IIS With Basic Authentication Set/FormsAuthentication - HELP PLS!?

[Chad Beckner]

Hi everyone,

First off, sorry for the cross-post...

I am developing a site (ASP.NET) in which the root will be set with
Anonymous AND/OR Basic permissions. Past that I will have an application
(directory) in which I will be developing applications, which will have IIS
Basic Authentication set (this can't be avoided). In the past, I have been
able to use a ISAPI Filter to add the response headers dynamically, and add
the authentication to the request, therefore, allowing users into the secure
directory, and all of this is form based, there is no browser prompt for
their username/password (and it adds it to every request, images, .htm
files, .asp files, etc). Now I am trying to do this with ASP.NET (VB),
again, trying to avoid the browser prompt, and add the authentication to
every request (again, images, .htm files, aspx files, etc). However, I have
been unsuccessful using FormsAuthentication with the directory set to IIS
Basic Authentication (since IIS sees the request first, I get a browser
prompt. I want to replace this with a redirect to a login form). I have
been able to get the FormsAuthentication to set the cookie, but when it
tries to go into the Basic secured directory, I get a browser prompt. Any
help would be greatly appreciated!! (Do I need to write another ISAPI
Filter, can I use FormsAuthentication to do this?? Suggestions?)

I have looked at hundreds of articles (or at least it seems!), and am not
100% how to write an ISAPI filter in .NET, if that needs to be done. Any
pointers to live artices, code, etc. would be very helpful.

Overall, basically, I want to use Basic Authentication protocol and
FormsAuthentication to access an IIS-set Basic Authentication directory, but
I want to use a form instead of the normal windows logon prompt. Our users
share computers, so having them being able to "save their password" is a
major security concern, which is why I need a login form page.

Thanks!

Chad

 

[Chad Beckner]

So, in effect, how does that protect files in a directory (.gif, .htm,
etc)? That, to me, doesn't seem to provide "true"security of an area, like
IIS does... Does anyone know if this has changed in 2.0?

For now, I guess I can keep using the ISAPI filter that I built... Unless
anyone else has a better solution. However, I am disappointed that I can't
set up this kind of security in .NET/FormsAuthentication like I can with IIS
Basic. I want to protect ALL files (and not have everything be processed
through the isapi_aspnet dll) in a particular area and have them
authenticate before accessing it, but without a "windows logon" prompt.

Thanks for the help,

Chad

When you use Forms authentication you have to set IIS to Anonymous
authentication. Check out this article for a discussion on the combinations
between ASP.NET authentication and IIS authentication:

nhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/authaspdotnet.asp

If you think you can customize ASP.NET to use forms with Basis
Authentication you'll probably have to write an HTTP Module. Check out this
article for a discussion on Modules and Handlers:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspp/html/elmah.asp

Good luck.

--
_______________________________
Sam Santiago
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.SoftiTechture.com
_______________________________

 

[Ken Schaefer]

When IIS "protects" things, it is using mechanisms that are built into the
HTTP specification. Since all requests to the server involve HTTP in some
way, this is how you get all your resources (images, documents, ASP.NET
pages etc) protected.

On the other hand, currently, only requests for resources mapped to the
ASP.NET ISAPI filter can take advantage of functionality built into the .NET
Framework (forms based authentication). So this means that images etc that
are handled by the static file handler are not protected.

This will change in IIS7, where there will be a single, unified event
pipeline, and you can hook into this pipeline using managed code (i.e. the
forms authentication HTTP module supplied with .NET).

Cheers
Ken

--
IIS Blog: www.adopenstatic.com/cs/blogs/ken/
Web: www.adopenstatic.com


: So, in effect, how does that protect files in a directory (.gif, .htm,
: etc)? That, to me, doesn't seem to provide "true"security of an area,
like
: IIS does... Does anyone know if this has changed in 2.0?
:
: For now, I guess I can keep using the ISAPI filter that I built... Unless
: anyone else has a better solution. However, I am disappointed that I
can't
: set up this kind of security in .NET/FormsAuthentication like I can with
IIS
: Basic. I want to protect ALL files (and not have everything be processed
: through the isapi_aspnet dll) in a particular area and have them
: authenticate before accessing it, but without a "windows logon" prompt.
:
: Thanks for the help,
:
: Chad
:
: : When you use Forms authentication you have to set IIS to Anonymous
: authentication. Check out this article for a discussion on the
combinations
: between ASP.NET authentication and IIS authentication:
:
:
nhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/authaspdotnet.asp
:
: If you think you can customize ASP.NET to use forms with Basis
: Authentication you'll probably have to write an HTTP Module. Check out
this
: article for a discussion on Modules and Handlers:
:
:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspp/html/elmah.asp
:
: Good luck.
:
: --
: _______________________________
: Sam Santiago
: (e-mail address removed)
: http://www.SoftiTechture.com
: _______________________________
: : > Hi everyone,
: >
: > First off, sorry for the cross-post...
: >
: > I am developing a site (ASP.NET) in which the root will be set with
: > Anonymous AND/OR Basic permissions. Past that I will have an
application
: > (directory) in which I will be developing applications, which will have
: > IIS
: > Basic Authentication set (this can't be avoided). In the past, I have
: > been
: > able to use a ISAPI Filter to add the response headers dynamically, and
: > add
: > the authentication to the request, therefore, allowing users into the
: > secure
: > directory, and all of this is form based, there is no browser prompt for
: > their username/password (and it adds it to every request, images, .htm
: > files, .asp files, etc). Now I am trying to do this with ASP.NET (VB),
: > again, trying to avoid the browser prompt, and add the authentication to
: > every request (again, images, .htm files, aspx files, etc). However, I
: > have
: > been unsuccessful using FormsAuthentication with the directory set to
IIS
: > Basic Authentication (since IIS sees the request first, I get a browser
: > prompt. I want to replace this with a redirect to a login form). I have
: > been able to get the FormsAuthentication to set the cookie, but when it
: > tries to go into the Basic secured directory, I get a browser prompt.
Any
: > help would be greatly appreciated!! (Do I need to write another ISAPI
: > Filter, can I use FormsAuthentication to do this?? Suggestions?)
: >
: > I have looked at hundreds of articles (or at least it seems!), and am
not
: > 100% how to write an ISAPI filter in .NET, if that needs to be done.
Any
: > pointers to live artices, code, etc. would be very helpful.
: >
: > Overall, basically, I want to use Basic Authentication protocol and
: > FormsAuthentication to access an IIS-set Basic Authentication directory,
: > but
: > I want to use a form instead of the normal windows logon prompt. Our
: > users
: > share computers, so having them being able to "save their password" is a
: > major security concern, which is why I need a login form page.
: >
: > Thanks!
: >
: > Chad
: >
: >
:
:

 

[David Wang [Msft]]

Ken is basically right on. The sort of integrated functionality you are
talking about, between ASP.Net and IIS, will first appear in IIS7. IIS7 will
allow both native and managed code to participate in HTTP request processing
with high fidelity.

But of course, as soon as you add managed code to the mix, performance-wise
it will be as if you *-scriptmapped aspnet_isapi.dll to handle the resource.
You can think of it this way -- if you extend IIS with native code, just
that DLL gets loaded; if you extend with managed code, then most of .Net
Framework + ASP.Net intrinsics DLLs must be loaded to support your managed
code module to and manipulate the IIS pipeline.


Based on how you are using it (all you want is basic authentication, except
using an HTML form to input data instead of the standard browser login popup
dialog), I do not think FormsAuthentication gets you anything. All you are
doing is trading one custom authentication scheme (Basic+Filter+HTML Form)
for another (Anonymous+ScriptMapping+HTML Form) .

If you are interested in another custom authentication scheme that works
similarly to yours, try CustomAuth from the IIS Platform SDK
(Anonymous+Filter+ScriptMapping+HTML Form). It gives you a customizable
login page, no need to map aspnet_isapi.dll (i.e. managed code) to handle
things... but you DO need to map another ISAPI DLL (CustomAuth.dll) to do
exactly the same thing.
http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/default.htm

--
//David
IIS
http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
//
When IIS "protects" things, it is using mechanisms that are built into the
HTTP specification. Since all requests to the server involve HTTP in some
way, this is how you get all your resources (images, documents, ASP.NET
pages etc) protected.

On the other hand, currently, only requests for resources mapped to the
ASP.NET ISAPI filter can take advantage of functionality built into the .NET
Framework (forms based authentication). So this means that images etc that
are handled by the static file handler are not protected.

This will change in IIS7, where there will be a single, unified event
pipeline, and you can hook into this pipeline using managed code (i.e. the
forms authentication HTTP module supplied with .NET).

Cheers
Ken

--
IIS Blog: www.adopenstatic.com/cs/blogs/ken/
Web: www.adopenstatic.com


: So, in effect, how does that protect files in a directory (.gif, .htm,
: etc)? That, to me, doesn't seem to provide "true"security of an area,
like
: IIS does... Does anyone know if this has changed in 2.0?
:
: For now, I guess I can keep using the ISAPI filter that I built... Unless
: anyone else has a better solution. However, I am disappointed that I
can't
: set up this kind of security in .NET/FormsAuthentication like I can with
IIS
: Basic. I want to protect ALL files (and not have everything be processed
: through the isapi_aspnet dll) in a particular area and have them
: authenticate before accessing it, but without a "windows logon" prompt.
:
: Thanks for the help,
:
: Chad
:
: : When you use Forms authentication you have to set IIS to Anonymous
: authentication. Check out this article for a discussion on the
combinations
: between ASP.NET authentication and IIS authentication:
:
:
nhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html
/authaspdotnet.asp
:
: If you think you can customize ASP.NET to use forms with Basis
: Authentication you'll probably have to write an HTTP Module. Check out
this
: article for a discussion on Modules and Handlers:
:
:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspp/html/elmah.asp
:
: Good luck.
:
: --
: _______________________________
: Sam Santiago
: (e-mail address removed)
: http://www.SoftiTechture.com
: _______________________________
: : > Hi everyone,
: >
: > First off, sorry for the cross-post...
: >
: > I am developing a site (ASP.NET) in which the root will be set with
: > Anonymous AND/OR Basic permissions. Past that I will have an
application
: > (directory) in which I will be developing applications, which will have
: > IIS
: > Basic Authentication set (this can't be avoided). In the past, I have
: > been
: > able to use a ISAPI Filter to add the response headers dynamically, and
: > add
: > the authentication to the request, therefore, allowing users into the
: > secure
: > directory, and all of this is form based, there is no browser prompt for
: > their username/password (and it adds it to every request, images, .htm
: > files, .asp files, etc). Now I am trying to do this with ASP.NET (VB),
: > again, trying to avoid the browser prompt, and add the authentication to
: > every request (again, images, .htm files, aspx files, etc). However, I
: > have
: > been unsuccessful using FormsAuthentication with the directory set to
IIS
: > Basic Authentication (since IIS sees the request first, I get a browser
: > prompt. I want to replace this with a redirect to a login form). I have
: > been able to get the FormsAuthentication to set the cookie, but when it
: > tries to go into the Basic secured directory, I get a browser prompt.
Any
: > help would be greatly appreciated!! (Do I need to write another ISAPI
: > Filter, can I use FormsAuthentication to do this?? Suggestions?)
: >
: > I have looked at hundreds of articles (or at least it seems!), and am
not
: > 100% how to write an ISAPI filter in .NET, if that needs to be done.
Any
: > pointers to live artices, code, etc. would be very helpful.
: >
: > Overall, basically, I want to use Basic Authentication protocol and
: > FormsAuthentication to access an IIS-set Basic Authentication directory,
: > but
: > I want to use a form instead of the normal windows logon prompt. Our
: > users
: > share computers, so having them being able to "save their password" is a
: > major security concern, which is why I need a login form page.
: >
: > Thanks!
: >
: > Chad
: >
: >
:
: