Support Article
LDAP authentication causes SSLHandshakeException
SA-9995
Summary
Adding new signed certificates to the LDAP server causes authentication fail in PRPC.
Error Messages
2015-05-13 09:47:22,233 [ WebContainer : 12] [ STANDARD] (edentials.Code_Security.Action) ERROR - External authentication failed:
javax.naming.CommunicationException: simple bind failed: [Root exception is javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: com.ibm.jsse2.util.g: PKIX path building failed: java.security.cert.CertPathBuilderException: PKIXCertPathBuilderImpl could not build a valid CertPath.; internal cause is:
java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: The certificate issued by CN=ABC Root CA, O=ABC, L=Minneapolis, ST=Minnesota, C=US is not trusted; internal cause is:
java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Certificate chaining error]
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapClient.authenticate(LdapClient.java:209)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.connect(LdapCtx.java:2706)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.<init>(LdapCtx.java:305)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getUsingURL(LdapCtxFactory.java:187)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getUsingURLs(LdapCtxFactory.java:205)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getLdapCtxInstance(LdapCtxFactory.java:148)
at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getInitialContext(LdapCtxFactory.java:78)
at javax.naming.spi.NamingManager.getInitialContext(NamingManager.java:235)
at javax.naming.InitialContext.initializeDefaultInitCtx(InitialContext.java:318)
at javax.naming.InitialContext.getDefaultInitCtx(InitialContext.java:348)
at javax.naming.InitialContext.internalInit(InitialContext.java:286)
at javax.naming.InitialContext.<init>(InitialContext.java:211)
at com.pegarules.generated.activity.ra_action_ldapverifycredentials_f96375d061d529a311d26e4c464308cd.step4_circum0(ra_action_ldapverifycredentials_f96375d061d529a311d26e4c464308cd.java:635)
Steps to Reproduce
Authenticate into PRPC using LDAP over LDAP server.
Root Cause
The root cause of this problem is in a third-party product. The SSL connectivity between the Pega node and the LDAP server is broken. This error indicates that the signer root and intermediate certificates from the specified target host (LDAP server) have not been installed in the client Pega node’s (JVM’s) truststore.
When using the certificate from another entity (JVM), make sure to use the certificate chain to obtain the root CA certificate. The certificate chain, also known as the certification path, is a list of certificates used to authenticate an entity (JVM). The chain, or path, begins with the certificate of that entity, and each certificate in the chain is signed by the entity identified by the next certificate in the chain. The chain terminates with a root CA certificate. The root CA certificate is always signed by the CA itself. The signatures of all certificates in the chain must be verified until the root CA certificate is reached.
Resolution
This issue is resolved by making the following change to the operating environment:
Ensure that the signer root and the intermediate certificates are imported into IBM Websphere JVM’s truststore that Pega application is running on.
Published June 12, 2015 - Updated October 8, 2020
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