Moodle - SEB authentication flow improvement

Moodle - SEB authentication flow improvement

di Maija Kozlova -
Numero di risposte: 3

Hello! Not sure if this is an exciting idea, but I wonder whether anyone else has encountered this.

In some Moodle + Safe Exam Browser (SEB) scenarios, users effectively have to authenticate twice: first to access Moodle, and then again when the quiz is launched in SEB. For institutions like ours, where Moodle authentication is handled via Microsoft 365, this can also mean repeated MFA prompts, which creates a less than ideal exam experience for everyone involved.

Operationally, we've worked around this by whitelisting locations and/or distributing SEB configuration files containing direct links to quizzes. This reduces some of the authentication friction, but providing and managing SEB configuration files for large numbers of exams creates significant operational overhead.

In my search for a solution, I've come across this GitHub discussion, which proposes a workaround that appears to address the problem: https://github.com/SafeExamBrowser/seb-win-refactoring/discussions/833

I tested it, and can confirm - it works!

However, it seems to rely on custom modifications and files placed in the Moodle root directory, which feels contrary to how you'd want to maintain this sort of solution long term.

I'm wondering whether this is a problem others have encountered, and whether anyone here would be interested in brainstorming a more elegant solution with me - and, if interest, building a proof of concept together during the Dev Camp? Perhaps via a reusable plugin, or improvements to the existing Moodle/SEB setup, or something else?

Interested to hear what others think.

In riposta a Maija Kozlova

Re: Moodle - SEB authentication flow improvement

di Lily Asshauer -
Hi Maija,
we are currently facing the same issue in our institution. I'd be happy to help to work on a proof of concept. Getting a core integration in the long run would be amazing.
In riposta a Maija Kozlova

Re: Moodle - SEB authentication flow improvement

di Sebastian Homer -
Hi Maija,

I think you should have a look at the settings about sessions in the SEB config.
When the SEB file which is uploaded to the quiz is configured not to start with a new session but to end the session after quitting, no further login is needed.

When I am back in office I can have a look at the specific settings at our university. I think I configured the "outer" SEB (the one that starts with moodle as starting page, used for students to navigate to the quiz) starts always with a clear session while the "inner one" (the specific quiz file with no start url) keeps the session but ends the session after quitting. Both settings in the "Exam" Panel of the config tool.

Best regards
Sebastian
In riposta a Sebastian Homer

Re: Moodle - SEB authentication flow improvement

di Sebastian Homer -
PS: our setting on most exam pcs:

- virtual windows machines with safe exam browser in autostart, moodle as starting page
- navigate to the quiz, where a config.seb is uploaded (prepared by me, no start url (this is filled by moodle). This restarts the browser, loads the config, keeps the session