IG 2023.2

Policy enforcement

Enforce policy decisions from AM

The following sections describe how to set up single sign on for requests in the same domain and in a different domain:

About policy enforcement

IG as a policy enforcement point (PEP) intercepts requests for a resource, and provides information about the request to AM.

AM as a policy decision point (PDP) evaluates requests based on their context and the configured policies. AM then returns decisions that indicate what actions are allowed or denied, as well as any advices, subject attributes, or static attributes for the specified resources.

After a policy decision, IG continues to process requests as follows:

  • If the request is allowed, processing continues.

  • If the request is denied with advices, IG checks whether it can respond to the advices. If IG can respond, it sends a redirect and information about how to meet the conditions in the advices.

    By default, the request is redirected to AM. If the SingleSignOnFilter property loginEndpoint is configured, the request is redirected to that endpoint.

  • If the request is denied without advice, or if IG cannot respond to the advice, IG forwards the request to a failureHandler declared in the PolicyEnforcementFilter. If there is no failureHandler, IG returns a 403 Forbidden.

  • If an error occurs during the process, IG returns 500 Internal Server Error.

For more information, refer to PolicyEnforcementFilter and AM’s Authentication and SSO guide.

Enforce AM policy decisions in the same domain

The following procedure gives an example of how to create a policy in AM and configure an agent that can request policy decisions, when IG and AM are in the same domain.

Before you start, set up and test the example in Authenticate with SSO through the default authentication service.

  1. Set up AM:

    1. In the AM admin UI, select Authorization > Policy Sets > New Policy Set, and add a policy set with the following values:

      • Id : PEP-SSO

      • Resource Types : URL

    2. In the policy set, add a policy with the following values:

      • Name : PEP-SSO

      • Resource Type : URL

      • Resource pattern : *://*:*/*

      • Resource value : http://app.example.com:8081/home/pep-sso*

        This policy protects the home page of the sample application.

    3. On the Actions tab, add an action to allow HTTP GET.

    4. On the Subjects tab, remove any default subject conditions, add a subject condition for all Authenticated Users.

  2. Set up IG:

    1. Set an environment variable for the IG agent password, and then restart IG:

      $ export AGENT_SECRET_ID='cGFzc3dvcmQ='

      The password is retrieved by a SystemAndEnvSecretStore, and must be base64-encoded.

    2. Add the following route to IG, to serve .css and other static resources for the sample application:

      • Linux

      • Windows

      $HOME/.openig/config/routes/static-resources.json
      appdata\OpenIG\config\routes\static-resources.json
      {
        "name" : "sampleapp-resources",
        "baseURI" : "http://app.example.com:8081",
        "condition": "${find(request.uri.path,'^/css')}",
        "handler": "ReverseProxyHandler"
      }
    3. Add the following route to IG:

      • Linux

      • Windows

      $HOME/.openig/config/routes/04-pep.json
      appdata\OpenIG\config\routes\04-pep.json
      {
        "name": "pep-sso",
        "baseURI": "http://app.example.com:8081",
        "condition": "${find(request.uri.path, '^/home/pep-sso')}",
        "heap": [
          {
            "name": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
            "type": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore"
          },
          {
            "name": "AmService-1",
            "type": "AmService",
            "config": {
              "agent": {
                "username": "ig_agent",
                "passwordSecretId": "agent.secret.id"
              },
              "secretsProvider": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
              "url": "http://am.example.com:8088/openam/"
            }
          }
        ],
        "handler": {
          "type": "Chain",
          "config": {
            "filters": [
              {
                "name": "SingleSignOnFilter-1",
                "type": "SingleSignOnFilter",
                "config": {
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              },
              {
                "name": "PolicyEnforcementFilter-1",
                "type": "PolicyEnforcementFilter",
                "config": {
                  "application": "PEP-SSO",
                  "ssoTokenSubject": "${contexts.ssoToken.value}",
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              }
            ],
            "handler": "ReverseProxyHandler"
          }
        }
      }

      For information about how to set up the IG route in Studio, refer to Policy enforcement in Structured Editor or Protecting a web app with Freeform Designer.

      For an example route that uses claimsSubject instead of ssoTokenSubject to identify the subject, refer to Example policy enforcement using claimsSubject.

  3. Test the setup:

    1. If you are logged in to AM, log out and clear any cookies.

    2. Go to http://ig.example.com:8080/home/pep-sso.

      Because you have not previously authenticated to AM, the request does not contain a cookie with an SSO token. The SingleSignOnFilter redirects you to AM for authentication.

    3. Log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

      When you have authenticated, AM redirects you back to the request URL, and IG requests a policy decision using the AM session cookie.

      AM returns a policy decision that grants access to the sample application.

Require users to authenticate to a specific realm

This example creates a policy that requires users to authenticate in a specific realm.

To reduce the attack surface on the top level realm, ForgeRock advises you to create federation entities, agent profiles, authorizations, OAuth2/OIDC, and STS services in a subrealm. For this reason, the AM policy, AM agent, and services are in a subrealm.

  1. Set up AM:

    1. In the AM admin UI, click Realms, and add a realm named alpha. Leave all other values as default.

      For the rest of the steps in this procedure, make sure you are managing the alpha realm by checking that the alpha icon is displayed on the top left.

    2. (From AM 6.5.3) Select Services > Add a Service, and add a Validation Service with the following Valid goto URL Resources:

      • http://ig.example.com:8080/*

      • http://ig.example.com:8080/*?*

    3. Select Applications > Agents > Identity Gateway, and add an agent with the following values:

      • Agent ID: ig_agent

      • Password: password

        For AM 6.5.x and earlier versions, set up an agent as described in Set up an IG agent in AM 6.5 and earlier.

        Use secure passwords in a production environment. Consider using a password manager to generate secure passwords.
    4. Add a policy:

      1. Select Authorization > Policy Sets > New Policy Set, and add a policy set with the following values:

        • Id : PEP-SSO-REALM

        • Resource Types : URL

      2. In the policy set, add a policy with the following values:

        • Name : PEP-SSO-REALM

        • Resource Type : URL

        • Resource pattern : *://*:*/*

        • Resource value : http://app.example.com:8081/home/pep-sso-realm

          This policy protects the home page of the sample application.

      3. On the Actions tab, add an action to allow HTTP GET.

      4. On the Subjects tab, remove any default subject conditions, add a subject condition for all Authenticated Users.

      5. On the Environments tab, add an environment condition that requires the user to authenticate to the alpha realm:

        • Type : Authentication to a Realm

        • Authenticate to a Realm : /alpha

  2. Set up IG:

    1. Add the following route to IG:

      • Linux

      • Windows

      $HOME/.openig/config/routes/04-pep-sso-realm.json
      appdata\OpenIG\config\routes\04-pep-sso-realm.json
      {
        "name": "pep-sso-realm",
        "baseURI": "http://app.example.com:8081",
        "condition": "${find(request.uri.path, '^/home/pep-sso-realm')}",
        "heap": [
          {
            "name": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
            "type": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore"
          },
          {
            "name": "AmService-1",
            "type": "AmService",
            "config": {
              "agent": {
                "username": "ig_agent",
                "passwordSecretId": "agent.secret.id"
              },
              "secretsProvider": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
              "url": "http://am.example.com:8088/openam/",
              "realm": "/alpha"
            }
          }
        ],
        "handler": {
          "type": "Chain",
          "config": {
            "filters": [
              {
                "name": "SingleSignOnFilter-1",
                "type": "SingleSignOnFilter",
                "config": {
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              },
              {
                "name": "PolicyEnforcementFilter-1",
                "type": "PolicyEnforcementFilter",
                "config": {
                  "application": "PEP-SSO-REALM",
                  "ssoTokenSubject": "${contexts.ssoToken.value}",
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              }
            ],
            "handler": "ReverseProxyHandler"
          }
        }
      }

      Notice the following differences compared to 04-pep-sso.json:

      • The AmService is in the alpha realm. That means that the user authenticates to AM in that realm.

      • The PolicyEnforcementFilter realm is not specified, so it takes the same value as the AmService realm. If refers to a policy in the AM alpha realm.

  3. Test the setup:

    1. In a private browser, go to http://ig.example.com:8080/home/pep-sso-realm, and log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

      Because you are authenticating in the alpha realm, AM returns a policy decision that grants access to the sample application.

      If you were to send the request from a different realm, AM would redirect the request with an AuthenticateToRealmConditionAdvice.

Enforce AM policy decisions in different domains

The following procedure gives an example of how to create a policy in AM and configure an agent that can request policy decisions, when IG and AM are in different domains.

Before you start, set up and test the example in Cross-domain single sign-on.

  1. Set up AM:

    1. In the AM admin UI, select Applications > Agents > Identity Gateway, and change the redirect URL for ig_agent_cdsso:

      • Redirect URL for CDSSO : https://ig.ext.com:8443/home/pep-cdsso/redirect

    2. Select Authorization > Policy Sets > New Policy Set, and add a policy set with the following values:

      • Id : PEP-CDSSO

      • Resource Types : URL

        • In the new policy set, add a policy with the following values:

      • Name : CDSSO

      • Resource Type : URL

      • Resource pattern : *://*:*/*

      • Resource value : http://app.example.com:8081/home/pep-cdsso*

        This policy protects the home page of the sample application.

      • On the Actions tab, add an action to allow HTTP GET.

      • On the Subjects tab, remove any default subject conditions, add a subject condition for all Authenticated Users.

  2. Set up IG:

    1. Set an environment variable for the IG agent password, and then restart IG:

      $ export AGENT_SECRET_ID='cGFzc3dvcmQ='

      The password is retrieved by a SystemAndEnvSecretStore, and must be base64-encoded.

    2. Add the following route to IG, to serve .css and other static resources for the sample application:

      • Linux

      • Windows

      $HOME/.openig/config/routes/static-resources.json
      appdata\OpenIG\config\routes\static-resources.json
      {
        "name" : "sampleapp-resources",
        "baseURI" : "http://app.example.com:8081",
        "condition": "${find(request.uri.path,'^/css')}",
        "handler": "ReverseProxyHandler"
      }
    3. Add the following route to IG:

      • Linux

      • Windows

      $HOME/.openig/config/routes/04-pep-cdsso.json
      appdata\OpenIG\config\routes\04-pep-cdsso.json
      {
        "name": "pep-cdsso",
        "baseURI": "http://app.example.com:8081",
        "condition": "${find(request.uri.path, '^/home/pep-cdsso')}",
        "heap": [
          {
            "name": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
            "type": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore"
          },
          {
            "name": "AmService-1",
            "type": "AmService",
            "config": {
              "agent": {
                "username": "ig_agent_cdsso",
                "passwordSecretId": "agent.secret.id"
              },
              "secretsProvider": "SystemAndEnvSecretStore-1",
              "url": "http://am.example.com:8088/openam/"
            }
          }
        ],
        "handler": {
          "type": "Chain",
          "config": {
            "filters": [
              {
                "name": "CrossDomainSingleSignOnFilter-1",
                "type": "CrossDomainSingleSignOnFilter",
                "config": {
                  "redirectEndpoint": "/home/pep-cdsso/redirect",
                  "authCookie": {
                    "path": "/home",
                    "name": "ig-token-cookie"
                  },
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              },
              {
                "name": "PolicyEnforcementFilter-1",
                "type": "PolicyEnforcementFilter",
                "config": {
                  "application": "PEP-CDSSO",
                  "ssoTokenSubject": "${contexts.cdsso.token}",
                  "amService": "AmService-1"
                }
              }
            ],
            "handler": "ReverseProxyHandler"
          }
        }
      }

      For an example of how to set up a similar route in Studio, refer to Policy enforcement for CDSSO in Structured Editor.

  3. Test the setup:

    1. If you are logged in to AM, log out and clear any cookies.

    2. Go to https://ig.ext.com:8443/home/pep-cdsso.

      If you have warnings that the site is not secure respond to the warnings to access the site.

      IG redirects you to AM for authentication.

    3. Log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

      When you have authenticated, AM redirects you back to the request URL, and IG requests a policy decision. AM returns a policy decision that grants access to the sample application.

Using WebSocket notifications to evict the policy cache

When WebSocket notifications are enabled, IG receives notifications whenever AM creates, deletes, or changes a policy.

The following procedure gives an example of how to change the configuration in Enforce AM policy decisions in the same domain and Enforce AM policy decisions in different domains to evict outdated entries from the policy cache. For information about WebSocket notifications, refer to WebSocket notifications.

  1. Set up and test the example in Enforce AM policy decisions in the same domain.

  2. Websocket notifications are enabled by default. If they are disabled, enable them by adding the following configuration to the AmService in your route:

    "notifications": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  3. Enable policy cache in the PolicyEnforcementFilter in your route:

    "cache": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  4. In logback.xml add the following logger for WebSocket notifications, and then restart IG:

    <logger name="org.forgerock.openig.tools.notifications.ws" level="TRACE" />
  5. Go to http://ig.example.com:8080/home/pep-sso, and log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

  6. In a seperate terminal, log on to AM as admin, and change the PEP-SSO policy. For example, in the Actions tab, add an action to allow HTTP DELETE.

  7. Note that the IG system logs are updated with Websocket notifications about the change:

    ... | TRACE | vert.x-eventloop-thread-2 | o.f.o.t.n.w.SubscriptionService | @system | Received a message: { "topic": "/agent/policy", "timestamp": ..., "body": { "realm": "/", "policy": "PEP-SSO", "policySet": "PEP-SSO", "eventType": "UPDATE" } }
    ... | TRACE | vert.x-eventloop-thread-2 | o.f.o.t.n.w.SubscriptionService | @system | Received a notification: { "topic": "/agent/policy", "timestamp": ..., "body": { "realm": "/", "policy": "PEP-SSO", "policySet": "PEP-SSO", "eventType": "UPDATE" } }

Harden authorization with advice from AM

To protect sensitive resources, AM policies can be configured with additional conditions to harden the authorization. When AM communicates these policy decisions to IG, the decision includes advices to indicate what extra conditions the user must meet.

Conditions can include requirements to access the resource over a secure channel, access during working hours, or to authenticate again at a higher authentication level. For more information, refer to AM’s Authorization guide.

The following sections build on the policies in Enforce policy decisions from AM to step up the authentication level:

Step up the authentication level for an AM session

When you step up the authentication level for an AM session, the authorization is verified and then captured as part of the AM session, and the user agent is authorized to that authentication level for the duration of the AM session.

This section uses the policies you created in Enforce AM policy decisions in the same domain and Enforce AM policy decisions in different domains, adding an authorization policy with a Authentication by Service environment condition. Except for the paths where noted, procedures for single domain and cross-domain are the same.

After the user agent redirects the user to AM, if the user is not already authenticated they are presented with a login page. If the user is already authenticated, or after they authenticate, they are presented with a second page asking for a verification code to meet the AuthenticateToService environment condition.

Before you start, set up one of the following examples in Enforce AM policy decisions in the same domain or Enforce AM policy decisions in different domains.

  1. In the AM admin UI, add an environment condition to the policy:

    1. Select a policy set:

      • For SSO, select Authorization > Policy Sets > PEP-SSO.

      • For CDSSO, select Authorization > Policy Sets > PEP-CDSSO.

    2. In the policy, select Environments, and add the following environment condition:

      • All of

      • Type : Authentication by Service

      • Authenticate to Service : VerificationCodeLevel1

  2. Set up client-side and server-side scripts:

    1. Select Scripts > Scripted Module - Client Side, and replace the default script with the following script:

      autoSubmitDelay = 60000;
      
      function callback() {
          var parent = document.createElement("div");
          parent.className = "form-group";
      
          var label = document.createElement("label");
          label.className = "sr-only separator";
          label.setAttribute("for", "answer");
          label.innerText = "Verification Code";
          parent.appendChild(label);
      
          var input = document.createElement("input");
          input.className = "form-control input-lg";
          input.type = "text";
          input.placeholder = "Enter your verification code";
          input.name = "answer";
          input.id = "answer";
          input.value = "";
          input.oninput = function(event) {
              var element = document.getElementById("clientScriptOutputData");
              if (!element.value || element.value == "clientScriptOutputData") element.value = "{}";
              var json = JSON.parse(element.value);
              json["answer"] = event.target.value;
              element.value = JSON.stringify(json);
          };
          parent.appendChild(input);
      
          var fieldset = document.forms[0].getElementsByTagName("fieldset")[0];
          fieldset.prepend(parent);
      }
      
      if (document.readyState !== 'loading') {
          callback();
      } else {
          document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", callback);
      }

      Leave all other values as default.

      This client-side script adds a field to the AM form, in which the user is required to enter a verification code. The script formats the entered code as a JSON object, as required by the server-side script.

    2. Select Scripts > Scripted Module - Server Side, and replace the default script with the following script:

      username = 'demo'
      logger.error('username: ' + username)
      
      // Test whether the user 'demo' enters the correct validation code
      data = JSON.parse(clientScriptOutputData);
      answer = data.answer;
      
      if (answer !== '123456') {
        logger.error('Authentication Failed !!')
        authState = FAILED;
      } else {
        logger.error('Authenticated !!')
        authState = SUCCESS;
      }

      Leave all other values as default.

      This server-side script tests that the user demo has entered 123456 as the verification code.

  3. Add an authentication module:

    1. Select Authentication > Modules, and add a module with the following settings:

      • Name : VerificationCodeLevel1

      • Type : Scripted Module

    2. In the authentication module, enable the option for client-side script, and select the following options:

      • Client-side Script : Scripted Module - Client Side

      • Server-side Script : Scripted Module - Server Side

      • Authentication Level : 1

    3. Add the authentication module to an authentication chain:

      1. Select Authentication > Chains, and add a chain called VerificationCodeLevel1.

      2. Add a module with the following settings:

        • Select Module : VerificationCodeLevel1

        • Select Criteria : Required

  4. Test the setup:

    1. Log out of AM.

    2. Access the route:

    3. Log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

      AM creates a session with the default authentication level 0, and IG requests a policy decision.

      The updated policy requires authentication level 1, which is higher than the AM session’s current authentication level. AM issues a redirect with a AuthenticateToServiceConditionAdvice to authenticate at level 1.

    4. In the session upgrade window, enter the verification code 123456.

      AM upgrades the authentication level for the session to 1, and grants access to the sample application. If you try to access the sample application again in the same session, you don’t need to provide the verification code.

Increase authorization for a single transaction

Transactional authorization improves security by requiring a user to perform additional actions when trying to access a resource protected by an AM policy. For example, they must reauthenticate to an authentication module or respond to a push notification on their mobile device.

Performing the additional action successfully grants access to the protected resource, but only once. Additional attempts to access the resource require the user to perform the configured actions again.

This section builds on the example in Step up the authentication level for an AM session, adding a simple authorization policy with a Transaction environment condition. Each time the user agent tries to access the protected resource, the user must reauthenticate to an authentication module by providing a verification code.

Before you start, configure AM as described in Step up the authentication level for an AM session. The IG configuration is not changed.

  1. In the AM admin UI, add a new environment condition:

    1. Select the policy set:

      • For SSO, select Authorization > Policy Sets > PEP-SSO.

      • For CDSSO, select Authorization > Policy Sets > PEP-CDSSO.

    2. In the IG policy, select Environments and add another environment condition:

      • All of

      • Type : Transaction

      • Authentication strategy : Authenticate To Module

      • Strategy specifier : TxVerificationCodeLevel5

  2. Set up client-side and server-side scripts:

    1. Select Scripts > New Script, and add the following client-side script:

      • Name : Tx Scripted Module - Client Side

      • Script Type : Client-side Authentication

        autoSubmitDelay = 60000;
        
        function callback() {
            var parent = document.createElement("div");
            parent.className = "form-group";
        
            var label = document.createElement("label");
            label.className = "sr-only separator";
            label.setAttribute("for", "answer");
            label.innerText = "Verification Code";
            parent.appendChild(label);
        
            var input = document.createElement("input");
            input.className = "form-control input-lg";
            input.type = "text";
            input.placeholder = "Enter your TX code";
            input.name = "answer";
            input.id = "answer";
            input.value = "";
            input.oninput = function(event) {
                var element = document.getElementById("clientScriptOutputData");
                if (!element.value || element.value == "clientScriptOutputData") element.value = "{}";
                var json = JSON.parse(element.value);
                json["answer"] = event.target.value;
                element.value = JSON.stringify(json);
            };
            parent.appendChild(input);
        
            var fieldset = document.forms[0].getElementsByTagName("fieldset")[0];
            fieldset.prepend(parent);
        }
        
        if (document.readyState !== 'loading') {
            callback();
        } else {
            document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", callback);
        }

        This client-side script adds a field to the AM form, in which the user is required to enter a TX code. The script formats the entered code as a JSON object, as required by the server-side script.

    2. Select Scripts > New Script, and add the following server-side script:

      • Name : Tx Scripted Module - Server Side

      • Script Type : Server-side Authentication

        username = 'demo'
        logger.error('username: ' + username)
        
        // Test whether the user 'demo' enters the correct validation code
        data = JSON.parse(clientScriptOutputData);
        answer = data.answer;
        
        if (answer !== '789') {
          logger.error('Authentication Failed !!')
          authState = FAILED;
        } else {
          logger.error('Authenticated !!')
          authState = SUCCESS;
        }

        This server-side script tests that the user demo has entered 789 as the verification code.

  3. Add an authentication module:

    1. Select Authentication > Modules, and add a module with the following settings:

      • Name : TxVerificationCodeLevel5

      • Type : Scripted Module

    2. In the authentication module, enable the option for client-side script, and select the following options:

      • Client-side Script : Tx Scripted Module - Client Side

      • Server-side Script : Tx Scripted Module - Server Side

      • Authentication Level : 5

  4. Test the setup:

    1. Log out of AM.

    2. Access your route:

    3. Log in to AM as user demo, password Ch4ng31t.

      AM creates a session with the default authentication level 0, and IG requests a policy decision.

    4. Enter the verification code 123456 to upgrade the authorization level for the session to 1.

      The authentication module you configured for transactional authorization requires authentication level 5, so AM issues a TransactionConditionAdvice.

    5. In the transaction upgrade window, enter the verification code 789.

      AM upgrades the authentication level for this policy evaluation to 5, and then returns a policy decision that grants a one-time access to the sample application. If you try to access the sample application again, you must enter the code again.

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