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Problem Symptoms

Authentication failures usually manifest themselves with the following symptoms:
  • 401 Unauthorized errors
  • 403 Forbidden errors
  • Token validation errors
  • User login issues
  • API key validation errors

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Problem Causes

Authentication failures can usually be caused by the following factors:
  • Invalid Credentials: Wrong username, password, or token
  • Token Expired: Token’s expiration time expiring
  • Wrong Token Format: Token format not being in expected format
  • Identity Provider Issues: LDAP, Database, or Security Manager issues
  • Policy Configuration Errors: Authentication policy being incorrectly configured
  • Network Issues: Identity provider access issues
  • Certificate Issues: mTLS or JWT certificate issues

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Detection Methods

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1. Log Analysis

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Check Log Files

Search for authentication errors in log files:
kubectl logs <pod-name> | grep -i "authentication"
kubectl logs <pod-name> | grep -i "401"
kubectl logs <pod-name> | grep -i "403"
kubectl logs <pod-name> | grep -i "unauthorized"

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2. Analytics Dashboard

Monitor authentication errors in Analytics dashboard:
  • Authentication failure rate
  • Error type distribution
  • Endpoint-based error analysis
  • User-based error analysis

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3. Policy Test

Test the authentication policy:
  • Test the policy using test endpoint
  • Test with different credentials
  • Check policy logs

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Solution Recommendations

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1. Checking Credentials

Check credentials:
  • Are username and password correct?
  • Is token valid and not expired?
  • Is token format correct?
  • Is API key valid?

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2. Token Management

Check token management:
  • Check token expiration times
  • Check token refresh mechanism
  • Verify token format
  • Check token signature

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3. Checking Identity Provider Connection

Check Identity provider connection: LDAP:
  • Is LDAP server accessible?
  • Are Bind DN and password correct?
  • Are Base DN and search filter correct?
Database:
  • Is database connection working?
  • Are user table and columns correct?
  • Is password hash algorithm correct?
Security Manager:
  • Is user defined in Security Manager?
  • Is user active?
  • Are roles correctly assigned?

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4. Checking Authentication Policy Configuration

Check authentication policy configuration:
  • Is correct Identity Provider selected?
  • Are username and password variables correct?
  • Are token location and prefix settings correct?
  • Are conditions correctly configured?

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5. Certificate Check (mTLS/JWT)

Check certificates:
  • Is CA certificate correctly loaded?
  • Is client certificate valid?
  • Have certificate expiration dates been checked?
  • Is Issuer ACL correctly configured?

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6. Network and Firewall Check

Check network and firewall rules:
  • Do pods have access to Identity Provider?
  • Are ports open?
  • Are network policies blocking connection?

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Common Error Scenarios and Solutions

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Scenario 1: Token Expired

Symptoms:
  • 401 Unauthorized error
  • “Token expired” message
Solution:
  • Refresh token
  • Increase token expiration time
  • Use token refresh mechanism

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Scenario 2: Wrong Token Format

Symptoms:
  • 401 Unauthorized error
  • “Invalid token format” message
Solution:
  • Check token format
  • Check token prefix (Bearer, Basic, etc.)
  • Check token location (Header, Query Parameter, etc.)

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Scenario 3: Identity Provider Connection Error

Symptoms:
  • 500 Internal Server Error
  • “Connection refused” or “Timeout” message
Solution:
  • Check Identity Provider accessibility
  • Check network connection
  • Check connection pool settings

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Scenario 4: User Not Found

Symptoms:
  • 401 Unauthorized error
  • “User not found” message
Solution:
  • Check that user is defined in Identity Provider
  • Check user search filter
  • Check username format

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Preventive Measures

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1. Monitoring and Alerting

  • Monitor authentication error rates
  • Perform anomaly detection
  • Set up alerts

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2. Testing and Validation

  • Perform regular authentication tests
  • Test different scenarios
  • Include authentication in load tests

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3. Documentation

  • Document authentication configuration
  • Prepare troubleshooting guides
  • Share best practices