Tag: Strong certificate mapping

Automatically add the Security Identifier (SID) certificate extension to certificates requested via Mobile Device Management (MDM) - with the TameMyCerts Policy Module for Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS)

After several postponements, Microsoft finally decided that the Changes to Certificate Issuance and Certificate-Based Logon to Active Directory with the May 10, 2022 Patch for Windows Server (KB5014754) should now finally come into force.

Domain controllers will therefore automatically switch to full enforcement mode on February 25, 2025, unless configured otherwise. As of September 2025, it has been announced that deviating settings will no longer apply and there will therefore no longer be an alternative to full enforcement.

The consequence of this is that certificates can only be used for logon via PKInit if they have the new Security Identifier (SID) certificate extension introduced with the patch.

What at first sounds as if this is not a major problem may well become one when you consider that fewer and fewer certificate-based use cases are using classic autoenrollment these days.

How the TameMyCerts Policy Module for the Active Directory Certificate Services can help with this problem is explained in more detail in the following article.

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Logons via the Network Policy Server (NPS) fail with reason "Authentication failed due to a user credentials mismatch. Either the user name provided does not map to an existing user account or the password was incorrect."

Assume the following scenario:

  • A certificate-based logon is performed with user or computer accounts to log them on to a wireless (IEEE 802.11 or Wireless LAN) or wired network (IEEE 802.3), or to a remote access connection (e.g. DirectAccess, Routing and Remote Access (RAS), Always on VPN ).
  • As a server for authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA), the company uses the Network Policy Server (NPS) from Microsoft.
  • Logging on to the network is no longer possible.
  • The Network Policy Server logs the following event when a logon attempt is made:
Network Policy Server denied access to a user. [...] Authentication failed due to a user credentials mismatch. Either the user name provided does not map to an existing user account or the password was incorrect.
Der Netzwerkrichtlinienserver hat einem Benutzer den Zugriff verweigert. [...] Authentifizierungsfehler aufgrund der Nichtübereinstimmung von Benutzeranmeldeinformationen. Der angegebene Benutzername ist keinem vorhandenen Benutzerkonto zugeordnet, oder das Kennwort war falsch.

Continue reading "Logons via the Network Policy Server (NPS) fail with reason "Authentication failed due to a user credentials mismatch. Either the user name provided does not map to an existing user account or the password was incorrect.""

Changes to Certificate Issuance and Certificate-Based Logon to Active Directory with the May 10, 2022 Patch for Windows Server (KB5014754)

With the May 10, 2022 patch, Microsoft is attempting to close a vulnerability in Active Directory that affects certificate-based logon (commonly known as PKINIT or also smart card logon ).

The update changes both the behavior of the certification authority as well as the behavior of Active Directory when processing certificate-based logons.

Continue reading "Changes to Certificate Issuance and Certificate-Based Logon to Active Directory with the May 10, 2022 Patch for Windows Server (KB5014754)"