Understanding Web Authentication

Web authentication is an alternative to pass-through user authentication. Instead of pointing to the resource that you want to connect to from your client browser, you point the browser to an IP address on the device that is enabled for Web authentication. This initiates an HTTP session to the IP address hosting the Web authentication feature on the device. The device then prompts you for your username and password and caches the result in the device. Later, when traffic encounters a Web authentication policy, you are allowed or denied access based on the prior Web authentication results, as shown in Figure 32.

Figure 32: Web Authentication Example

Image webauth_prepol_chk.gif

Follow these Web authentication guidelines:

Note: The Web authentication method is recommended in situations when the client devices are immediately adjacent to the security gateway and there is high assurance that the client devices are not multiuser hosts. This authentication method is best applied to wireless links and DMZ, or conference room links.

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