A method of implementing a universal framework for searching across multiple search platforms in a secure federated search. The method includes receiving, at a federated broker, a query from an authorized user, obtaining a plurality of user credentials associated with the authenticated user, wherein each of the plurality of user credentials are used to access at least one source of a plurality of sources, determining a required query format for each of the plurality of sources, translating the query into a plurality of queries formatted according to the required query format of each of the plurality of sources, propagating the plurality of translated queries and the plurality of user credentials to each corresponding source to appear to each corresponding source to be the authorized user, receiving, at the federated broker, results of each of the plurality of queries from each source of the plurality of sources, and consolidating the results of each of the plurality of queries to be displayed in a uniform manner.