RightNow SSO with ADFS 2.0 - single-sign-on

Question

We are currently implementing SSO in RightNow for customers in Customer Portal using SAML 2.0 with ADFS 2.0, but the process is returning the error code 17: "SSO_CONTACT_TOKEN_VALIDATE_FAILED"
IdP generates a signed SAML 2.0 assertion using contact info (the customer’s login name as the assertion subject).
ADFS 2.0 submits the follow assertion using HTTP POST binding:
<samlp:Response ID="_f1e96bb3-3585-4d38-b708-33c8c023a3f1"
Version="2.0"
IssueInstant="2015-02-17T12:20:03.666Z"
Destination="https://company.custhelp.com/ci/openlogin/saml/subject/contact.login"
Consent="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:consent:unspecified"
xmlns:samlp="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:protocol"
>
<Issuer xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion">http://adfs.company.com/adfs/services/trust/</Issuer>
<samlp:Status>
<samlp:StatusCode Value="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:status:Success" />
</samlp:Status>
<Assertion ID="_5cd4e6a7-0d5a-4010-9979-46cf372b8e35"
IssueInstant="2015-02-17T12:20:03.666Z"
Version="2.0"
xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion"
>
<Issuer>http://adfs.company.com/adfs/services/trust/</Issuer>
<ds:Signature xmlns:ds="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
<ds:SignedInfo>
<ds:CanonicalizationMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#" />
<ds:SignatureMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#rsa-sha1" />
<ds:Reference URI="#_5cd4e6a7-0d5a-4010-9979-46cf372b8e35">
<ds:Transforms>
<ds:Transform Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#enveloped-signature" />
<ds:Transform Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#" />
</ds:Transforms>
<ds:DigestMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1" />
<ds:DigestValue>QlfQBozfBOCdd4aKqfiqQPTftuQ=</ds:DigestValue>
</ds:Reference>
</ds:SignedInfo>
<ds:SignatureValue>EEBAxrW+VHXofNuYPBpzlFR7FZ1Ty4UUOXPFGs3PneU9mSPTpoSAh3BaP/xt2smbmdcj0QWoz00pLZa4KLwUdPdJrKMSqeDwYMvKiNVyQoAbbcS8TzOiFmPdWEgVRIsOY5C/TXjq+aKjnKOwGndTCc9eDvgnlsmo622yP2zHdnLXHlvLfWaPX27CabbYWFjz2ubnpE7Cn5eIcwAZ3VA9qEy3vJvvuBcXfHZ180pHtazNPChI4VycLyNBxzJ92sxkEIsrJZ3X7rqfO6C2IlxTeOHFsvPWCqI05i/IGodGE03x+r1AOc+Qx1fkhAC7TnU96XWjdBJa0lkhQaZtmg7TvQ==</ds:SignatureValue>
<KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
<ds:X509Data>
<ds:X509Certificate>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</ds:X509Certificate>
</ds:X509Data>
</KeyInfo>
</ds:Signature>
<Subject>
<NameID>PHL</NameID>
<SubjectConfirmation Method="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:cm:bearer">
<SubjectConfirmationData NotOnOrAfter="2015-02-17T12:25:03.666Z"
Recipient="https://xerox-firmenich.custhelp.com/ci/openlogin/saml/subject/contact.login"
/>
</SubjectConfirmation>
</Subject>
<Conditions NotBefore="2015-02-17T12:15:03.666Z"
NotOnOrAfter="2015-02-17T13:15:03.666Z"
>
<AudienceRestriction>
<Audience>https://company.custhelp.com</Audience>
</AudienceRestriction>
</Conditions>
<AuthnStatement AuthnInstant="2015-02-17T12:20:03.620Z"
SessionIndex="_5cd4e6a7-0d5a-4010-9979-46cf372b8e35"
>
<AuthnContext>
<AuthnContextClassRef>urn:federation:authentication:windows</AuthnContextClassRef>
</AuthnContext>
</AuthnStatement>
</Assertion>
Could be the problem in the SAML assertion?

Answer 1

Usually, this error means that your certificate is either not included in the assertion, or the thumbprint that you've added to your service cloud configuration doesn't match the certificate passed in the assertion. Since you have a certificate, I would focus on the thumbprint. Sometimes, people copy and paste the thumbprint into Service Cloud (RightNow) settings and accidentally copy a return carriage \n or invisible character. Service Cloud considers these characters as part of the thumbprint and will cause this error code if that is the case. Based on the certificate in your example above, that value should be:
39:c6:48:3b:4e:e3:dd:53:c1:58:88:11:c9:33:28:2a:d5:6c:7f:17