Dec 022021
 

In a VMware Horizon environment with DUO MFA configured via RADIUS on the VMware Horizon Connection Server, you may notice authentication issues when logging in through a UAG (Unified Access Gateway) after upgrading to VMware Horizon 8 Version 2111.

During this condition, you can still login and use the connection server directly with MFA working, however all UAG connections will get stuck on authenticating.

Horzion 8 Version 2111 UAG Stuck on Authenticating using DUO MFA (RADIUS)

Disabling MFA and/or RADIUS on the connection server will allow the UAG to function, however MFA will be disabled. This occurs on upgrades to version 2111 of the UAG both when configuring fresh, and importing the JSON configuration backup.

Temporary Fix

Update January 26 2022: VMware has now released version 2111.2 of the Unified Access Gateway which resolves this issue. You can download it here, or view the release notes here.

Update January 12 2022: It appears VMware now has a KB on this issue at: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/87253.

Temporary workaround/fix: To fix this issue, log on to the UAG and under “Horizon Edge Settings”, configure “Client Encryption Mode” to “Disabled”.

“Client Encryption Mode” is a new setting on UAG 2111 (and UAG 2111.1) that enables new functionality. Disabling this reverts the UAG to the previous behavior of older Unified Access Gateway versions.

More information on “Client Encryption Mode” can be found at https://docs.vmware.com/en/Unified-Access-Gateway/2111/uag-deploy-config/GUID-1B8665A2-485E-4471-954E-56DB9BA540E9.html.

Another workaround is to deploy an older version of the UAG, version 2106. After downgrading, the UAG functions with DUO and RADIUS even though the Connection Server is at version 2111.

If you use an older version of the UAG, please make sure that you mitigate against the Apache log4j vulnerabilities on the UAG using information from the following post: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/87092.

Jul 132020
 
Picture of the DUO Security Logo

When you’re looking for additional or enhanced options to secure you’re business and enterprise IT systems, MFA/2FA can help you achieve this. Get away from the traditional single password, and implement additional means of authentication! MFA provides a great compliment to your cyber-security policies.

My company, Digitally Accurate Inc, has been using the Duo Security‘s MFA product in our own infrastructure, as well as our customers environments for some time. Digitally Accurate is a DUO Partner and can provide DUO MFA Services including licensing/software and the hardware tokens (Duo D-100 Tokens using HOTP).

What is MFA/2FA

MFA is short for Multi Factor authentication, additionally 2FA is short for Two Factor Authentication. While they are somewhat the same, multi means many, and 2 means two. Additional security is provided with both, since it provides more means of authentication.

Traditionally, users authenticate with 1 (one) level of authentication: their password. In simple terms MFA/2FA in addition to a password, provides a 2nd method of authentication and identity validation. By requiring users to authentication with a 2nd mechanism, this provides enhanced security.

Why use MFA/2FA

In a large portion of security breaches, we see users passwords become compromised. This can happen during a phishing attack, virus, keylogger, or other ways. Once a malicious user or bot has a users credentials (username and password), they can access resources available to that user.

By implementing a 2nd level of authentication, even if a users password becomes compromised, the real (or malicious user) must pass a 2nd authentication check. While this is easy for the real user, in most cases it’s nearly impossible for a malicious user. If a password get’s compromised, nothing can be accessed as it requires a 2nd level of authentication. If this 2nd method is a cell phone or hardware token, a malicious user won’t be ale to access the users resources unless they steal the cell phone, or hardware token.

How does MFA/2FA work

When deploying MFA or 2FA you have the option of using an app, hardware token (fob), or phone verification to perform the additional authentication check.

After a user attempts to logs on to a computer or service with their username and password, the 2nd level of authentication will be presented, and must pass in order for the login request to succeed.

Please see below for an example of 2FA selection screen after a successful username and password:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on Windows Login
Duo Security Windows Login MFA 2FA Prompt

After selecting an authentication method for MFA or 2FA, you can use the following

2FA with App (Duo Push)

Duo Push sends an authentication challenge to your mobile device which a user can then approve or deny.

Please see below for an example of Duo Push:

Screenshot of Duo Push Notification to Mobile Android App
Duo Push to Mobile App on Android

Once the user selects to approve or deny the login request, the original login will either be approved or denied. We often see this as being the preferred MFA/2FA method.

2FA with phone verification (Call Me)

Duo phone verification (Call Me) will call you on your phone number (pre-configured by your IT staff) and challenge you to either hangup to deny the login request, or press a button on the keypad to accept the login request.

While we rarely use this option, it is handy to have as a backup method.

2FA with Hardware Token (Passcode)

Duo Passcode challenges are handled using a hardware token (or you can generate a passcode using the Duo App). Once you select this method, you will be prompted to enter the passcode to complete the 2FA authentication challenge. If you enter the correct passcode, the login will be accepted.

Here is a Duo D-100 Token that uses HOTP (HMAC-based One Time Password):

Picture of Duo D-100 HOTP Hardware Token
Duo D-100 HOTP Hardware Token

When you press the green button, a passcode will be temporarily displayed on the LCD display which you can use to complete the passcode challenge.

You can purchase Hardware Token’s directly from Digitally Accurate Inc by contacting us, your existing Duo Partner, or from Duo directly. Duo is also compatible with other 3rd party hardware tokens that use HOTP and TOTP.

2FA with U2F

While you can’t visibly see the option for U2F, you can use U2F as an MFA or 2FA authentication challenge. This includes devices like a Yubikey from Yubico, which plugs in to the USB port of your computer. You can attach a Yubikey to your key chain, and bring it around with you. The Yubikey simply plugs in to your USB port and has a button that you press when you want to authenticate.

When the 2FA window pops up, simply hit the button and your Yubikey will complete the MFA/2FA challange.

What can MFA/2FA protect

Duo MFA supports numerous cloud and on-premise applications, services, protocols, and technologies. While the list is very large (full list available at https://duo.com/product/every-application), we regularly deploy and use Duo Security for the following configurations.

Windows Logins (Server and Workstation Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to not only protect your Windows Servers and Workstations, but also your remote access system as well.

When logging on to a Windows Server or Windows Workstation, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on Windows Login
Duo Security Windows Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on Windows Login.

DUO works with both Windows Logins and RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) Logins.

VMWare Horizon View Clients (VMWare VDI Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) by requiring MFA or 2FA when users log in to access their desktops.

When logging on to the VMware Horizon Client, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on VMWare Horizon Client Login
Duo Security VMWare Horizon Client Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on VMware Horizon View (VDI) Login.

Sophos UTM (Admin and User Portal Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your Sophos UTM firewall. You can protect the admin account, as well as user accounts when accessing the user portal.

If you’re using the VPN functionality on the Sophos UTM, you can also protect VPN logins with Duo MFA.

Unix and Linux (Server and Workstation Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your Unix and Linux Servers. You can protect all user accounts, including the root user.

We regularly deploy this with Fedora and CentOS (even FreePBX) and you can protect both SSH and/or console logins.

When logging on to a Unix or Linux server, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on CentOS Linux Login
Duo Security CentOS Linux login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on Linux.

WordPress Logon

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your WordPress blog. You can protect your admin and other user accounts.

If you have a popular blog, you know how often bots are attempting to hack and brute force your passwords. If by chance your admin password becomes compromised, using MFA or 2FA can protect your site.

When logging on to a WordPress blog admin interface, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on WordPress Login
Duo Security WordPress Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on a WordPress blog.

How easy is it to implement

Implementing Duo MFA is very easy and works with your existing IT Infrastructure. It can easily be setup, configured, and maintained on your existing servers, workstations, and network devices.

Duo offers numerous plugins (for windows), as well as options for RADIUS type authentication mechanisms, and other types of authentication.

How easy is it to manage

Duo is managed through the Duo Security web portal. Your IT admins can manage users, MFA devices, tokens, and secured applications via the web interface. You can also deploy appliances that allow users to manage, provision, and add their MFA devices and settings.

Duo also integrates with Active Directory to make managing and maintaining users easy and fairly automated.

Let’s get started with Duo MFA

Want to protect your business with MFA? Give me a call today!

Mar 142020
 
DUO

Want to see DUO Two-Factor Authentication in action? I’ve created a number of demo videos showing DUO 2FA being used on numerous different platforms. You can see how DUO works with these platforms, and the experience a user can expect when using two-factor authentication from Duo Security.

Duo 2FA is a great way to secure your environment whether it’s servers, workstations, VDI, firewalls, or even WordPress!

And remember, I sell Duo licensing and provide consulting services to help set it up!

The following video playlist contains:

Video demo playlist

Duo Security Two-Factor Authentication Product Demo

Feel free to reach out to me if you need a quote, want to buy, or need help implementing Duo Security Two-Factor Authentication!

Don’t forget to check out my corporate blog post to “Secure your business and enterprise IT systems with Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)“!

For more content on my blog on Duo Security, visit: https://www.stephenwagner.com/category/duo-mfa/

For more content on my corporate blog on Duo Security, visit: https://www.digitallyaccurate.com/blog/category/vendors/duo-security/

To visit Duo Security’s website, visit: https://duo.com/

May 072019
 
VMware Horizon View Icon

So you’ve started to use or test Duo Security’s MFA/2FA technology on your network. You’ve been happy so far and you now want to begin testing or rolling out DUO MFA on your VMware Horizon View server.

VMware Horizon is great at providing an end user computing solution for your business, a byproduct of which is an amazing remote access system. With any type of access, especially remote, comes numerous security challenges. DUO Security’s MFA solution is great at provided multi-factor authentication for your environment, and fully supports VMware Horizon View.

In this guide, I’ll be providing a quick how to guide on how to get setup and configured with DUO MFA on your Horizon Server to authenticate View clients.

If you are looking to only implement DUO 2FA on the VMware Unified Access Gateway (and not the connection server), head over to my colleague’s post here: https://securedpackets.com/?p=424

Here’s a video of DUO on VMware Horizon View in action! Scroll down for instructions on how to set it up!

Video Demonstration of DUO MFA 2FA on VMware Horizon View

Enabling DUO MFA on VMWare View will require further authentication from your users via one of the following means:

  • DUO Push (Push auth request to mobile app)
  • Phone call (On user’s pre-configured phone number)
  • SMS Passcode (Texted to users pre-configured phone number)
  • PIN code from a Hardware Token

For more information on the DUO technology and authentication methods, please visit
https://www.digitallyaccurate.com/blog/2018/06/12/secure-business-enterprise-it-systems-multi-factor-authentication-duo-mfa/

Prerequisites

  • VMware Horizon View Connection Server (Configured and working)
  • VMware View Client (for testing)
  • DUO Authentication Proxy installed, configured, and running (integrated with Active Directory)
  • Completed DUO Auth Proxy config along with “[ad_client]” as primary authentication.

Please Note: For this guide, we’re going to assume that you already have a Duo Authentication Proxy installed and fully configured on your network. The authentication proxy server acts as a RADIUS server that your VMware Horizon View Connection Server will use to authenticate users against.

Instructions

The instructions will be performed in multiple steps. This includes adding the application to your DUO account, configuring the DUO Authentication Proxy, and finally configuring the VMware View Connection Server.

Add the application to your DUO account

  1. Log on to your DUO account, on the left pane, select “Applications”.
  2. Click on the Blue button “Protect an Application”.
  3. Using the search, look for “VMware View”, and then select “Protect this Application”.
  4. Record the 3 fields labelled “Integration key”, “Security key”, and “API hostname”. You’ll need these later on your authentication proxy.
  5. Feel free to modify the Global Policy to the settings you require. You can always change and modify these later.
  6. Under Settings, we’ll give it a friendly name, choose “Simple” for “Username normalization”, and optionally configure the “Permitted Groups”. Select “Save”.

Configure the DUO Authentication Proxy

  1. Log on to the server that is running your DUO Authentication Proxy.
  2. Open the file explorer and navigate to the following directory.
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Duo Security Authentication Proxy\conf
  3. Before any changes I always make a backup of the existing config file. Copy and paste the “authproxy.cfg” file and rename the copy to “authproxy.cfg.bak”.
  4. Open the “authproxy.cfg” file with notepad.
  5. Add the following to the very end of the file:
    ;vmware-view
    [radius_server_challenge]
    ikey=YOUR_INTEGRATION_KEY
    skey=YOUR_SECRET_KEY
    api_host=YOUR-API-ADDRESS.duosecurity.com
    failmode=safe
    client=ad_client
    radius_ip_1=IP-ADDY-OF-VIEW-SERVER
    radius_secret_1=SECRETPASSFORDUOVIEW
    port=1813
    Using the values from the “Protect an Application”, replace the “ikey” with your “integration key”, “skey” with your “secret key”, and “api_host” with the API hostname that was provided. Additionally “radius_ip_1” should be set to your View Connection Server IP, and “radius_secret_1” is a secret passphrase shared only by DUO and the View connection server.
  6. Save the file.
  7. Restart the DUO Authentication Proxy either using Services (services.msc), or run the following from a command prompt:
    net stop DuoAuthProxy & net start DuoAuthProxy

Configure the VMware View Connection Server

  1. Log on to your server that runs your VMware View Connection Server.
  2. Open the VMware Horizon 7 Administrator web interface and log on.
    Horizon 7 Administrator Launch Icon Screenshot
  3. On the left hand side, under “Inventory”, expand “View Configuration” and select “Servers”.
    View Configuration and Servers highlighted on Left Pane
  4. On the right hand side in the “Servers” pane, click on the “Connection Servers” tab, then select your server, and click “Edit”.
    Select Connection Server in Server Pane Window
  5. On the “Edit Connection Server Settings” window, click on the “Authentication” tab.
    Authentication under Edit Connection Settings Window
  6. Scroll down to the “Advanced Authentication” section, and change the “2-factor authentication” drop down, to “RADIUS”. Check both check boxes for “Enforce 2-factor and Windows user name matching”, and “Use the same user name and password for RADIUS and Windows Authentication”.
    Advanced Auth Settings for DUO in Authentication Tab Dialog Window
  7. Below the check boxes you will see “Authenticator”. Open the drop down, and select “Create New Authenticator”.
  8. In the “Add RADIUS Authenticator” window, give it a friendly name, friendly description, and populate the fields as specified in the screenshot below. You’ll be using the shared RADIUS/DUO secret we created above in the config file for the proxy auth.
    Edit RADIUS Authenticator VMware View Window
    Please Note that I changed the default RADIUS port in my config to 1813.
  9. Click “Ok”, then make sure the newly created authenticator is select in the drop down. Proceed to click “Ok” on the remaining windows, and close out of the web interface.

That’s it!

You have now completely implemented DUO MFA on your Horizon deployment. Now when users attempt to log on to your VMware View Connection server, after entering their credentials they will be prompted for a second factor of authentication as pictured below.

DUO Security Login VMware View Client Dialog Box
DUO Security Login VMware View Client
DUO Security MFA authenticate VMware View Client dialog box
DUO Security MFA authenticate VMware View Client

VMware Horizon View is now fully using MFA/2FA.

Leave a comment!

May 062019
 
10ZiG 5948qv Zero Client VMware Horizon View

You have VMware Horizon View deployed along with Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA, MFA), and you’re you having user experience issues with 10ZiG Zero Clients and multiple login dialog boxes and planning on how to deal with the MFA logins.

I spent some time experimenting with numerous different settings trying to find the cleanest workaround that wouldn’t bother the user or mess up the user experience. I’m going to share with you what I came up with below.

If you’re interesting in 10ZiG products and looking to buy, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for information and/or a quote! We can configure and sell 10ZiG Zero Clients (and thin clients), help with solution design and deployment, and provide consulting services! We sell and ship to Canada and the USA!

The Issue

When you have DUO MFA deployed on VMware Horizon, you may experience login issues when using a 10ZiG Zero Client to access the View Connection Server. This is because the authentication string (username, password, and domain) aren’t passed along correctly from the 10ZiG Login Dialog Box to the VMware Horizon View Client application.

Additionally, when DUO is enabled on VMware View (as a RADIUS authentication), there is no domain passed along inside of the DUO login prompt on the view client.

This issue is due to limitations in the VMware Horizon View Linux Client. This issue will and can occur on any system, thin-client, or Zero Client that uses a command string to initialize a VMware View session where DUO is configured on the View Connection Server.

Kevin Greenway, the CTO at 10ZiG, reached out to say that they have previously brought this up with VMware as a feature request (to support the required functionality), and are hopeful it gets committed.

At this point in time, we’d like to recommend everyone to reach out to VMware and ask for this functionality as a feature request. Numerous simultaneous requests will help gain attention and hopefully escalate it on VMware’s priority list.

The Workaround

After troubleshooting this, and realizing that the 10ZiG VMware login details are completely ignored and not passed along to the VMware View client, I started playing with different settings to test the best way to provide the best user experience for logging in.

At first I attempted to use the Kiosk mode, but had issues with some settings not being passed from the 10ZiG Client to the View Client.

Ultimately I found the perfect tweaking of settings that created a seamless login experience for users.

The Settings

On the 10ZiG Zero Client, we view the “Login” details of the “VMware Horizon Settings” dialog box.

10ZiG Zero Client VMware Horizon Settings Login Settings Dialog Box
10ZiG Zero Client VMware Horizon Settings Login Settings
  • Login Mode: Default
  • Username: PRESS LOGIN
  • Password: 1234
  • Domain: YourDomain

Please Note: In the above, because DUO MFA is enabled, the “Username”, “Password” and “Domain” values aren’t actually passed along to the VMware View application on the Zero Client.

We then navigate to the “Advanced” tab, and enable the “Connect once” option. This will force a server disconnection (and require re-authentication) on a desktop pool logoff or disconnection.

10ZiG Zero Client VMware Horizon Settings Advanced Settings Dialog Window
10ZiG Zero Client VMware Horizon Settings Advanced Settings

Please Note: This option is required so that when a user logs off, disconnects, or get’s cut off by the server, the Zero Client fully disconnects from the View Connection Server which causes re-authentication (a new password prompt) to occur.

The Login User Experience

So now that we’ve made the modifications to the Zero Client, I want to outline what the user experience will look like from Boot, to connection, to disconnection, to re-authentication.

  1. Turning on the 10ZiG Zero Client, you are presented with the DUO Login Prompt on the View Connection Server.
    DUO Security Login VMware View Client Dialog Box
  2. You then must pass 2FA/MFA authentication.
    DUO Security MFA authenticate VMware View Client dialog box
  3. You are then presented with the desktop pools available to the user.
  4. Upon logging off, disconnecting, or getting kicked off the server, the session is closed and you are presented to the 10ZiG VDI Login Window.
    10ZiG Zero Client VMware View Login Dialog Window
  5. To re-establish a connection, click “Login” as instruction by the “Username” field.
  6. You are presented with the DUO Login Window.
    DUO Security Login VMware View Client Dialog Box
  7. And the process repeats.

As you can see it’s a simple loop that requires almost no training on the end user side. You must only inform the users to click “Login” where the prompt advises to do so.

Once you configure this, you can add it to a configuration template (or generate a configuration template), and then deploy it to a large number of 10ZiG Zero Clients using 10ZiG Manager.

Let me know if this helps, and/or if you find a better way to handle the DUO integration!