How does Okta handle user identity verification primarily?

Okta primarily handles user identity verification by employing SAML technology, which stands for Security Assertion Markup Language. SAML is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, specifically between an identity provider (IdP) like Okta and a service provider (SP).

When a user attempts to log in to a service that utilizes SAML, Okta authenticates the user and generates a SAML assertion that includes the user's identity and other attributes. This assertion is then sent to the service provider, allowing it to grant access to the user without needing to manage credential storage or verification directly. This results in a seamless single-sign-on (SSO) experience, where a user can access multiple applications with a single login, enhancing security and user experience.

While social media profiles and biometric data can be part of larger identity management systems, they are not the primary method for identity verification in Okta. Security tokens may be used in certain contexts like multifactor authentication, but they are not the standard mechanism for identity verification itself. Thus, employing SAML technology stands out as the primary and effective means of user identity verification in Okta's framework.