OIDC uses a public, third-party IdP to authenticate users. Examples of IdPs that support OIDC include Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. With OIDC, a user can gain access to an application by signing on with a trusted, OIDC-compatible account.
OIDC protects against brute force attacks by using a challenge-response mechanism. In this type of authentication, the user must prove their identity by solving a challenge such as a security question. This additional step makes it more difficult for an attacker to guess a valid user credential successfully.
Because OIDC allows users to sign on to an application through a trusted third party such as Google, users can skip the step of signing up for an account on that application. If no account exists for that user, there are no login credentials for a hacker to exploit.
OIDC provides privacy protection by allowing users to control which claims—that is, individual pieces of information—are released to the relying party (RP) that provides access to an application. By specifying which claims get shared with the RP, the user can ensure that only the necessary information is shared. For example, a user may choose to share only their name and email address, but not their birthdate or home address.
No, OpenID Connect is not on the decline. While other authentication protocols have gained popularity in recent years, OpenID Connect is still a widely used and supported standard. In fact, many newer authentication protocols have been built on top of OpenID Connect or leverage its capabilities.