How to Get a Password Expiration Date in Okta Workflow

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Managing password policies effectively is a cornerstone of maintaining a secure IT environment. One of the critical aspects of these policies is identifying when passwords are due to expire, enabling proactive user engagement and support. For organizations using Okta as their Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solution, automating this process with Okta Workflows can save time and enhance security. In this article, we will explore how you can retrieve a password expiration date using Okta Workflows in a reliable and efficient manner.

Understanding Password Expiration in Okta

Okta enforces password expiration policies to ensure that users regularly update their passwords. These policies, defined at the organizational or group level, specify the password lifespan in days. However, Okta’s native user interface does not directly provide an easy, out-of-the-box method for extracting the expiration date of a user’s password. This is where Okta Workflows plays a crucial role, allowing administrators to calculate and retrieve this information.

Okta Workflows, a no-code automation platform, is designed to integrate with Okta’s features and APIs. By leveraging Workflows, administrators can programmatically extract user password details, calculate expiration dates, and even trigger notifications to alert users in advance.

Steps to Get the Password Expiration Date Using Okta Workflows

To retrieve and work with password expiration dates, follow these steps:

1. Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you meet the following requirements:

  • A valid Okta tenant with admin access.
  • Access to the Okta Workflows console through your Okta account.
  • Basic familiarity with Okta API calls and the workflow automation process.

2. Create a Workflow

Log in to your Okta Workflows console and create a new workflow to handle the password expiration logic.

Steps to follow:

  1. In the Workflows console, create a new Flow.
  2. Identify which users or groups you need to monitor. For example, you can trigger the workflow for all active users.
  3. Use the “Search Users” action card in Okta Workflows to retrieve user details, including the passwordChanged property.

3. Calculate the Expiration Date

Okta tracks when a user last changed their password using the passwordChanged timestamp. Use this value to calculate the expiration date based on your organization’s security policy.

Steps to calculate expiration date:

  1. Extract the passwordChanged timestamp from the retrieved user data.
  2. Determine the password expiration period (e.g., 90 days) from your organization’s policy.
  3. Add the expiration period to the passwordChanged timestamp to calculate the expiration date.

Workflows provides built-in date manipulation functions that allow you to add or subtract days, making this calculation straightforward.

4. Store or Use the Expiration Date

Once you calculate the expiration date, decide on the next steps. Common options include:

  • Storage: Save the expiration date in an external database, so it can be referenced or used later.
  • Notification: Use the “Send Email” action card in Workflows to alert users a few days before their password expires.
  • Update a Custom Field: If your organization’s Okta profile schema allows custom attributes, you could store the expiration date directly in the user’s Okta profile.

5. Test and Publish the Workflow

With the workflow logic in place, the final steps involve thorough testing. Verify the following:

  • The workflow triggers as expected (e.g., when a user’s password changes).
  • Expiration dates are accurately calculated based on your organization’s policy.
  • Notifications or updates function smoothly and reach the intended recipients.

Once testing is complete, publish the workflow to enable it in a live environment.

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Additional Considerations

When implementing a password expiration monitoring workflow, keep these important points in mind:

  • Error Handling: Ensure your workflow includes error-handling logic to address unexpected API responses or missing data.
  • Compliance: Verify that your password policies comply with industry standards and regulations, such as NIST guidelines or GDPR requirements.
  • Performance: Avoid performance bottlenecks by running workflows in batches when monitoring large user populations.

Conclusion

Okta Workflows empowers administrators to automate the process of tracking password expirations, improve security, and enhance end-user experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can build a robust workflow to retrieve password expiration dates and integrate this critical data into your broader IT operations. Automating password management reduces administrative overhead, ensures compliance, and helps maintain the security of your organization’s digital ecosystem.

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