All posts tagged CRL

Always On VPN and Cloud PKI for Intune Error 853

Microsoft Cloud PKI for Intune is a PKI-as-a-Service offering that allows organizations to issue and manage digital certificates without on-premises infrastructure. Certificates are excellent phishing-resistant credentials that are well-suited for applications requiring strong authentication, such as secure remote access with Always On VPN. However, administrators may encounter errors when attempting to authenticate users or devices using certificates issued by Cloud PKI for Intune.

Error 853

After publishing certificates with Cloud PKI for Intune and configuring the on-premises Always On VPN infrastructure to support this, administrators will find that the Always On VPN connection fails to connect. Attempts to manually start the connection result in the following error message.

“The remote access connection completed, but authentication failed because the certificate that authenticates the client to the server is not valid. Ensure the certificate used for authentication is valid.”

In the event log on the Windows client, you’ll find an event ID 20227 from the RasClient source that includes the following error message.

“The user <domain>\<user> dialed a connection named <VPN connection name> which has failed. The error code returned on failure is 853.”

Error 853 (ERROR_EAP_USER_CERT_INVALID) indicates the user certificate is invalid.

Certificate

Upon further investigation, the certificate shows no issues, is valid, is trusted, and has a private key.

NPS

Looking at the event log on the Network Policy Server (NPS), you’ll find a corresponding event ID 6273 from the Microsoft Windows security auditing source that includes the following error message.

“Network Policy Server denied access to a user.”

Looking at the authentication details section of this event log entry yields the following important clue.

Reason Code: 258
Reason: The revocation function was unable to check revocation for the certificate.

Failed Revocation Check

Since the NPS server indicates that it rejected the authentication request because it could not perform a revocation check, let’s bring the user authentication certificate to the NPS server and perform some tests.

Export Certificate

Open the user certificate store (certmgr.msc) on the client and expand Personal > Certificates. Right-click on the certificate in question and choose All Tasks > Export. Export the certificate only (not the private key) and copy the file to the NPS server.

Verify Certificate

Open a PowerShell or command window on the NPS server and run the following command to validate the certificate.

certutil.exe -verify -urlfetch <path to exported certificate>

For example.

certutil.exe -verify -urlfecth .\rdeckard.cer

The command generates a lot of output, but if you look at the very end of the data stream, you’ll see two interesting items.

  • Revocation check skipped – no revocation information available
  • Leaf certificate revocation check passed

Based on this information the user certificate (the leaf certificate) passed a revocation check. However, it would appear that another certificate in the chain does not include revocation information. Since there is only a root and issuing CA in the chain, and root certificates don’t include revocation information because they are the self-signed root of trust, it would appear that revocation information is missing from the issuing CA certificate.

We can confirm this by scrolling up in the previous command’s output to where the verification of the issuing CA certificate takes place. Here, you’ll see that the issuing CA certificate is missing CDP (CRL Distribution Point) information.

When NPS attempts to validate the certificate and the certificate chain, it expects to find CDP information, which it will use to check if the issuing CA certificate has been revoked. The revocation check fails without this information, and the authentication request is rejected.

Design Error?

Missing CDP information is not unusual for end-entity (leaf) certificates when they are short-lived. An example is Entra ID conditional access certificates, which do not include CDP information by design. However, I expect this information to be listed on an issuing CA certificate. Why it’s not there, I’m not sure. I’ll investigate this in more depth and report on anything I learn that’s new.

Workaround

To move forward using Cloud PKI for Intune certificates with Always On VPN, administrators must implement the following registry setting on all NPS servers handling authentication requests for Always On VPN servers.

Key = HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\PPP\EAP\13
Name = IgnoreNoRevocationCheck
Type = DWORD
Value = 1

To implement this change using PowerShell, open an elevated PowerShell command window and run the following command.

New-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\PPP\EAP\13\’ -Name IgnoreNoRevocationCheck -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force

Once complete, restart the NPS server for the changes to take effect.

Additional Information

Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune

Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune and Active Directory

Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune and Certificate Templates

Strong Certificate Mapping for Microsoft Intune PKCS and SCEP Certificates

Troubleshooting Intune Failed PKCS Request

Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune SCEP URL

Delete A Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune Certificate Authority

Cloud PKI for Microsoft Intune on RunAs Radio Podcast

Mastering Certificates with Microsoft Intune Online Training

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by Richard M. Hicks on January 16, 2025  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, Authentication and MFA, Azure and AWS, Certificate-Based Authentication, Cloud PKI, Entra ID, Microsoft Intune, NDES and SCEP, NPS and EAP, PKI, PowerShell, Windows Server
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on January 16, 2025

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2025/01/16/always-on-vpn-and-cloud-pki-for-intune-error-853/

Microsoft Intune Cloud PKI and Certificate Templates

Microsoft recently announced the general availability of its new PKI-as-a-Service platform called Microsoft Intune Cloud PKI. With Intune Cloud PKI, administrators create certification authorities (CAs) to issue and manage user and device authentication certificates for Intune-managed endpoints. Cloud PKI also provides hosted Authority Information Access (AIA) and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Distribution Point (CDP) services, in addition to Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) service, so administrators do not have to deploy on-premises infrastructure to take advantage of certificate-based authentication.

Certificate Templates

After deploying your Intune Cloud PKI root and issuing CAs, you may wonder where to find the associated certificate templates. If you are familiar with traditional on-premises Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) implementations, this is how you define the purpose, key policy, security parameters, and lifetime of the certificate issued using that template. However, Intune Cloud PKI does not use certificate templates in the traditional way many administrators are familiar with.

Note: Microsoft may introduce support for certificate templates for Intune Cloud PKI in the future. However, it is not supported at the time of this writing.

SCEP Profile

Administrators define certificate policies and security parameters using Intune’s SCEP device configuration profile instead of certificate templates. In essence, the SCEP profile functions as the certificate template. With the Intune device configuration profile, administrators can define the following settings.

Certificate Type

The certificate type can be either a user or a device. Intune Cloud PKI can issue certificates for either or both, as required.

Subject Name (User)

The subject name is unimportant for user authentication certificates because the User Principal Name (UPN) defined in the Subject Alternative Name field is used to authenticate the user. In this field, the administrator can use whatever they like. However, it’s common to use the username here. Avoid using the email attribute here because there’s no guarantee that every user will have this defined on the Active Directory (AD) user object.

Subject Name (Device)

Administrators should supply the device’s fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for device authentication certificates in the subject name field. For hybrid Entra joined devices, administrators can use the {{FullyQualifiedDomainName}} variable. For native Entra-joined devices, you can use {{DeviceName}} and append your DNS suffix, for example, {{DeviceName}}.corp.example.net.

Note: Intune supports numerous variables to populate fields for certificates. You can find a list of supported variables in the following locations.

User Certificate Variables: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/protect/certificates-profile-scep#create-a-scep-certificate-profile:~:text=Manager%20blog%20post.-,User%20certificate%20type,-Use%20the%20text

Device Certificate Variables: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/protect/certificates-profile-scep#create-a-scep-certificate-profile:~:text=on%20the%20device.-,Device%20certificate%20type,-Format%20options%20for

Subject Alternative Name (User)

The Subject Alternative Name (SAN) field for user authentication certificates should be populated with the User Principal Name (UPN) value. Ensure this value is appropriately configured internally and supports sign-in to AD.

Subject Alternative Name (Device)

The SAN field for device authentication certificates should be populated with the device’s FQDN. Follow the guidance for device subject names covered previously.

Certificate Validity Period

This field allows the administrator to define the certificate’s validity period. The best practice is to limit the lifetime to no more than one year. A shorter lifetime is recommended for certificates not backed by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM).

Key Storage Provider

This value is critical to ensuring integrity for issued user and device authentication certificates. The best practice is to select Enroll to Trusted Platform Module (TPM) KSP, otherwise fail. However, if you must issue certificates to endpoints without a TPM (e.g., legacy devices, virtual machines, etc.), consider a separate profile with a shorter certificate lifetime to limit exposure.

Key Usage

Digital signature and Key encipherment are required for user and device authentication certificates.

Key Size

The 2048-bit key size is the minimum recommended value for certificates with RSA keys. Using 4096-bit is not recommended for end-entity certificates and can potentially cause conflicts in some cases. Intune Cloud PKI does not support the 1024-bit key size.

Hash Algorithm

SHA-2 is the best practice for the hash algorithm. SHA-1 has been deprecated and should not be used.

Root Certificate

Select the Cloud PKI root CA certificate.

Extended Key Usage

The minimum requirement for user and device authentication certificates is Client Authentication (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2).

Renewal Threshold

This value specifies at what point the certificate can be renewed. 20% is commonly used for certificates with a one-year lifetime.

SCEP Server URLs

This value can be found on the configuration properties page of your Cloud PKI issuing CA. The URI will include a variable in the URL. The variable is there by design. Copy and paste this URL exactly as displayed in the SCEP URL field.

Training

Are you interested in learning more about issuing and managing certificates with Microsoft Intune? Would you like to know how to securely and optimally implement PKCS and SCEP infrastructure on-premises? Do you want more details about deploying and managing Microsoft Intune Cloud PKI? Register now for my upcoming three-day live Certificates and Intune Masterclass training event at the ViaMonstra online training academy. We’ll deep-dive into all aspects of certificate management using Intune with on-premises AD CS and Intune Cloud PKI. I’ll be sharing many advanced techniques for adequately securing your certificate infrastructure. Space is limited, so register now!

Additional Information

Mastering Certificates with Intune Training Course

Microsoft Intune Cloud PKI Overview

Microsoft Intune Cloud PKI and Active Directory

Microsoft Intune Certificate Connector Failure

Microsoft Intune Certificate Connector Configuration Failed

Microsoft Intune Certificate Connector Configuration Failure

Microsoft Intune Certificate Connector Service Account and PKCS

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by Richard M. Hicks on March 25, 2024  •  Permalink
Posted in Authentication and MFA, Azure and AWS, Certificate-Based Authentication, Cloud PKI, Cryptography, Entra ID, Intune Certificate Connector, Microsoft Intune, NDES and SCEP, PKI, Training and Events, Windows Server
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 25, 2024

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2024/03/25/microsoft-intune-cloud-pki-and-certificate-templates/

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Only Deployment Considerations

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Only Deployment ConsiderationsRecently I wrote about Windows Always On VPN device tunnel operation and best practices, explaining its common uses cases and requirements, as well as sharing some detailed information about authentication, deployment recommendations, and best practices. I’m commonly asked if deploying Always On VPN using the device tunnel exclusively, as opposed to using it to supplement the user tunnel, is supported or recommended. I’ll address those topics in detail here.

Device Tunnel Only?

To start, yes, it is possible to deploy Windows Always On VPN using only the device tunnel. In this scenario the administrator will configure full access to the network instead of limited access to domain infrastructure services and management servers.

Is It Recommended?

Generally, no. Remember, the device tunnel was designed with a specific purpose in mind, that being to provide pre-logon network connectivity to support scenarios such as logging on without cached credentials. Typically, the device tunnel is best used for its intended purpose, which is providing supplemental functionality to the user tunnel.

Deployment Considerations

The choice to implement Always On VPN using only the device tunnel is an interesting one. There are some potential advantages to this deployment model, but it is not without some serious limitations. Below I’ve listed some of the advantages and disadvantages to deploying the device tunnel alone for Windows 10 Always On VPN.

Advantages

Using the device tunnel alone does have some compelling advantages over the standard two tunnel (device tunnel/user tunnel) deployment model. Consider the following.

  • Single VPN Connection – Deploying the device tunnel alone means a single VPN connection to configure, deploy, and manage on the client. This also results in less concurrent connections and, importantly, less IP addresses to allocate and provision.
  • Reduced Infrastructure – The device tunnel is authenticated using only the device certificate. This certificate check is performed directly on the Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) VPN server, eliminating the requirement to deploy Network Policy Server (NPS) servers for authentication.
  • User Transparency – The device tunnel does not appear in the modern Windows UI. The user will not see this connection if they click on the network icon in the notification area. In addition, they will not see the device tunnel connection in the settings app under Network & Internet > VPN. This prevents casual users from playing with the connection settings, and potentially deleting the connection entirely. It’s not that they can’t delete the device tunnel however, it’s just not as obvious.
  • Simplified Deployment – Deploying the device tunnel is less complicated than deploying the user tunnel. The device tunnel is provisioned once to the device and available to all users. This eliminates the complexity of having to deploy the user tunnel in each individual user’s profile.

Disadvantages

While there are some advantages to using the device tunnel by itself, this configuration is not without some serious limitations. Consider the following.

  • IKEv2 Only – The device tunnel uses the IKEv2 VPN protocol exclusively. It does not support SSTP. While IKEv2 is an excellent protocol in terms of security, it is commonly blocked by firewalls. This will prevent some users from accessing the network remotely depending on their location.
  • Limited OS Support – The device tunnel is only supported on Windows Enterprise edition clients, and those clients must be joined to a domain. Arguably the device tunnel wouldn’t be necessary if the client isn’t domain joined, but some organizations have widely deployed Windows Professional, which would preclude them from being able to use the device tunnel.
  • Machine Certificate Authentication Only – The device tunnel is authenticated using only the certificate issued to the device. This means anyone who logs on to the device will have full access to the internal network. This may or may not be desirable, depending on individual requirements.
  • No Mutual Authentication – When the device tunnel is authenticated, the server performs authentication of the client, but the client does not authenticate the server. The lack of mutual authentication increases the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack.
  • CRL Checks Not Enforced – By default, RRAS does not perform certificate revocation checking for device tunnel connections. This means simply revoking a certificate won’t prevent the device from connecting. You’ll have to import the client’s device certificate into the Untrusted Certificates certificate store on each VPN server. Fortunately, there is a fix available to address this limitation, but it involves some additional configuration. See Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation for more details.
  • No Support for Azure Conditional Access – Azure Conditional Access requires EAP authentication. However, the device tunnel does not use EAP but instead uses a simple device certificate check to authenticate the device.
  • No Support for Multifactor Authentication – As the device tunnel is authenticated by the RRAS VPN server directly and authentication requests are not sent to the NPS server, it is not possible to integrate MFA with the device tunnel.
  • Limited Connection Visibility – Since the device tunnel is designed for the device and not the user it does not appear in the list of active network connections in the Windows UI. There is no user-friendly connection status indicator, although the connection can be viewed using the classic network control panel applet (ncpa.cpl).

Summary

The choice to deploy Windows Always On VPN using the device tunnel alone, or in conjunction with the user tunnel, is a design choice that administrators must make based on their individual requirements. Using the device tunnel alone is supported and works but has some serious drawbacks and limitations. The best experience will be found using the device tunnel as it was intended, as an optional component to provide pre-logon connectivity for an existing Always On VPN user tunnel.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel with Azure VPN Gateway

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Configuration with Microsoft Intune

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Does Not Connect Automatically

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Missing in Windows 10 UI

Deleting a Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Configuration using PowerShell

Windows 10 Always On VPN IKEv2 Features and Limitations

66 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on April 6, 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, Authentication and MFA, Cryptography, Microsoft Intune, NPS and EAP, PKI, Windows Server
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 6, 2020

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2020/04/06/always-on-vpn-device-tunnel-only-deployment-considerations/

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Operation and Best Practices

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Operation and Best PracticesUnlike DirectAccess, Windows 10 Always On VPN settings are deployed to the individual user, not the device. As such, there is no support for logging on without cached credentials using the default configuration. To address this limitation, and to provide feature parity with DirectAccess, Microsoft later introduced the device tunnel option in Windows 10 1709.

Device Tunnel Use Cases

The device tunnel is designed to allow the client device to establish an Always On VPN connection before the user logs on. This enables important scenarios such as logging on without cached credentials. This feature is crucial for organizations who expect users to log on to devices the first time remotely. The device tunnel can also be helpful for remote support, allowing administrators to manage remotely connected Always On VPN clients without having a user logged on. In addition, the device tunnel can alleviate some of the pain caused by administrators resetting remote worker’s passwords, or by users initiating a Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR).

Device Tunnel Requirements

The device tunnel requires Windows 10 Enterprise edition 1709 or later, and the client device must be joined to the domain. The device tunnel must be provisioned in the context of the local system account. Guidance for configuring and deploying a Windows 10 Always On VPN device tunnel can be found here.

Device Tunnel Authentication

The device tunnel is authenticated using a certificate issued to the client device, much the same as DirectAccess does. Authentication takes place on the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) VPN server. It does not require a Network Policy Server (NPS) to perform authentication for the device tunnel.

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Operation and Best Practices

CRL Checking

Eventually an administrator may need to deny access to a device configured with an Always On VPN device tunnel connection. In theory, revoking the client device’s certificate and terminating their IPsec Security Associations (SAs) on the VPN server would accomplish this. However, Windows Server RRAS does not perform certificate revocation checking for Windows 10 Always On VPN device tunnel connections by default. Thankfully an update is available to enable this functionality. See Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation for more details.

Configuration Best Practices

As the device tunnel is designed only to support domain authentication for remote clients, it should be configured with limited access to the on-premises infrastructure. Below is a list of required and optional infrastructure services that should be reachable over the device tunnel connection.

Required

  • All domain controllers
  • Enterprise DNS servers (if DNS is running on servers other than domain controllers)

Optional

  • All issuing certification authority (CA) servers
  • All certificate services online HTTP responders
  • All certificate services Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) servers
  • System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) distribution point servers
  • Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) servers
  • Management workstations

Limiting Access

Limiting access over the Always On VPN device tunnel can be accomplished in one of the following two ways.

Traffic Filters

The administrator can configure traffic filters on the device tunnel to restrict access only to those IP addresses required. However, be advised that when a traffic filter is enabled on the device tunnel, all inbound access will be blocked. This effectively prevents any remote management of the device from an on-premises system over the device tunnel.

Host Routes

An alternative to using traffic filters to limit access over the device tunnel is using host routes. Host routes are configured with a /32 prefix size and define a route to a specific individual host. The following is an example of host route configuration in ProfileXML.

Always On VPN Device Tunnel Operation and Best Practices

Note: A PowerShell script that enumerates all enterprise domain controllers and outputs their IP addresses in XML format for use in ProfileXML can be found here.

Caveats

Some organizations may have hundreds or even thousands of domain controllers, so creating individual host route entries for all domain controllers in profileXML may not be practical. In this scenario it is recommended to add host routes only for the domain controllers that belong to the Active Directory site where the VPN server resides.

Supportability

Do not use the <DomainNameInformation> element in ProfileXML or enable force tunneling for the device tunnel. Neither of these configurations are supported.

Tunnel Coexistence

The device tunnel can be safely deployed in conjunction with the user tunnel whenever its functionality is required.

DNS Registration

If the device tunnel and user tunnel are both deployed, it is recommended that only one of the tunnels be configured to register in DNS. If the device tunnel is configured to register its IP address in DNS, be advised that only those devices with routes configured in the device tunnel VPN profile will be able to connect remotely to Always On VPN clients.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel with Azure VPN Gateway

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Configuration with Microsoft Intune

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Does Not Connect Automatically

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Missing in Windows 10 UI

Deleting a Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Configuration using PowerShell

97 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on March 30, 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, DirectAccess, Microsoft Intune, NPS and EAP, PKI, PowerShell, Windows Server
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Posted by Richard M. Hicks on March 30, 2020

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2020/03/30/always-on-vpn-device-tunnel-operation-and-best-practices/

Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation

Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate RevocationRecently I wrote about denying access to Windows 10 Always On VPN users or computers. In that post I provided specific guidance for denying access to computers configured with the device tunnel. To summarize, the process involved exporting the device certificate from the issuing Certification Authority (CA) server and placing it in the Untrusted Certificates certificate store on each VPN server. In theory, simply revoking the device certificate should be all that’s required to prevent device tunnel connections.

Revocation Check Failure

As it turns out, a bug in Windows Server Routing and Remote Access prevents this from working as expected. Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019 all fail to check the Certificate Revocation List (CRL) for IKEv2 VPN connections using machine certificate authentication (for example an Always On VPN device tunnel).

Updates for Windows Server

Microsoft has released fixes to support device tunnel certificate revocation for the following operating systems.

Windows Server 2019 – KB4505658 (build 17763.652)

Windows Server 2016 – KB4503294 (build 14393.3053)

Windows Server 2012/R2 – Will not be updated.

Enable Revocation Check

Additional configuration is required to enable support for CRL checking. Microsoft published guidance for configuring CRL revocation checks for IKEv2 VPN connections using machine certificate authentication here. Specifically, administrators must enable the RootCertificateNameToAccept parameter and set a registry key to enable this functionality.

Open an elevated PowerShell window and run the following commands to enable CRL checking for IKEv2 VPN connections using machine certificate authentication.

$Thumbprint = ‘Root CA Certificate Thumbprint’
$RootCACert = (Get-ChildItem -Path cert:\LocalMachine\root | Where-Object {$_.Thumbprint -eq $Thumbprint})
Set-VpnAuthProtocol -RootCertificateNameToAccept $RootCACert -PassThru

New-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Parameters\Ikev2\’ -Name CertAuthFlags -PropertyTYpe DWORD -Value ‘4’ -Force

Restart-Service RemoteAccess -PassThru

Always On VPN Device Tunnel and Certificate Revocation

A PowerShell script to update the RootCertificateNameToAccept parameter on multiple VPN servers can be found here.

Revoking Certificates

To prevent a Windows 10 Always On VPN device tunnel connection, the administrator must first revoke the certificate on the issuing CA. Next, open an elevated command window an enter the following commands. Repeat these steps on each VPN server in the enterprise.

certutil -urlcache * delete
certutil -setreg chain\ChainCacheResyncFiletime @now

Additional Information

Denying Access to Windows 10 Always On VPN Users or Computers

Blocking VPN Clients that use Revoked Certificates

PowerShell Script to Configure RootCertificateNameToAccept on GitHub

 

 

38 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on June 20, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, Authentication and MFA, Cryptography, PKI, PowerShell, Security Updates, Windows Server
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on June 20, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/06/20/always-on-vpn-device-tunnel-and-certificate-revocation/

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or Computers

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or ComputersOnce Windows 10 Always On VPN has been deployed in production, it may be necessary at some point for administrators to deny access to individual users or computers. Commonly this occurs when an employee is terminated or leaves the company, or if a device is lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised. Typically, this means that user accounts and computer accounts in Active Directory are disabled, and any issued certificates are revoked. However, additional steps may be required to disconnect current VPN sessions or prevent future remote connections.

Certificate Revocation

When certificates are used for authentication, for example when a device tunnel is deployed, or a user tunnel is configured to use Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) with user certificate authentication, immediately revoking issued user and device certificates and publishing a new Certificate Revocation List (CRL) is recommended. However, this will not instantly prevent VPN access because revocation information is cached on the VPN and NPS servers, as well as any online responders. The process of flushing certificate revocation caches is challenging and time consuming as well.

Blocking Users

To immediately prevent users from accessing the VPN, a security group must be created in Active Directory that contains users that will be denied access. In addition, a Network Policy must be created on the Network Policy Server (NPS) that denies access to users belong to this security group.

NPS Configuration

Once the security group has been created, open the NPS management console (nps.msc) and perform the following steps.

  1. Expand Policies.
  2. Right-click Network Policies and choose New.
  3. Enter a descriptive name for the policy in the Policy name field.
  4. Select Remote Access Server (VPN-Dial up) from the Type of network access server drop-down list.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Click Add.
    1. Select User Groups.
    2. Click Add.
    3. Click Add Groups.
    4. Select the security group create for denied users.
    5. Click Ok twice.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Select Access denied.
  9. Click Next four times and click Finish.

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or Computers

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or Computers

Once complete, move the deny access policy so that it is before the policy that allows VPN access.

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or Computers

Device Tunnel Considerations

Since device tunnel connections don’t use the NPS for authentication, blocking devices from establishing Always On VPN connections requires a different technique. Once again, revoking the computer certificate and publishing a new CRL is recommended, but isn’t immediately effective. To address this challenge, it is recommended that the computer certificate issued to the client be retrieved from the issuing CA and placed in the local computer’s Untrusted Certificates store on each VPN server, as shown here.

Note: The certificate must be imported on each VPN server in the organization.

Terminating Connections

Once the guidance above is put in to place, any user or device that is denied access will be unable to connect to the VPN. However, if a user or device is currently connected when these changes are implemented, additional steps must be taken to proactively terminate their existing session. When using Windows Server Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) as the VPN server, uUser sessions can be proactively terminated using RRAS management console or PowerShell.

GUI

To terminate an established Always On VPN connection, open the RRAS management console (rrasmgmt.msc), highlight Remote Access Clients, then right-click the client connection and choose Disconnect. Repeat the process for any additional connections established by the user or device.

Denying Access to Always On VPN Users or Computers

PowerShell

Alternatively, Always On VPN connections can also be terminated programmatically using PowerShell. To identify currently connected users on a VPN server, open an elevated PowerShell command window and run the following command.

Get-RemoteAccessConnectionStatistics | Format-Table -AutoSize

Next, to disconnect a user tunnel, identify the User Principal Name (UPN) of the user to disconnect and include it in the following PowerShell command.

Disconnect-VpnUser -UserName “[email protected]”

To disconnect a device tunnel, identify the Fully-Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the device to disconnect and include it in the following PowerShell command.

Disconnect-VpnUser -UserName “client1.corp.example.net”

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Hands-On Training

16 Comments
by Richard M. Hicks on April 22, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Always On VPN, Authentication and MFA, NPS and EAP, PKI, PowerShell, Windows Server
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Richard M. Hicks on April 22, 2019

https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2019/04/22/denying-access-to-always-on-vpn-users-or-computers/