All posts in category Encryption

Always On VPN SSTP Load Balancing and SSL Offload

SSL Certificate Considerations for DirectAccess IP-HTTPSThe Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) is a popular choice for a VPN server to support Windows 10 Always On VPN deployments. One significant advantage RRAS provides is support for the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP). SSTP is a Microsoft proprietary VPN protocol that uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to ensure privacy between the VPN client and server. The advantage to using a TLS-based transport is that it leverages the standard HTTPS TCP port 443, making it firewall friendly and ensuring ubiquitous remote access even behind highly restrictive firewalls.

Load Balancing SSTP

Load balancing SSTP can be accomplished in much the same way as a load balancing a common web server using HTTPS. The external load balancer is configured with a virtual IP address (VIP) and each VPN server is configured behind it. Session persistence should be configured to use SSL with source IP address persistence as a fallback.

SSL Offload for SSTP

In most cases, simply forwarding encrypted SSTP connections to the VPN server will be sufficient. However, offloading SSL/TLS processing to an Application Delivery Controller (ADC) or load balancer can be beneficial for the following reasons.

Resource Utilization

Enabling TLS offload for SSTP VPN connections can reduce CPU and memory utilization on the VPN server. However, this will likely only be necessary for very busy servers supporting many concurrent connections.

Security

In some cases, the administrator may not be able to install the public SSL certificate on the VPN server. For example, a security policy may exist that restricts SSL certificate installation to dedicated security devices using a Hardware Security Module (HSM). In some cases, it may be desirable to restrict access to high value certificates such as wildcard certificates.

Certificate Management

Often SSL certificates are implemented on load balancers to reduce certificate sprawl and to ease the management and administration burden in the enterprise. By having all enterprise certificates installed only on dedicated security devices, administrators can more effectively monitor and manage SSL certificate lifecycles.

SSTP Configuration for TLS Offload

Configuration changes must be made on the load balancer and the RRAS server to support TLS offload for SSTP.

Load Balancer

Install the public SSL certificate on the load balancer and configure it for TLS termination. Configure the load balancer to then use HTTP for backend server connections. Consult the load balancer vendor’s documentation for configuration guidance.

Load Balancing Always On VPN SSTP Load Balancing with F5 BIG-IP

RRAS Server

If the public SSL certificate is installed on the VPN server, enabling TLS offload for SSTP is simple and straightforward. Follow the steps below to enable TLS offload for SSTP VPN connections.

  1. Open the RRAS management console (rrasmgmt.msc).
  2. Right-click the VPN server and choose Properties.
  3. Select the Security tab.
  4. Check Use HTTP in the SSL Certificate Binding section.
  5. Click Ok and then Yes to restart the Remote Access service.

Always On VPN SSTP Load Balancing and SSL Offload

If the public SSL certificate is not or cannot be installed on the RRAS server, additional configuration will be required. Specifically, SSL offload for SSTP must be configured using the Enable-SSTPOffload PowerShell script, which can be downloaded here.

Once the script has been downloaded and imported, open an elevated PowerShell command window and enter the following command.

Enable-SSTPOffload -CertificateHash [SHA256 Certificate Hash of Public SSL Certificate] -Restart

For example…

Enable-SSTPOffload -CertificateHash “C3AB8FF13720E8AD9047DD39466B3C8974E592C2FA383D4A3960714CAEF0C4F2” -Restart

Re-Encryption

When offloading TLS for SSTP VPN connections, all traffic between the load balancer and the VPN server will be sent in the clear using HTTP. In some scenarios, TLS offload is required only for traffic inspection, not performance gain. When terminating TLS on the load balancer and re-encrypting connections to the VPN server is required, it is only supported if the same certificate is used on both the load balancer and the VPN server.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN SSL Certificate Requirements for SSTP

Windows 10 Always On VPN SSL Load Balancing with F5 BIG-IP

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 and SSTP Fallback

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training Classes for 2019

9 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on February 18, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in ADC, Always On VPN, AOVPN, application delivery controller, certificates, Encryption, enterprise mobility, High Availability, Load Balancing, Mobility, PowerShell, public key infrastructure, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Security, SSL, SSL and TLS, SSTP, TLS, VPN, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on February 18, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/02/18/always-on-vpn-sstp-load-balancing-and-ssl-offload/

Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

The IKEv2 protocol is a popular choice when designing an Always On VPN solution. When configured correctly it provides the best security compared to other protocols. The protocol is not without some unique challenges, however. IKEv2 is often blocked by firewalls, which can prevent connectivity. Another lesser know issue with IKEv2 is that of fragmentation. This can result in failed connectivity that can be difficult to troubleshoot.

IP Fragmentation

IKEv2 uses UDP for transport, and typically most packets are relatively small. The exception to this is when authentication takes place, especially when using client certificate authentication. The problem is further complicated by long certificate chains and by RSA keys, especially those that are greater than 2048 bit. If the payload exceeds 1500 bytes, the IP packet will have to be broken in to smaller fragments to be sent over the network. If an intermediary device in the path is configured to use a smaller Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), that device may fragment the IP packets.

IP Fragmentation and Firewalls

Many routers and firewalls are configured to drop IP fragments by default. When this happens, IKEv2 communication may begin initially, but subsequently fail. This typically results in an error code 809 with a message stating the following.

“Can’t connect to [connection name]. The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding. This could be because one of the network devices (e.g. firewalls, NAT, routers, etc.) between your computer and the remote server is not configured to allow VPN connections. Please contact your Administrator or your service provider to determine which device may be causing the problem.”

Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting potential IKEv2 fragmentation-related connection failures, a network trace should be taken of the connection attempt on the client. Observe the packet sizes during the conversation, especially IKE_AUTH packets. Packet sizes exceeding the path MTU will have to be fragmented, as shown here.

Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

Measuring Path MTU

Measuring the path MTU between the client and server can be helpful when troubleshooting fragmentation related issues. The mtupath.exe utility is an excellent and easy to use tool for this task. The tool can be downloaded here.

Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

IKEv2 Fragmentation

To address the challenges with IP fragmentation and potential connectivity issues associated with network devices dropping fragmented packets, the IKEv2 protocol itself can be configured to perform fragmentation at the IKE layer. This eliminates the need for IP layer fragmentation, resulting in better reliability for IKEv2 VPN connections.

Both the server and the client must support IKEv2 fragmentation for this to occur. Many firewall and VPN vendors include support for IKEv2 fragmentation. Consult the vendor’s documentation for configuration guidance. For Windows Server Routing and Remote Access (RRAS) servers, the feature was first introduced in Windows Server 1803 and is supported in Windows Server 2019. Windows 10 clients support IKEv2 fragmentation beginning with Windows 10 1803.

Enabling IKEv2 Fragmentation

Windows 10 clients support IKEv2 fragmentation by default. However, it must be enabled on the server via the registry. The following PowerShell command will enable IKEv2 fragmentation support on Windows Server 1803 and later.

New-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Parameters\Ikev2\” -Name EnableServerFragmentation -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force

A PowerShell script to implement IKEv2 fragmentation can be found on my GitHub here.

Validation Testing

Once IKEv2 fragmentation is configured on the VPN server, a network capture will reveal the IKE_SA_INIT packet now includes the IKEV2_FRAGMENTATION_SUPPORTED notification message.

Always On VPN and IKEv2 Fragmentation

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 Security Configuration

RFC 7383 – IKEv2 Message Fragmentation

IEA Software MTU Path Scan Utility

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training Classes

96 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on February 11, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, AOVPN, authentication, certificates, Encryption, enterprise mobility, IKEv2, Mobility, public key infrastructure, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Security, troubleshooting, VPN, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on February 11, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/02/11/always-on-vpn-and-ikev2-fragmentation/

Always On VPN IKEv2 Connection Failure Error Code 800

Always On VPN administrators may encounter a scenario in which Windows 10 clients are unable to establish an IKEv2 VPN connection to a Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) server or a third-party VPN device under the following conditions.

  1. The VPN connection is configured using ProfileXML.
  2. ProfileXML includes the <CryptographySuite> element.
  3. The VPN server is configured to use a custom IPsec policy.
  4. The VPN server supports only IKEv2.
  5. The <NativeProtocolType> in ProfileXML is set to Automatic.

When these specific conditions are met, the client will be unable to connect to the VPN server using IKEv2. The error message states:

The remote connection was not made because the attempted VPN tunnels failed. The VPN server might be unreachable. If this connection is attempting to use an L2TP/IPsec tunnel, the security parameters required for IPsec negotiation might not be configured properly.

Always On VPN IKEv2 VPN Connection Failure Error Code 800

In addition, the event log will include an error message from the RasClient source with event ID 20227 that includes the following error message.

The user [username] dialed a connection named [connection name] which has failed. The error code returned on failure is 800.

Always On VPN IKEv2 VPN Connection Failure Error Code 800

A manually configured VPN connection using IKEv2 will connect successfully under these same conditions, however.

IKEv2 Error Code 800

Error code 800 translates to ERROR_AUTOMATIC_VPN_FAILED, which is somewhat ambiguous. The error description is:

Unable to establish the VPN connection. The VPN server may be unreachable, or security parameters may not be configured properly for this connection.

Digging Deeper

A network trace of the IKEv2 VPN connection reveals the true source of the problem, which is a failure of the client and server to successfully negotiate an IKEv2 security association (SA). During the SA initiation process, the parameters offered by the client are unacceptable to the server, resulting in a NO_PROPOSAL_CHOSEN notification being returned by the server.

Always On VPN IKEv2 VPN Connection Failure Error Code 800

Custom Cryptography Settings Ignored

It appears that the Always On VPN connection ignores the custom cryptography settings defined in the CryptographySuite element in ProfileXML. However, this only occurs when the NativeProtocolType is set to Automatic. Presumably, this is a bug. 🙂

Workaround

As a workaround, set the NativeProtocolType to IKEv2. When NativeProtocolType is set to IKEv2, the VPN connection recognizes the IKEv2 parameters defined in the CryptographySuite element and the VPN connection will be established successfully.

Additional Information

Always On VPN IKEv2 Security Configuration

Always On VPN Certificate Requirements for IKEv2

Always On VPN IKEv2 Load Balancing with the KEMP LoadMaster Load Balancer

17 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on January 7, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, AOVPN, certificates, Encryption, Enterprise, enterprise mobility, IKEv2, Mobility, Remote Access, routing and remote access service, RRAS, Security, troubleshooting, VPN, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on January 7, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/01/07/always-on-vpn-ikev2-connection-failure-error-code-800/

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