Oracle has this concept of allowing database users to be identified by the operating system user who is running the program that is connecting to Oracle. See [here][1]. This allows you to do, as that user on a unix machine for example, a command such as: sqlplus / I am attempting to write a Java program for Oracle 10.2 which connects without a username or password. The obvious choice of url: jdbc:oracle:thin:/@localhost:1521:MYDBSID doesn't work, giving an error (Sorry I don't have the error available right now). I have attempted many other forms of doing this as well, but with no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can connect a Java program to Oracle using the OS identification method? [1]: http://www.oracle-base.com/articles/misc/OsAuthentication.php