Retail Pro Security Update: OAuth Support added for Retail Pro Prism's Digital Receipts

As the technology landscape evolves and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, the importance of maintaining robust security authorization practices cannot be overstated. Retail Pro Prism is not exempt from this maintenance to maintain security practices, including functionality that supports the sending of digital receipts.

Retail Pro's digital receipt functionality relies upon external email servers to send digital receipts, and as such provides a user the ability to maintain the needed security credentials within the Retail Pro Prism app. The method relies upon a server address and a valid login ID and password associated with the email server. This method is commonly referred to as "less secure apps" as it relies solely on the login ID and password for the security credentials given to the email server. 

One of the more common email service providers, Google, who is also responsible for the Gmail email services, has recently stated they will no longer allow the use of low-security authorization methods, including outdated protocols or lax authentication mechanisms. Instead, they will now require more stringent security standards to be employed within apps that utilize their Gmail email services.

Starting on September 30, 2024, Google will require the use of Open Authorization, or OAuth. OAuth is a widely used authorization framework that allows users to grant third-party services access to their account information without sharing their passwords. In other words, OAuth acts as an intermediary between the user and third-party services providing the service with an access token that allows the service, like Retail Pro Prism, to access specific account information on the Google email server to manage the sending of digital receipts from within Retail Pro Prism.

 

What is being done within Retail Pro Prism?

Digital receipts are as commonplace as the use of mobile payments in general retail today, and like any technological landscape, there are many options when it comes to managing your Retail Pro system's support for digital receipts. Google's Gmail services are one the more commonly used free services to manage the sending of email through third party services like Retail Pro Prism. As such Google's move to OAuth means Retail Pro Prism must also shift to the support of OAuth for the purposes of sending email from within our applications.

Retail Pro Prism 2.4 will be deployed with support for OAuth to allow the use of email service providers that require OAuth, like Google and its Gmail services. These enhancements to our security methodologies will require some reconfiguration of the settings associated with the sending of email within Retail Pro Prism, but once done, your system should continue to work with the email services provided by Google and their Gmail services.

This Retail Pro Prism update will be available to all Retail Pro users who are active on software subscription or software assurance. Contact your authorized Retail Pro reseller to coordinate the upgrading your Retail Pro systems to this latest release.