This integration enables Balbix to securely collect identity and access management data from your Okta environment to provide comprehensive security assessment. Follow these steps for a fast configuration:
Step 1: Create Service User Account
Navigate to Okta Admin Console → Directory → People.
Click Add Person.
Configure the service user:
First name: Balbix
Last name: Integration
Username & Email: Example: balbix-integration@yourcompany.com
Password: Generate a strong password and save securely
Set by Admin: Select Checked
User must change password on first login: Select Unchecked
Ensure the account is activated, then click Save.
Step 2: Assign Read-Only Administrator Role
Go to Security → Administrators.
Click Add Administrator.
Select the service user (e.g., balbix-integration@yourcompany.com).
Assign role: Read-Only Administrator, scope: All resources.
Click Save Changes.
Step 3: Generate API Token for this Service Account / User
Open an incognito/private browser window.
Sign in to https://yourcompany.okta.com as the service user.
Navigate to Security → API → Tokens.
Click Create Token → Name it Balbix Security Integration.
Warning: Copy the token immediately (format: 1234567890abcdef...). Save securely – it cannot be viewed again.
Sign out.
Step 4: Test the Integration
# Test basic user access
curl -X GET "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/users?limit=1" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" \
-H "Accept: application/json"
# Test organization access (required for enterprise analysis)
curl -X GET "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/org" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" \
-H "Accept: application/json"
# Test policy access (critical for security findings)
curl -X GET "https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/policies?type=PASSWORD" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN_HERE" \
-H "Accept: application/json"
Expected: JSON responses with user profile, organization info, and policy data.
Step 5: Provide Credentials to Balbix
In the Balbix Okta integration setup workflow, enter:
Okta Domain: yourcompany.okta.com
API Token: ssws_1234567890abcdef...
Role Assignment: Read-Only Administrator
Resource Scope: All Resources (Organization-wide)
Follow this procedure in your Balbix Account:
Full Integration Guide (Reference)
The following sections provide detailed information, rationale, and troubleshooting for security, audit, and compliance teams.
Purpose and Overview
This integration enables Balbix to securely collect identity and access management data from your Okta environment for comprehensive security assessment. Balbix analyzes user accounts, application access patterns, group memberships, and security configurations to identify potential risks and misconfigurations in your identity infrastructure.
What Balbix Collects from Okta
User inventory and profile information - Complete user profiles, status, and attributes
User relationships - Group memberships, role assignments, MFA factor enrollment
Application assignments and access levels - User-to-app and group-to-app assignments
Group memberships and organizational structure - Complete group hierarchy and relationships
Authentication policies and security settings - Password, MFA, and sign-on policies
Organization configuration - Enterprise settings and security features
Administrative assignments - Privileged user identification and role analysis
Security Benefits
Identify users and their operational states (Active, Suspended, etc.)
Detect excessive application permissions and access creep
Monitor for privileged access anomalies and administrative security gaps
Assess MFA coverage and compliance across the organization
Analyze authentication patterns for risk indicators
Identify dormant accounts and incomplete user profiles
Detect weak authentication methods and policy violations
Recommended Approach: Read-Only Administrator
For most organizations, we recommend using Okta's standard Read-Only Administrator role. This approach provides comprehensive data access with minimal security risk and minimal setup time.
Why Read-Only Administrator is Recommended
Maximum Security: Zero write permissions – cannot modify any data
Comprehensive Coverage: Access to 90%+ of security assessment data
Simple Setup: 10-minute configuration using standard Okta roles
Full Audit Trail: All API access is logged and auditable
Alternative Configuration Options
Fine-Grained Custom Role: For organizations requiring specific permission control → See Custom Role section
Enhanced Access: If additional data beyond Read-Only Administrator is needed, escalation to a Super Administrator may be required for token generation. This is generally not recommended. Contact your Balbix Customer Success team if needed.
Data Access with Read-Only Administrator
Data Category | What's Included | Security Value |
|---|---|---|
User Management | All user profiles, status, attributes, group memberships, role assignments | Identify inactive/orphaned accounts, detect privilege escalation |
Group Management | Group memberships, hierarchies, relationships | Analyze access patterns and role creep |
Application Access | App assignments, permissions, user-to-app mappings | Detect excessive application access and unused applications |
System Logs | Authentication events, security logs (limited) | Monitor for suspicious activities |
Device Management | Device compliance, mobile policies (limited) | Assess endpoint security posture |
Security Policies | Sign-on policies, MFA configurations, password policies | Evaluate authentication security |
Network Zones | Network access controls | Review location-based restrictions |
Admin Roles | Privileged access assignments | Monitor administrative permissions |
API Coverage
Read-Only Administrator provides access to all major Okta APIs required for comprehensive security analysis:
Core Entity APIs:
/api/v1/users – User inventory and profiles
/api/v1/users/{id}/groups – User group memberships
/api/v1/users/{id}/roles – User administrative roles
/api/v1/users/{id}/factors – MFA factor enrollment and status
/api/v1/users/{id}/appLinks – User application assignments
Application APIs:
/api/v1/apps – Application configurations and assignments
/api/v1/apps/{id}/users – Application user assignments
/api/v1/apps/{id}/groups – Application group assignments
Organization APIs:
/api/v1/org – Organization information and settings
/api/v1/org/features – Security features status
/api/v1/policies – Security policies (Password, MFA, Sign-on)
/api/v1/groups – Group definitions and memberships
/api/v1/zones – Network security configurations
Limited Access APIs:
/api/v1/logs – System events and audit logs (basic access)
/api/v1/devices – Device compliance data (requires additional permissions)
Security Best Practices
Token Management
Store API token in secure credential management system
Never commit tokens to code repositories
Rotate API token annually
Monitor service user activity in Okta System Log
Access Control
Use dedicated service user (never personal accounts)
Disable service user when integration is no longer needed
Review permissions quarterly
Monitor for unusual API access patterns
Audit and Compliance
All API access is logged in Okta System Log
Read-only access ensures zero modification risk
Standard role assignment simplifies compliance reporting
Troubleshooting
Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
"Invalid token" error | Token copied incorrectly or expired | Verify token starts with ssws_ and has no spaces; regenerate if needed |
"Insufficient privileges" | Role not assigned properly | Verify Read-Only Administrator role assignment |
"User not found" | Wrong domain | Confirm Okta domain is correct |
Service user login fails | Account not activated | Verify user is activated and password is correct |
Some APIs return 403 | Expected for write operations or missing permissions | Contact Balbix if read operations fail |
Rate limiting (429 errors) | Too many API calls | Analysis includes automatic rate limiting; wait for completion |
Partial data collection | Permission gaps for specific endpoints | Review role assignments; some data requires additional permissions |
Analysis timeout | Large organization size | Expected for enterprise orgs; analysis will complete automatically |
Verification Commands
# Test comprehensive user access (with relationships)
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/users?limit=1&expand=user"
# Test organization access (required for enterprise findings)
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/org"
# Test policy access (critical for security analysis)
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/policies?type=PASSWORD"
# Test group access
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/groups?limit=1"
# Test application access
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/apps?limit=1"
# Test MFA factor access (replace USER_ID with actual user ID)
curl -H "Authorization: SSWS YOUR_TOKEN" \
"https://YOUR_DOMAIN.okta.com/api/v1/users/USER_ID/factors"
Custom Role Configuration
This section is for organizations requiring more granular permission control than the standard Read-Only Administrator role provides.
When to Use Custom Roles
Consider custom roles if your organization has:
Strict service account policies prohibiting standard admin roles
Requirements for granular permission scoping
Audit compliance needs for detailed permission documentation
Policies limiting access to specific resource types only
Custom Role vs. Read-Only Administrator
Aspect | Read-Only Administrator | Custom Role |
|---|---|---|
Setup Time | 10 minutes | 20–30 minutes |
Data Coverage | 90%+ comprehensive | 70–80% with basic setup |
Permission Control | Standard, organization-wide | Granular, customizable |
Security Review | Standard role, easy approval | Custom role evaluation needed |
Maintenance | Automatic Okta updates | Manual permission management |
Custom Role Setup Process
Create Custom Read-Only Role: Configure role with view-only permissions for users, groups, apps, IAM, and directory integration.
Create Resource Set: Add all relevant resource types for Balbix data collection.
Assign Custom Role: Assign the role to the Balbix service user and continue with token generation.
Required Okta Permissions for Custom Role
Minimum Required Permissions:
okta.users.read - User profiles and status
okta.users.userAdmin - User group and role memberships (read-only)
okta.groups.read - Group definitions and memberships
okta.apps.read - Application configurations and assignments
okta.policies.read - Security policies and rules
okta.org.read - Organization settings and information
Optional for Enhanced Analysis:
okta.logs.read - Authentication logs (requires Report Administrator role)
okta.devices.read - Device compliance (requires Help Desk Administrator role)
Custom Role Data Access
Data Category | Access with Custom Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
User inventory & profiles | ✓ | Full profile data and attributes |
User relationships (groups, roles) | ✓ | Requires userAdmin permission |
Group memberships | ✓ | Includes hierarchies and relationships |
Application assignments | ✓ | Configuration and access details |
Admin role assignments | ✓ | IAM resources and admin mappings |
Organization settings | ✓ | Requires org.read permission |
Security policies | ✓ | Password, MFA, sign-on policies |
System logs & events | ✗ | Requires Report Administrator role |
Device compliance data | ✗ | Requires Help Desk Administrator |
Expanding Custom Role Access
Option 1: Add Standard Role: Add Report Administrator or Help Desk Administrator for additional data. Option 2: Upgrade to Read-Only Administrator: Replace custom role with standard Read-Only Administrator role.
Network Security
Okta allows applying Network ACL restrictions to any administrator role, including both the standard Read-Only Administrator setup and Custom Roles. Balbix strongly recommends enabling ACL restrictions for the dedicated integration account. This ensures API access is only possible from Balbix-controlled IP addresses. Always refer to the Access Control List Configuration document for the latest Balbix IP addresses.
Security Findings Categories
Balbix analyzes your Okta environment to identify security risks across three entity types:
Enterprise Findings
Password Policy Violations: Weak length requirements, missing complexity, inactive policies
MFA Enforcement Gaps: Missing MFA requirements, weak factor allowances
Administrative Security Issues: Excessive super admins, stale admin assignments
Policy Misconfigurations: Inactive sign-on policies, missing account lockout
Network Security Gaps: Overly broad network zones, insecure trusted origins
Application Findings
Weak Authentication Methods: Basic auth, browser plugins, deprecated OAuth flows
Application Lifecycle Issues: Inactive apps with users, active apps without users
SSO Security Problems: Missing SAML certificates, insecure redirect URIs
Access Management Issues: Over-provisioned applications, suspicious app names
Configuration Vulnerabilities: Wildcard redirect URIs, sensitive SAML assertions
User Findings
MFA Security Gaps: Missing enrollment, weak factors, single factor dependency
Account Hygiene Issues: Dormant accounts, incomplete profiles, never-logged-in users
Access Anomalies: Excessive application assignments, service account access
Administrative Risks: Admins without strong MFA, orphaned privileged accounts
Getting Support
For Setup Issues: Contact internal Okta administrator, review Okta documentation, or check System Logs.
For Balbix Integration Questions: Contact Balbix Customer Success team with Okta domain, role configuration, and any API error messages.
For Enhanced Access Requirements: Contact Balbix Customer Success before considering Super Administrator access.
Summary
This integration provides Balbix with secure, comprehensive access to your Okta environment for security assessment.
Security Assurance
Read-only access with zero modification risk
Standard or custom role options for different security requirements
Full audit trail of all API interactions
Dedicated service account with strong credentials
Comprehensive Data Collection
Complete user and application inventory with relationships
Access patterns and permission analysis
Security policy and compliance assessment
Authentication and device security insights
Administrative privilege monitoring
Implementation Benefits
Quick 10-minute setup with standard approach
Flexible custom role option for granular control
Easy security team approval process
Scalable access that can be expanded if needed
Automatic rate limiting and performance optimization
Recommendation: In most cases, Balbix strongly recommends the Read-Only Administrator approach for comprehensive coverage and the fastest setup.