LDAP authentication with JNDI

Question

I'd like to test if a given user and password of a LDAP user are correct.

I sorted out that jndi is the library to use.

I found this simple class:

package myldap;

import java.util.Hashtable;
import javax.naming.AuthenticationException;
import javax.naming.Context;
import javax.naming.NamingEnumeration;
import javax.naming.NamingException;
import javax.naming.directory.Attributes;
import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
import javax.naming.directory.InitialDirContext;
import javax.naming.directory.SearchControls;
import javax.naming.directory.SearchResult;


// boolean function to test user and pwd
public static boolean userVerify(String user, String password){
boolean userVerify = false;
Hashtable env = new Hashtable();
env.put(Context.INITIAL_CONTEXT_FACTORY,"com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory");
env.put(Context.PROVIDER_URL, "ldap://192.168.48.10");
env.put(Context.SECURITY_AUTHENTICATION, "simple");
env.put(Context.SECURITY_PRINCIPAL, "CN=" + user + ",conn");
env.put(Context.SECURITY_CREDENTIALS, password);

try {
DirContext authContext = new InitialDirContext(env);
userVerify = true;
authContext.close();
} catch (AuthenticationException authEx) {
//("Authentication Exception!");
userVerify = false;
} catch (NamingException namEx) {
//("Something went wrong!");
userVerify = false;
} 
return userVerify;
}

since i am trying to make it work i am playing around with the parameters. The values i put in the function are

INITIAL_CONTEXT_FACTORY,"com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory");
PROVIDER_URL, "ldap://192.168.48.10");
SECURITY_AUTHENTICATION, "simple");
SECURITY_PRINCIPAL, "CN=" + user + ",conn");
SECURITY_CREDENTIALS, password);

with the above i get AuthenticationException, that is the best result i could achieve, by changing things I obtain NamingException, so it seems i am less close to the solution.

In particular i am not sure about SECURITY_PRINCIPAL.

Does anyone have experience and can give advice on how to pass those values correctly pinpointing which ones are wrong? Of course I would like to connect and not raise exceptions.

user207421 user207421 · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-30T16:45:55

The SECURITY_PRINCIPAL needs to be the entire DN of the user you are authenticating as.

Usually you have to do a prior search of the DIT to find that, using some unique attribute of the user such as his email address, and usually you have to authenticate as some other administrative user built into the DIT that has the rights to do that search. Then, when you've found the DN, you change the SECURITY_PRINCIPAL and do a reconnect.

LDAP authentication with JNDI

1 Answers