach to support scenarios where a client can exchange an access token received from an upstream client with a new token by interacting with the authorization server. See Set up OAuth 2.0 On-Behalf-Of Token Exchange.

Number Matching Challenge for Okta Verify

When an org enables the Number Matching Challenge feature, it’s always enforced for Okta Verify during self-service password resets.

Okta Expression Language matches operator deprecated

The Okta Expression Language matches operator that is used to evaluate a string against a regular expression is deprecated. This feature is currently enabled by default for new orgs only.

Okta administrators group for all org admins

A default Okta administrators group is now available in every Okta org. The new group allows you to create sign-on policies that automatically apply to all admins in your org. See About groups.

Improved email magic link authentication experience

Email magic links have been enhanced to allow end users to authenticate in two different contexts. They can authenticate in the same location where they click the link and quickly return to the application context. Or, if the end user clicks the link in a different browser, they can enter a one-time password to proceed with authentication. Previously when using email magic links to sign in to an application, end users had to return to the original browser location where they initiated the sign-in attempt. Okta ensures that end users can prove ownership of both the originating tab and the tab where they clicked the email magic link. See Configure the Email authenticator and Sign in to resources protected by Okta. This feature is now enabled by default for all orgs.

Improvements to the self-service registration experience

Earlier versions of the self-service registration (SSR) flow used a complicated array of templates to send activation emails to end users. The simplified SSR flow reduces this to only two email templates with customized welcome messages. If your application requires immediate verification of the end user’s email address, Okta uses the Registration - Activation template. This template includes a magic link for a smoother sign-in experience. If email verification isn't immediately required to sign in to the application, Okta uses the Registration - Email Verification template. This template includes a link for end users to complete email verification at any time after they successfully sign in to the application. See Customize email notifications and the Okta email (magic link/OTP) integration guide. This feature is now enabled by default for all orgs.

Improvements to the self-service password reset experience

Previously, the self-service password reset (SSPR) flow created unnecessary friction in the user experience. The newly enhanced SSPR feature introduces a seamless magic link experience for password reset emails. Users no longer need to provide consent when using the same browser. After a successful password reset where the password meets the application’s assurance policy, the user is signed directly to the app. See Configure the Email authenticator. This feature is now enabled by default for all orgs.

Improvements to the self-service unlock process

Earlier versions of the self-service unlock (SSU) flow created unnecessary friction in the end user experience. The newly enhanced SSU feature introduces a seamless magic link experience in emails sent out to unlock accounts. Users no longer need to provide consent when using the same browser. In addition, after successfully unlocking their account, clicking the email magic link counts towards the application's assurance policy. After the assurance requirements are met, the user is signed directly in to the application. See Configure the Email authenticator. This feature is now enabled by default for all orgs.

Improvements to self-service account activities for AD and LDAP users

Previously, the self-service unlock (SSU) and self-service password reset (SSPR) flows created unnecessary friction for AD and LDAP users. This enhancement introduces a seamless magic link in emails sent to unlock accounts and reset passwords. Users no longer need to provide consent when using the same browser. In addition, after successfully unlocking their account, clicking the email magic link counts towards the application's assurance policy. After the assurance requirements are met, the user is signed in directly to the application. See Configure the Email authenticator. This feature is now enabled by default for all orgs.

Help links for standard admin roles

In Administrators > Roles, each standard admin role now provides a link to its corresponding help page. This allows admins to quickly and easily locate the documentation that supports their standard role assignments.

Unauthorized IdP setup options hidden

Two group-related options on the IdP configuration page were visible to admins in a custom role that lacked group viewing permissions: Auto-Link Restrictions in Authentication Settings and Group Assignments in JIT Settings. Now these settings are visible only when the user has the appropriate permissions.

More events eligible for hooks

The following System Log events are now eligible for event hooks:

  • group.application_assignment.add

  • group.application_assignment.remove

  • group.application_assignment.update

New legal disclaimer in Okta Trial accounts

A new legal disclaimer is displayed on the Add Person dialog in Okta trial accounts to prevent sending unsolicited and unauthorized activation emails.

Okta branding changes for the Admin Console

Branding updates to headings, fonts, colors, borders, and logos are now available in the Admin Console.

Additional measures to counter toll fraud

For SMS and voice authentications, additional mitigation measures now help counter phone number-based toll fraud.

Early Access Features

Permission conditions for profile attributes

You can now apply conditions to the View users and their details and Edit users' profile attributes custom admin role permissions. Permission conditions help you limit the scope of a role by including or excluding admins' access to individual profile attributes. This gives you more granular control over your custom admin roles and helps meet your org’s unique security needs. See Permission conditions.

RADIUS sign-in error prevention

If orgs that upgraded from Classic Engine configure the Okta Verify authenticator with number challenge, the challenge may be presented unexpectedly to RADIUS users. This can cause errors because RADIUS doesn't support number challenges. To prevent this, you can enable the new feature Disable number matching challenge for RADIUS. See RADIUS applications in Okta.

Assign admin roles to an app

Orgs can now assign admin roles to their custom API Service Integrations. Apps with assigned admin roles are constrained to the permissions and resources that are included in the role assignment. This helps ensure that apps only have access to the resources that are needed to perform their tasks, and improves orgs' overall security. See Work with the admin component.

Event hook filters

You can now filter individual events of the same event type based on custom business logic hosted in Okta. These filters reduce the amount of events that trigger hooks, removing an unnecessary load on your external service.

This feature includes an improved creation workflow for event hooks and a new Filters tab that you can use to create event filters with direct Expression Language statements or with a simple UI format.

Using event hook filters significantly reduces the amount of event hook requests and the need for custom code on your respective services. See Edit an event hook filter.

Fixes

  • OKTA-566113

    After changing the display language for an Okta org from English to another language, some text was still displayed in English.

  • OKTA-580684

    In the Okta Expression Language, the isMemberOfGroupNameContains expression couldn't differentiate underscores and hyphens, which caused unexpected user membership assignments.

  • OKTA-587429

    Admins saw Okta FastPass listed in the GET /api/v1/users/{{userId}}/factors response for users who didn't enable the factor.

  • OKTA-595053

    Users who clicked Back to sign in before setting up their security methods were incorrectly notified that their configuration was successful. This occurred only in orgs with custom domains.

  • OKTA-596444

    Users received an error message after successfully performing a self-service account unlock.

  • OKTA-596600

    For apps with Group Push enabled, the Application Push Groups tab displayed incorrect dates and times.

  • OKTA-597396

    Pushing groups from Okta to Microsoft Office 365 sometimes failed if an empty group description was updated.

  • OKTA-599408

    GMT timezones couldn't be selected correctly in the System Log.

  • OKTA-600867

    The Yubikey Reports page wasn't properly translated.

  • OKTA-600874

    When a user responded to a Custom Push prompt while attempting to edit their profile, the profile displayed in read-only mode. If the user tried to edit their profile again, an authentication loop occurred.

  • OKTA-603305

    On the Edit resource set page, an error appeared when an admin deleted a resource type and then added it again. This occurred when the redesigned resource editor feature was enabled.

  • OKTA-607249

    Service clients with the correct permissions couldn't modify policies that contained the Okta Administrator Group.

Applications

New Integrations

New SCIM Integration applications

The following partner-built provisioning integration apps are now Generally Available in the OIN Catalog:

SAML for the following Okta Verified applications

OIDC for the following Okta Verified applications

Weekly Updates

April 2023

2023.04.0: Monthly Production release began deployment on April 10

* Features may not be available in all Okta Product SKUs.

Generally Available Features

Okta AD agent, version 3.14.0

This version of the agent contains the following changes:

  • Security enhancements.

  • Bug fixes.

  • Installer will show a warning if the service account isn't a member of Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access.

  • Migration of the Windows installer from Internet Explorer to Edge.

The installer now requires Edge WebView2. WebView2 is downloaded automatically during the agent installation if your machine is connected to the internet. If not, you must manually install it before installing the new agent version. See Okta Active Directory agent version history.

Okta Provisioning agent, version 2.0.14

This version of the agent contains security fixes. See Okta Provisioning agent and SDK version history.

OAuth 2.0 authentication for inline hooks

Okta inline hook calls to third-party external web services previously provided only header-based authentication for security. Although sent with SSL, the header or custom header authentication didn’t meet more stringent security requirements for various clients and industries.

To improve the security of inline hooks, Okta now supports authentication with OAuth 2.0 access tokens. Tokens ensure secure calls to external web services.

When creating inline hooks in the Admin Console (or by API), administrators or developers can now select OAuth 2.0 authentication and choose between two methods of OAuth 2.0: Client Secret or Private Key. A new Key Management API and Admin Console page is also available to create public/private key pairs for use with OAuth 2.0 inline hooks. See Manage keys.

Using the OAuth 2.0 framework provides better security than Basic Authentication, and is less work than setting up an IP allowlisting solution. Clients also have the ability to use access tokens minted by their own custom authorization servers to guarantee that Okta is calling their client web services and it isn't triggered by any external actors. See Add an inline hook

API Service Integrations

Using a more secure OAuth 2.0 connection than access tokens, this integration type uses the Core Okta API to access or modify resources like System Logs, apps, sessions, and policies. See API Service Integrations.

OIN Manager support for Workflow Connector submission

ISV_PORTAL_CONNECTOR_SUBMISSIONS GA PREVIEW 2023.03.0 GA PROD 2023.04.0

Okta Workflows is a no-code, if-this-then-that logic builder that Okta orgs can use to automate custom or complex employee onboarding and offboarding flows in your application. You can now publish Workflow connectors that you create with the [Workflows Connector Builder](connector-builder.htm) in the Okta Integration Network (OIN) catalog. Publishing a Workflows Connector with Okta allows your customers to deeply integrate your product with all other connectors in the catalog. Submit your Workflow Connector by using the OIN Manager. See Submit an integration for Workflows connectors.

Configurable rate limits available for OAuth 2.0 apps

Rate limit violations mainly occur on authenticated endpoints. Currently, it isn't clear which OAuth 2.0 authenticated app consumes all the rate limits for an org. This increases the risk that one app consumes the entire rate limit bucket. To avoid this possibility, Okta admins can now configure how much rate limit capacity an individual OAuth 2.0 app can consume by editing the Application rate limits tab for each app. By setting a capacity on individual OAuth 2.0 apps, Okta admins have a new tool to monitor and investigate rate limit violations, and have the ability to view rate limit traffic generated by individual OAuth 2.0 apps. See Rate limit dashboard bar graph.

Authentication policy rule enhancement

When admins select the Any 1 factor type option in an authentication policy, the Possession factor constraints are section isn't shown. This helps guide admins in making configuration choices that achieve the desired level and type of assurance. There is also a new advanced mode view that shows the JSON code of the authentication policy rule. It appears when admins edit a rule that was created before this feature was enabled, when their org has any authentication policy rules in which the Any 1 factor type option was selected, and when possession factor constraints were configured. This provides admins with a summary of the options that were selected before this feature was activated. See Add an authentication policy rule.

Support added for DPoP with service apps

Okta now supports Demonstrating Proof-of-Possession for service apps. However, service apps can provide the same level of security by using private_key_jwt for client authentication. See Configure OAuth 2.0 Demonstrating Proof-of-Possession and Client authentication.

Multiple IdP profiles in Google Workspace

The Google Workspace integration now supports multiple IdP profiles. See How to Configure SAML 2.0 for Google Workspace.

Okta FastPass enhancements

Okta FastPass silently collects device signals in every authentication attempt.

Early Access Features

Demonstrating Proof-of-Possession

OAuth 2.0 Demonstrating Proof-of-Possession (DPoP) is a security feature that adds an extra layer of protection to OAuth 2.0 access tokens. It enables the client to demonstrate that it possesses a particular key or secret associated with the access token. OAuth 2.0 DPoP can help prevent certain attacks, such as token theft or token replay attacks, where an attacker intercepts a legitimate access token and uses it to gain unauthorized access to a protected resource. See Create OIDC app integrations.

Redesigned resource set pages

The Create new resource set and Edit resource set pages that are displayed when an admin creates or edit a resource set now provide a simpler, more intuitive user experience. See Create a resource set.

Third-generation Sign-In Widget

The third-generation Sign-In Widget is more accessible and uses modern frameworks that provide a better end user and developer experience. Okta built the experience from the ground up for Identity Engine, which allows for better velocity, customization, accessibility, and globalization. See Sign-In Widget (third generation).

Okta LDAP Agent automatic update support

Admins can now initiate or schedule automatic updates to Okta LDAP agents from the Admin Console. With agent auto-update functionality, admins no longer need to manually uninstall and then reinstall Okta LDAP agents when a new agent version is released. Agent auto-updates keep your agents up to date and compliant with the Okta support policy, and help ensure your org has the latest Okta features and functionality. Single or multiple agents can be updated on demand, or updates can be scheduled to occur outside of business hours to reduce downtime and disruption to users. See Automatically update Okta LDAP agents.

Import users to Office 365 using Microsoft Graph API

This feature allows Okta to process imports using the Microsoft Graph API. This background process doesn’t change existing procedures and makes imports more scalable, supporting Microsoft 365 tenants with larger numbers of users, groups, and group memberships. See Import users to Office 365 using Microsoft Graph API.

Fixes

OKTA-511637

If users clicked the reveal password icon in the Sign-In Widget before they entered their password, blank spaces were removed upon submission.

OKTA-528821

Verification pages in the Sign-In Widget were inconsistent for the self-service password recovery and self-service unlock flows.

OKTA-557115

SSO on mobile devices where an OIDC token exchange occurred between two apps sometimes failed for the second app.

OKTA-562885

Some users were prompted to sign in with a username and password even if Sign in with Okta FastPass was selected.

OKTA-567476

Users could not sign in to Office 365 using SWA due to an error in the SSO rule.

OKTA-570362

The End-User Dashboard displayed email confirmation notifications for users who didn't change their primary email.

OKTA-573667

The dates on the Agent auto-update settings page in the Admin Dashboard were missing the year.

OKTA-578369

The Expired Password URL was displayed instead of the password reset flow when a user's password was about to expire.

OKTA-581516

HTML wasn't formed correctly in SAML responses.

OKTA-586482

Sometimes users couldn't enroll in or set up On-Prem MFA or RSA SecurID.

OKTA-588390

Token Preview for custom authorization servers failed for group claims with more than 100 groups.

OKTA-592588

The Routing rules tab on the Identity Providers page wasn't hidden for users without admin permissions.

OKTA-593452

The Everyone group in Okta couldn't be imported through the Okta Org2Org app.

Applications

New Integrations

SAML for the following Okta Verified applications:

OIDC for the following Okta Verified application:

Weekly Updates

March 2023

2023.03.0: Monthly Production release began deployment on March 13

* Features may not be available in all Okta Product SKUs.

Generally Available Features

Okta LDAP agent, version 5.16.0

This version of the agent contains:

  • Use of FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic security modules
    • bc-fips: Version 1.0.2.3
    • bcpkix-fips: Version 1.0.6
    • bctls-fips: Version 1.0.13
  • Support for LDAP agent auto-update
    • This version allows support for LDAP agent auto-update. Stay tuned for the self-service EA feature within Okta that will enable LDAP agent auto-update when available.
    • Upon agent installation on Linux platforms, we now grant the OktaLDAPService user permission to automatically install the newest agent version using the auto-update feature.
  • Bug fixes
  • Security enhancements

See Okta LDAP Agent version history.

Agents page added to the navigation panel

The operational status of org agents can now be viewed by selecting the Agents page from the navigation panel. See View your org agents' status.

Device management signal collection

Device management attestation signals are collected only when an associated endpoint management configuration is present.

Rate limit increased for Event Hooks

The number of events that can be delivered to Event Hooks is now 400,000 events per org, per day. See Hooks.

New error pages

Authenticator enrollment flow errors now redirect to user-friendly error pages.

Updated Okta logo

New Okta branding is now used for the Admin Console, the sign-in page, and the browser page flavicon.

Manage the Okta loading animation for custom apps

You can now disable the default Okta loading animation (interstitial page) that appears when users are redirected to custom applications. End users are shown a blank interstitial page, instead. This allows you to present a more branded end user experience. For more information, see Customize your Okta org. This feature is being re-released.

SAML logout metadata

SAML app integration metadata details now includes logout URL information when Single Logout is enabled.

OIN Manager enhancements

The OIN Manager now includes text to support API Service integrations.

System Log event

A new System Log event is created when an LDAP interface operation fails because an administrative rate limit was exceeded.

Enhanced Admin Console search

The Admin Console search now displays your search results in a user-friendly drop-down list. The list provides Top results, People, Apps, and Groups filters so you can quickly and easily find what you’re looking for. See Admin Console search.

Improvements to self-service account activities for AD and LDAP users

Previously, the self-service unlock (SSU) and self-service password reset (SSPR) flows created unnecessary friction for AD and LDAP users. This enhancement introduces a seamless magic link in emails sent to unlock accounts and reset passwords. Users no longer need to provide consent when using the same browser. In addition, after successfully unlocking their account, clicking the email magic link counts towards the application's assurance policy. After the assurance requirements are met, the user is signed in directly to the application. See Configure the Email authenticator.

Optional consent settings for OAuth 2.0 scopes

OAuth 2.0 Optional Consent provides an Optional setting that enables a user to opt in or out of an app's requested OAuth scopes. When Optional is set to true, the user can skip consent for that scope. See Create API access scopes .

SAML setup parameters

More setup parameters are now visible when configuring SAML as a sign-in method for app integrations. See Configure Single Sign-On options.

Log Streaming

While Okta captures and stores its System Log events, many organizations use third-party systems to monitor, aggregate, and act on event data.

Log Streaming enables Okta admins to more easily and securely send System Log events to a specified system such as Amazon Eventbridge in real time with simple, pre-built connectors. They can easily scale without worrying about rate limits, and no admin API token is required. See Log streaming.

OIDC Identity Providers private/public key pair support

Previously, Okta only supported the use of client secret as the client authentication method with an OpenID Connect-based Identity Provider. Okta now supports the use of private/public key pairs (private_key_jwt) with OpenID Connect-based Identity Providers. Additionally, the Signed Request Object now also supports the use of private/public key pairs. See Create an Identity Provider in Okta.

Early Access Features

Verify Zoom users with Okta

Zoom users can now attest and verify a user’s identity between two independent parties using Okta-signed tokens.

Fixes

OKTA-520182

Self-service account unlock sometimes displayed an error message even though inputs were correct.

OKTA-530926

Authentication sometimes failed for LDAP users due to a null pointer exception. The issue is fixed in LDAP agent version 5.16.0.

OKTA-544910

Target types for authentication policies and profile enrollment rules in the System Log didn’t match all policy types.

OKTA-548568

Password validation caused an unexpected error during a self-service password reset.

OKTA-554109

Read-only admins were able to edit application integration pages.

OKTA-561769

A user with a Custom Administrator role could make changes to the End-User Dashboard but couldn't preview the dashboard.

OKTA-562113

Auto-population of non-English variable names in the Profile Editor didn't work as expected.

OKTA-564673

Empty groups caused LDAP delegated authentication testing to fail.

OKTA-578615

Some users could request a new one-time passcode after exceeding the limit for failed MFA attempts.

OKTA-580307

The Sign-in Widget sometimes failed to load for testing LDAP authentication.

OKTA-581530

Missing logos on the Groups page were displayed as broken links.

Applications

New Integrations

New SCIM integration applications:

The following partner-built provisioning integration apps are now Generally Available in the OIN Catalog as partner-built:

SAML for the following Okta Verified application:

  • Wistia (OKTA-561362)

App Integration Fixes

The following SWA apps were not working correctly and are now fixed:

  • Adobe (OKTA-569857)

  • Adobe Stock (OKTA-564445)

  • Brex (OKTA-573146)

  • Criteo (OKTA-577154)

  • CTCC OncoEMR (OKTA-576358)

  • Lucidchart (OKTA-566188)

  • MyFonts (OKTA-566037)

  • Washington Post (OKTA-575907)

Weekly Updates