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HTTP Basic Authentication Step

Description

An authentication flow step that verifies a username/password combination using HTTP Basic Authentication.

If there are no preceding interactive steps in the flow, a request to one of the .../access endpoints with the HTTP Basic Authentication credentials header will automatically be handled by this step. This allows for completely non-interactive flows that are started with an "access" request and are immediately completed successfully, provided the HTTP Basic Authentication credentials are valid.

Type name
HttpBasicAuthenticationStep
Class
com.airlock.iam.authentication.application.configuration.password.HttpBasicAuthenticationStepConfig
May be used by
Properties
Realm (realm)
Description
The "realm" defines the protection space of the authentication. Realms allow the protected resources on a server to be partitioned into a set of protection spaces, each with its own authentication scheme and/or authorization database.
Attributes
String
Optional
Default value
default
Example
default
Example
myApplication
Charset (charsetName)
Description
The character set for decoding the basic authentication credentials.
Attributes
String
Optional
Default value
ISO-8859-1
Suggested values
ISO-8859-1, UTF-8
Policy To Check On Login (policyToCheckOnLogin)
Description
The password policy that is checked when authenticating. If the policy is violated, a mandatory password change is required.
Attributes
Plugin-Link
Optional
Assignable plugins
Authentication Method ID (authenticationMethodId)
Description
The identifier of the authentication method for this step. Since the authentication method is also the identifier for failed login attempts for this step, distinct identifiers must be chosen if multiple instances of the same step type are used to check different credentials (e.g., two password step instances check two different passwords).

Example: a system tracks two passwords per user. Password 1 is used in flow A, password 2 in flow B. These two steps must have distinct 'Authentication Method Ids', e.g. PASSWORD1 and PASSWORD2.

If only one identifier (e.g. "PASSWORD") is used, this may allow brute force attacks on the password as follows. Assuming an attacker knows the user's password 1, they get an unlimited number of attempts on flow B, as the 'PASSWORD' counter can repeatedly be reset to 0 by performing a successful login on flow A.

To prevent such attacks, use two different counters by setting the authentication methods, for example, to PASSWORD1 and PASSWORD2, respectively.

Attributes
String
Optional
Length <= 23
Default value
PASSWORD
Password Attribute Key (passwordAttributeKey)
Description

The optional key under which this password will be available in the identity propagation.

The value can also be retrieved from the session using the "User Passwords Map" value map provider.

If no key is configured, the password cannot be used by identity propagators.

Important: Multiple Password Authentication steps or Mandatory Password Change steps which have the same value for this property might override each others passwords.
If you have configured a Mandatory Password Change step, you might consider using the same key.

Note: This feature will not work together with end-to-end encryption.

Attributes
String
Optional
Suggested values
PASSWORD
Password Change Red Flag (passwordChangeRedFlag)
Description
Raises this red flag if a mandatory password change is required. This flag must then be handled by a later step.
Attributes
Plugin-Link
Optional
Assignable plugins
Skip Condition (skipCondition)
Description

If this condition is configured and fulfilled, the step is skipped and the flow execution continues with the subsequent step.

Attributes
Plugin-Link
Optional
Assignable plugins
Pre Condition (preCondition)
Description
This step is executed only if the configured pre condition is fulfilled. If the condition is not fulfilled, the step and flow execution fail immediately. The step is not initialized and no step method can be called. If no condition is configured, the behavior is that of a fulfilled pre condition.
Attributes
Plugin-Link
Optional
Assignable plugins
Requires Activation (requiresActivation)
Description
If enabled, this step is only executed if it has been dynamically activated from a previous step. If it has not been activated, the step is skipped (equivalent to when the skip condition is fulfilled).
Attributes
Boolean
Optional
Default value
false
Tags On Success (tagsOnSuccess)
Description
This step grants these tags if it completes successfully.
Attributes
Plugin-List
Optional
Assignable plugins
Step ID (stepId)
Description
ID of this step. This is only needed if this step is the target of a goto action or if this step requires activation.
Attributes
Plugin-Link
Optional
Assignable plugins
On Failure Gotos (onFailureGotos)
Description

If the step fails (no retry) and a goto target for the error code is defined here, the flow does not fail and instead a "goto" to the specified target step is executed. Note that even when the "goto" is executed, any error codes that are considered a failed factor attempt will still increment the "failed attempts" counter, and may lead to the user being locked. Therefore, this may still result in a failed flow.

A typical application of this feature is switching to an alternative authentication factor step, if an external service (e.g. Futurae server, SMS gateway) is not available (error code EXTERNAL_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE with "Strict Counting" disabled, which will not increment the "failed attempts" counter). Other error codes can be found in the IAM REST documentation, in both the general "Error Codes" section and in the documentation of specific endpoints.

Attributes
Plugin-Map
Optional
Assignable plugins
Custom Response Attributes (customResponseAttributes)
Description

A list of custom attributes that are returned in the REST response in addition to the standard attributes the step already returns. The custom attributes defined here are only returned if the step result does not lead to an error response.

Custom attributes are added to the response when a step is initialized and when actions are executed on the step. They will therefore be available in the response leading to this step, and in any responses from endpoints specific to this step. For non-interactive steps, custom attributes are accumulated and added to the response leading to the next interactive step.

Custom attributes are not returned for 'retrieve' endpoints.

Attributes
Plugin-List
Optional
Assignable plugins
YAML Template (with default values)

type: HttpBasicAuthenticationStep
id: HttpBasicAuthenticationStep-xxxxxx
displayName: 
comment: 
properties:
  authenticationMethodId: PASSWORD
  charsetName: ISO-8859-1
  customFailureResponseAttributes:
  customResponseAttributes:
  onFailureGotos:
  passwordAttributeKey:
  passwordChangeRedFlag:
  passwordRepository:
  policyToCheckOnLogin:
  preCondition:
  realm: default
  requiresActivation: false
  skipCondition:
  stepId:
  tagsOnSuccess: