How the Vietnam War created single sign-on — and how it's evolved since
Connor Peshek
BSidesSF 2026 · Day 2 · AMC Theatre 07
In this fascinating talk, Connor Peshek, a seasoned engineer with experience at Kroger, Cloudflare, and Authentic, delves into the unexpected origins and intricate evolution of **single sign-on (SSO)**. Titled "How the Vietnam War created single sign-on," the presentation uncovers a direct lineage from classified military communication systems of the mid-20th century to the ubiquitous authentication protocols we rely on today. Peshek argues that the fundamental principles of SSO – authenticating once at a central location to gain access across multiple trusted services – were first conceived out of a critical need for secure and efficient military communications during wartime.
AI review
A competent, well-researched history talk that traces SSO from SIGSALY through Kerberos to OIDC with genuine narrative craft. The 'Bell Field as proto-SSO' thread is an interesting hook, but this is firmly educational content — not security research — and the BSides SF audience gets a polished story more than new knowledge they can deploy Monday morning.