Practical Key Combiners in Post-Quantum Security

The Rise and fall of the Information Card

Ever wonder why we're still stuck typing passwords into every single site despite the "future" promising us something better ten years ago? Back in the mid-2000s, microsoft tried to kill the password with something called CardSpace, and honestly, it was a pretty wild idea for its time.

CardSpace was basically a digital wallet built into Windows. Instead of a login form, you’d see a popup with "Information Cards"—think of them like the loyalty cards in your physical wallet but for the web. It was part of this bigger "identity metasystem" vision where you didn't have to trust every random site with your actual credentials.

• Identity Selector: This was the UI piece in Windows where you picked a card to sign in. It kept your data away from the browser so phishing was much harder.
• Claims-based identity: Instead of sending a password, the card sent "claims" (like "yes, I am over 18" or "here is my email") signed by a provider.
• Privacy by design: It used a "minimal disclosure" setup. If a healthcare portal only needed your insurance ID, it didn't get your home address.

The architect behind this, Kim Cameron, based the whole thing on his 7 Laws of Identity. You don't need to memorize all of them, but two really mattered here: User Control and Consent (the user should always be in the loop) and Minimal Disclosure (only share the bare minimum data). CardSpace was built to respect those laws by making sure the user, not the website, held the power.

So, why aren't we using it? Well, it was heavy. It relied on a ton of xml and complex SOAP protocols that made developers want to pull their hair out. When the smartphone boom happened, CardSpace just couldn't keep up because it was too tied to the Windows desktop. Next, we'll look at how those xml headaches actually worked under the hood.

Technical Architecture of Identity Selectors

Ever wonder why old-school enterprise auth feels like trying to build a spaceship with legos? It’s because the backbone was built on ws-trust and ws-federation, which are basically the ancestors of modern sso.

Before we had sleek json tokens, we had soap. Everything was wrapped in heavy xml envelopes. These xml structures eventually led to SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), which is a standard for exchanging auth data between parties. If you were a dev back then, you spent half your day just trying to get the namespaces right so the security token service (sts) wouldn't barf.

• The STS is the brain: In this architecture, the sts is the central hub that issues security tokens. It’s like a bouncer who checks your id and gives you a specific wristband for the club.
• Requestors and Relying Parties: Your app (the relying party) doesn't know who the user is. It just trusts the sts to send a signed xml blob.
• Heavyweight Handshakes: Unlike modern oidc where you just hit an api, this required complex wsdl files and specific client libraries.

Honestly, the logic hasn't changed much, but the "weight" has. We traded the security of strict xml schemas for the speed of json. Next, we’re gonna dive into the specific protocols that took over the world while CardSpace was busy collecting dust.

Modern Enterprise SSO: OIDC vs. The Old Way

Looking back at CardSpace feels like looking at an old blueprint for a skyscraper that never got built. Modern CIAM (Customer Identity and Access Management) has basically flipped the script. Instead of a heavy windows client, we now live in an api-first world.

The industry moved toward OAuth 2.0 and OIDC (OpenID Connect). While CardSpace required a "thick client" (the Identity Selector) to negotiate complex xml handshakes, OIDC uses simple browser redirects and json web tokens (JWTs).

In a CardSpace flow, the OS had to intercept the request, which was super secure but a nightmare for mobile. In an OIDC flow, the app just sends you to a login page (like Google or Okta), you sign in, and the app gets a lightweight token back. It’s much easier for a dev at a retail startup to implement in an afternoon.

• API-First over Thick Clients: Today, the "Identity Selector" is basically gone. Instead, developers use api-first tools—think of things like Auth0 or SSOJet—to handle the mess of saml and oidc via simple calls. This means your auth works on a fridge, a phone, or a browser.
• Directory Sync is King: In the enterprise world, nobody cares about fancy digital cards. They want their employee list in Okta or Azure AD to automatically sync. According to gartner, by 2025, 60% of organizations will use SCIM for automated provisioning because manual onboarding is a security nightmare.
• The XML Tax: We finally stopped paying it. Moving from soap to json-based tokens made identity approachable for the average dev, not just security wizards.

The biggest lesson is that if security is annoying, people will find a way around it. We’ve shifted to browser-based magic links and passkeys. It’s about meeting users where they are—usually on a mobile device with a thumbprint sensor.

Why CTOs should care about Identity History

So, why should a cto even care about this ancient history? Honestly, it's because the same mistakes keep happening, just with shinier logos. Understanding where we tripped up with CardSpace helps you spot when a new "revolutionary" tool is actually just another layer of over-engineered complexity.

Standardized protocols aren't just for the architects; they're your best defense against a massive breach. When you use proven flows like oidc, you're leaning on thousands of hours of peer review instead of hoping your lead dev didn't mess up a custom auth script.

• Interoperability is security: If your identity provider doesn't play nice with others, your team will start hacking together "solutions" that leave doors open.
• Future-proofing: Choosing enterprise ready solutions that support both legacy saml and modern oidc means you won't have to rip and replace everything when the next big thing goes mainstream.
• Privacy matters: Just like the old "minimal disclosure" idea, modern ciam lets you share only what's needed.

The goal is always "simple and good enough." Interestingly, the "Information Card" concept isn't actually dead—it's coming back as Decentralized Identity (DID) and Digital Wallets. We're finally seeing a return to the idea of users owning their data through Verifiable Credentials, which is basically CardSpace 2.0 but without the xml headaches. We've come full circle, just with better tech this time.