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Regarding to a recent post I put here about Kerberos and Apache, there is a way to replace Kerberos when the Active Directory cannot be properly configured to accept Kerberos connections. You can simulate the NTLM auth process with the browser by 6 steps in PHP :

function get_login() {

   /*
   step:  | type:
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   1      | C --> S        | GET ...
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   2      | C <-- S        | 401 Unauthorized
          |                | WWW-Authenticate: NTLM
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   3      | C --> S        | GET ...
          |                | Authorization: NTLM
          |                | <base64-encoded type-1-message>
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   4      | C <-- S        | 401 Unauthorized
          |                | WWW-Authenticate: NTLM
          |                | <base64-encoded type-2-message>
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   5      | C --> S        | GET ...
          |                | Authorization: NTLM
<base64-encoded type-3-message>
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   6      | C <-- S        | 200 Ok
   -------|----------------|------------------------------------
   */

   $headers = apache_request_headers();
   if($headers['Authorization'] == NULL) { // step 1
       header( "HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized" ); // step 2
       header( "WWW-Authenticate: NTLM" );
       exit;
   };
   if(isset($headers['Authorization'])
         && substr($headers['Authorization'],0,5) == 'NTLM ') {
            // step 3 to 6
       $chaine=$headers['Authorization'];
       $chaine=substr($chaine, 5); // type1 message
       $chained64=base64_decode($chaine);
       if(ord($chained64{8}) == 1) { // step 3
           // check NTLM flag "0xb2",
          // offset 13 in type-1-message :
           if (ord($chained64[13]) != 178) {
                echo "Please use NTLM compatible browser";
                   return null;
           }
           $retAuth = "NTLMSSP";
           $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(2).chr(0).chr(0);
          $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0);
           $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(40).chr(0).chr(0);
          $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(1).chr(130).chr(0);
           $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(0).chr(2).chr(2);
          $retAuth .= chr(2).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0);
           $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0);
          $retAuth .= chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0);

           $retAuth64 =base64_encode($retAuth);
           $retAuth64 = trim($retAuth64);
           header( "HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized" ); // step 4
           header( "WWW-Authenticate: NTLM $retAuth64" );
           exit;
       }
       else if(ord($chained64{8}) == 3) { // step 5
           $lenght_domain = (ord($chained64[31])*256 + ord($chained64[30]));
           $offset_domain = (ord($chained64[33])*256 + ord($chained64[32]));
           $domain = substr($chained64, $offset_domain, $lenght_domain);
           $lenght_login = (ord($chained64[39])*256 + ord($chained64[38]));
           $offset_login = (ord($chained64[41])*256 + ord($chained64[40]));
           $login = substr($chained64, $offset_login, $lenght_login);
           $lenght_host = (ord($chained64[47])*256 + ord($chained64[46]));
           $offset_host = (ord($chained64[49])*256 + ord($chained64[48]));
           $host = substr($chained64, $offset_host, $lenght_host);
       }

   }
   $login = preg_replace("/(.)(.)/","$1",$login);
   $domain = preg_replace("/(.)(.)/","$1",$domain);
   $login = strtolower($login);
   $domain = strtoupper($domain);
   return array($login,$domain); // step 6 : accept
}

Warning : this code must be exectuted not only for the auth process when you want to login the user, but for each HTTP request to your application (so on each page).

It is very important to put HTTP 1.1 protocole in HTTP headers because HTTP 1.0 does not support Keep-alive connection and so NTLM auth. For some unknown reasons, even if some Apache versions change automatically the protocole version to 1.1 in your headers, other versions don't (for example 2.2.3 can do it and 2.2.9 can't).

Finally, keep in mind that this code is not as secure as Kerberos Apache module, because this code will never check Active Directory permission to accept the user. This function is just to retrieve login and domain, you have to make the account check yourself.

Good luck !

This week I had to make an eZpublish web site with an SSO authentication under eZpublish (NTLM). An SSO login handler is required. This login handler is executed by PHP and so is preceded by Apache authentication, with Kerberos Apache module.

The first problem comes when you want to let Kerberos authenticate the user (to give user data to PHP) or bypass authentication module if Kerberos cannot identify the user, to let eZpublish authenticate the user itself, with a classical form or another login handler : this parameter is not possible under Apache Auth modules, with a classical configuration like this:

<Directory /var/www/ezpublish>
    AuthType Kerberos
    KrbAuthRealms WASCOU.ORG
    KrbServiceName HTTP
    Krb5Keytab /root/wascou.keytab
    KrbMethodNegotiate on
    KrbMethodK5Passwd off
    Require valid-user
    Options All
</Directory>

The "Require valid-user" line will disallow site access until the user is not authenticated under Apache Kerberos module. This is the problem for users that need to be logged in with the classical form on eZpublish. Unfortunately there is no instruction to tell Kerberos to let a bypass in failure case (like with Basic or Digest modules, the same): Apache will give a HTTP 401 error, which is quite logical.

I suppose you know that eZpublish can call the user/login module from any URL that brings to a protected content: according to the user rights, a login form could be shown, and before this, a SSO login can be called. So there no way to indicate clearly to apache when eZpublish needs to login the user (to activate Kerberos authentication): telling "/user/login" URL is the only login URL is a mistake.

So, the solution is to play with well built Apache and PHP redirections, that the user cannot see, to call Kerberos module only when eZpublish needs it. Firstly, we will replace the above configuration with the following one, contained in a Location section, much more appropriated in our case :

<Location /ntlm/auth>
    AuthType Kerberos
    KrbAuthRealms WASCOU.ORG
    KrbServiceName HTTP
    Krb5Keytab /root/wascou.keytab
    KrbMethodNegotiate on
    KrbMethodK5Passwd off
    Require valid-user
    Options All
    ErrorDocument 401 /user/login
</Location>

Notice that the "/ntlm/auth" URL could bring us to an eZpublish module: this module must exist (you have to create it), but the PHP script behind this will never been executed and could remain empty (Apache and eZpublish will make redirections before this execution, see next step). Also notice the "ErrorDocument 401 /user/login" line, that will redirect the user if Kerberos cannot authenticate the user (and only for the "/ntlm/auth" URL!).

The big tip is here: if Kerberos cannot authenticate the user, it must redirect to an eZpublish page. The "/user/login" is an arbitrary choice, because the SSO login handler will make redirections before the execution of the user/login script (see next step).

Now, you have to make your SSO login handler, playing with all needed redirections, to manage correctly all possible bounds.

The following SSO login handler is a complete example:

function handleSSOLogin() {
  $ip = $_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"];
  $net = $ini->variable( 'NTLMSettings', 'net' );
  $mask = $ini->variable( 'NTLMSettings', 'mask' );

  // tip: (net & mask) == (ip & mask) : ok!
  if ((ip2long($net)&ip2long($mask))==(ip2long($ip)&ip2long($mask))) {

    // 2nd case : /ntlm/auth redirected to first URL, to auth under PHP.
    if ($_SESSION['ntlm_success']=="success") {
      if ( array_key_exists( 'REMOTE_USER', $_SESSION )
             && array_key_exists( 'AUTH_TYPE', $_SESSION ) ) {
        $remoteUser = $_SESSION['REMOTE_USER'];
        $authType = $_SESSION['AUTH_TYPE'];

        eZDebug::writeDebug('#25# user:'.$remoteUser,'');

        $loginParts = explode( '@', $remoteUser );
        $loginName = $loginParts[0];

        // main call of YOUR User handler in NTLM mode
        $user = LOGINCLASS::loginUser($loginName);

        if ( is_object( $user ) ) {
          return $user;
        } else {
          eZDebug::writeDebug('#36# Unable to fetch user','');
          unset($_SESSION['REMOTE_USER']);
          unset($_SESSION['AUTH_TYPE']);
        }
      } else {
        eZDebug::writeDebug('#39# No sso auth performed','');
        unset($_SESSION['REMOTE_USER']);
        unset($_SESSION['AUTH_TYPE']);
      }
      $_SESSION['ntlm_success'] = "failed";
      return false;
    }

    // first case : sso_handler redirection to /ntlm/auth.
    if ($_SERVER['SCRIPT_URL'] == '/ntlm/auth') {
      eZDebug::writeDebug('#47# IP on domain, Kerberos OK.','');
      if (!$_SESSION['ntlm_url']) {
        echo 'Cookies or/and Sessions are not activated.<br/>';
        eZExecution::cleanExit();
      }
      $ntlm_url = $_SESSION['ntlm_url'];
      unset($_SESSION['ntlm_url']);
      $_SESSION['ntlm_success'] = "success";
      $_SESSION['REMOTE_USER'] = $_SERVER['REMOTE_USER'];
      $_SESSION['AUTH_TYPE'] = $_SERVER['AUTH_TYPE'];
      eZHTTPTool::redirect($ntlm_url);
      eZExecution::cleanExit();
    } else if ($_SESSION['ntlm_success'] != "failed") {
      eZDebug::writeDebug('#59# IP on domain, checking NTLM.','');
      $_SESSION['ntlm_url']=$_SERVER['SCRIPT_URL'];
      eZHTTPTool::redirect('/ntlm/auth');
      eZExecution::cleanExit();
    } else {
      eZDebug::writeDebug('#64# IP on domain, Kerberos failed.','');
    }

  } else eZDebug::writeDebug('#67# IP not on domain, Stop.','');

  return false;
}

This script will process like this:

  • First, a test is executed to ensure we are on the right domain (by mask and IP)
  • Then a redirection is done to /ntlm/auth ; we store the original URL typed in the SESSION
  • When /ntlm/auth is called, apache Kerberos module will try to authenticate user
  • if failed, an Apache redirection (by "ErrorDocument 401" param) is done to /user/login
    • in this case, our SSO login handler will redirect to the original URL typed by the user, with a failed state for authentication (stored in the session)
    • the next login handler will try an authentication with a form...
  • if succeeded, our SSO login handler will store user login (given by Kerberos under $_SESSION['REMOTE_USER']) and will redirect to the original URL typed by the user,
    • on this new URL, our SSO login handler will authenticate the given user in the database (you have to implement "LOGINCLASS::loginUser($loginName);" line by yourself)
    • in case of success, login process is terminated, the $user is returned.
    • in case of failure, false is returned to let next login handler try an authentication with a form...

If you have any question, comment this post!

Good luck!

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By this blog, I will try to share many ideas, about computer sciences, web technologies, computer HMI and other technological subjects.

Thanks to Wascou for lodging for this blog, we will make a pot together on a common subject - eZpublish, tool on which we both work - for unspecified duration.

Another subject I'm interested in is Android framework. By the end of this summer, I think I will begin an experience on it, to jump into the mobile world, wider than ever, today.

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