MIT Touchstone is a single sign-on web authentication service that allows members of the MIT community to log in to participating MIT and federated websites. When using a Touchstone-enabled application, your password will never be passed to the application server.
Available To
Students, Faculty, Staff, Affiliates
Benefits
- Allows MIT users to authenticate to protected websites, both on- and off-campus.
- Allows non-MIT users to to access some protected MIT sites by registering for Collaboration accounts or by using their accounts with an InCommon Federation participant.
Key Features
- Touchstone at MIT (including troubleshooting tips)
- Touchstone FAQ
- Developing a website or application and want to use MIT Touchstone, or Shibboleth, for authentication?
Requirements
- An existing MIT Kerberos username/password or MIT X.509 certificate
- Not an MIT student, staff, faculty, or eligible affiliate? You may be able to use an account with another member of the InCommon Federation to access some MIT Touchstone-enabled applications; otherwise, register for a Collaboration Account to access some applications. Check with the support resources for the application for information on which type accounts it will support for non-MIT users.
Getting Started
- MIT students, staff, and faculty members: Use your existing MIT Kerberos username/password or MIT X.509 certificate to sign in through Touchstone.
- New MIT students, staff, faculty, and affiliates: Get a Kerberos (Athena) account.
- Others, per the requirements above, can register for a Collaboration Account to access some applications. Request Touchstone Collaboration Account help if needed.
For general help, contact: touchstone-support@mit.edu
Web Developers and System Administrators:
External Users:
- Create and manage Collaboration Accounts
- Collaboration Accounts Administration Interface (requires special access)