Set up smart card authentication for Web Studio

This article outlines the steps required to set up and enable smart card authentication for Web Studio:

Step 1: Install the smart card driver

Step 2: Issue certificates for smart card users

Step 3: Enroll certificates for smart card users

Step 4: Configure Web Studio IIS servers

Step 5 (Optional) Configure authentication delegations for Web Studio

Step 6: Enable smart card authentication for Web Studio

Note:

Smart card authentication is supported only for users from the same Active Directory domain with Web Studio servers.

Step 1: Install the smart card driver

Install the smart card driver on the following machines:

  • Domain Controllers where Certificate Service is installed.
  • Web Studio servers
  • Machines end users use to access Web Studio
  • Machines you use to enroll certificates for smart card users

The driver is available for download at https://support.globalsign.com/ssl/ssl-certificates-installation/safenet-drivers.

Step 2: Issue certificates for smart card users

On your Domain Controller, follow these steps to complete the task:

  1. Access your Domain Controller and open Certification Authority.

    start ca

  2. Duplicate the Enrollment Agent template. Detailed steps are as follows:
    1. Right-click Certificate Templates and select Manage.

      manage certificate templates

    2. Right-click Enrollment Agent and select Duplicate Template.

    3. On the Subject Name tab, make sure that Include e-mail in subject name is unselected.

      Certificate templates > Subject Name

    4. On the Cryptography tab, select Microsoft Base Smart Card Crypto Provider, and then click OK. A template named Copy of Enrollment Agent appears in the Certificate Templates list.

      certificate templates>crytograph

  3. Verify the permissions of the Smartcard User template. Detailed steps are as follows:
    1. Right-click Certificate Templates and select Manage.
    2. Right-click Smartcard User and select Properties.
    3. On the Security tab, verify Domain Admins has the following permissions selected, as shown below:

      Certificate templates > security

  4. Issue certificates for smart cards. Detailed steps are as follows:
    1. Right-click Certificate Templates and then select New > Template to Issue.
    2. Select Copy of Enrollment Agent and Smartcard User.
    3. Click OK.

Step 3: Enroll certificates for smart card users

On a domain-joined physical Windows machine, follow these steps to enroll certificates for each smart card:

  1. Prepare a domain-joined physical Windows machine for the enrollment use:
    1. Ensure that the smart card driver is installed.
    2. Insert a smart card into the machine.
    3. Log on to the machine using the user account you want to assign to the smart card.
  2. Add the Certificates snap-in onto the machine that you prepared in step 1. Detailed steps are as follows:
    1. Open mmc.
    2. Click File and then click Add/Remove Snap-in.
    3. In the Add or Remove Snap-ins window that appears, select Certificates and then click Add >.
    4. In the dialog box that appears, select My user account and click Finish.
    5. Click OK.

      Add certificate

  3. Request new certificates for the Certificates snap-in. Detailed steps are as follows:
    1. Go to Certificates - Current User > Personal, right-click Certificates, then select All Tasks > Request New Certificate.

      request new certificate

    2. In the Request Certificates dialog box that appears, select Copy of Enrollment Agent and Smartcard User.

      manage certificate templates

    3. In the above dialog box, click Details for Smartcard User and then click Properties. The Certificate Properties dialog box appears.

      request new certificate > properties

    4. On the Private Key tab, expand Cryptographic Service Provider, clear Microsoft Strong Cryptographic Provider (Encrption), select only Microsoft Base Smart Card Crypto Provider (Encryption), and then click OK.
    5. Click Enroll.
    6. In the Windows Security dialog box that appears, enter the smart card PIN code and click OK. When enrollment completes, click Finish.

      enroll certificate

After successful enrollment, two certificates appear under Certificates - Current User -> Personal -> Certificates, as shown in the following screenshot. manage certificate templates

Step 4: Configure Web Studio IIS servers

On each Web Studio server, follow these steps to configure IIS for smart card authentication:

  1. Enable Client Certificate Mapping Authentication for the Web Studio machine**.

    The <clientCertificateMappingAuthentication> element is unavailable on the default installation of IIS 7 and later. For more information about installation and enablement, see this Microsoft article.

  2. Start IIS Manager on the Web Studio machine.
  3. Enable Active Directory Client Certificate Authentication for the machine. Detailed steps are as follows:

    1. Select the machine in the left pane and double-click Authentication.

      IIS > Auth

    2. Enable Active Directory Client Certificate Authentication.

      IIS > enable AC Client Certificate Authen

  4. Configure the Web Studio Backend module for a more secure HTTPS protocol with client certificate authentication:
    1. Go to Sites > Default Web Site > Studio > Backend > Smartcard, then double-click SSL Settings in the IIS section.

      IIS backend module smartcard SSL

    2. Select Require for Client certificates.

      IIS server backend smartcard ssl required

    3. Return to Sites > Default Web Site > Studio > Backend > Smartcard and then double-click Configuration Editor in the IIS section.

      IIS > Configuuration Editor

    4. Make sure /clientCertificateMappingAuthentication is enabled.

      enable client auth

  5. (Windows 2022 only) Disable TLS 3.1 over TCP. Detailed steps are as follows:

    1. Go to Sites > Default Web Site.
    2. Click Edit Site > Binding.
    3. In the Site Bindings dialog box that appears, select the https record, and then click Edit.

      Windows 2022 only https edit

    4. In the Edit Site Binding dialog box that appears, select Disable TLS 1.3 over TCP and then click OK.

      Windows 2022 only https edit disabled

Good to know:

Web Studio Backend is a module in Web Studio that provides the following functions:

  • Smart card authentication.
  • Retrieval of FMA bearer tokens from the Orchestration service using integrated Windows authentication.

Step 5 (Optional) Configure authentication delegations for Web Studio

When Web Studio and Delivery Controllers are installed on different servers, you must configure delegations for each Web Studio server to the Delivery Controllers for HOST and HTTPS services.

Follow these steps to complete the task for each Web Studio sever:

  1. Import the Delivery Controller Orchestration HTTPS Certificate
  2. Configure delegation for the Web Studio server
  3. (Optional) Configure delegation for the Web Studio IIS server’s service account

Import the Delivery Controller Orchestration HTTPS Certificate

On the Web Studio server, import the Delivery Controller Orchestration HTTPS certificate to Trusted Root Certification Authorities. Detailed steps are as follows:

  1. Start Settings > Manage computer certificates.
  2. Right-click Trusted Root Certification Authorities > Certificates and select All Tasks > Import.

    Import DDC certificate

  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to import the Delivery Controller Orchestration HTTPS certificate.

Configure delegation for the Web Studio server

On the domain controller, configure delegation for the Web Studio server to Delivery Controller for HOST and HTTP services. Follow these steps to complete the task:

  1. On the domain controller, start Active Directory Administrative Center.
  2. Locate the computer account of the Web Studio Server for which you want to configure delegation (for example, Dan002).
  3. Right-click the account, select Properties, and then complete the following steps:

    configure delegation for studio server

    1. Go to the Delegation tab.

      enter delegation config

    2. Select Trust this user for delegation to specified services only > Use any authentication protocol.
    3. Click Add to specify which services this computer account can be delegated to.
    4. In the Add Service dialog box that appears, click Add Users or Computers to locate the computer name of the Delivery Controller (for example, Dan001).
    5. Select the HOST and HTTP services, and then click OK.

The configuration results are shown in the following screenshot. manage certificate templates

(Optional) Configure delegation for the Web Studio IIS server’s service account

If you’ve configured a service account for the Web Studio IIS server, you also need to configure delegation for this service account to the Delivery Controller for the HOST and HTTP services. With this delegation established, the Web Studio server can use its service account to impersonate the current smart card user to access the Delivery Controller for the HOST and HTTP services. Follow these steps to complete the configuration:

  1. On the domain controller, start Active Directory Administrative Center.
  2. Locate the user account of the Web Studio IIS server (service account) for which you want to configure delegation (for example, svr-stud-002).
  3. Right-click the account and select Properties.
  4. Follow the procedure described in step 3 of Configure delegation for the Web Studio server to delegate the Web Studio IIS server’s service account to the Delivery Controller for the HOST and HTTP services.

The configuration results are shown in the following screenshot.

manage certificate templates

Step 6: Enable smart card authentication for Web Studio

Follow these steps to enable smart card authentication for Web Studio:

  1. Sign in to Web Studio and select Settings in the left pane.
  2. Select Smart card authentication or Domain credentials or smart card authentication as needed.
  3. Click Apply.

    manage certificate templates

Set up smart card authentication for Web Studio