Are tour clients trusting the RADIUS server certificate directly?

First, we have configured our Windows clients to trust any certificates from 
our CA, only connect to particular servers (DNS Name), and not prompt to trust 
new certificates. Our Apple devices (OSX & iOS) are set to trust our CA 
certificates for EAP. This permits us to renew our RADIUS certificates, unless 
we change certificate name or CA.

Second, we use CloudPath Xpressconnect to allow our users to self-provision 
their personal devices for our 802.1X network. Our university-owned machines 
have the network configuration pushed out centrally.


Bruce Osborne
Network Engineer
IT Network Services

(434) 592-4229

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Training Champions for Christ since 1971

From: Williams, Mr. Michael [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 11:34 AM
Subject: Verifying or Validating Server Certificate when using WPA/WPA2 and 
8021x WLAN

Our wireless network consists of a two Cisco wireless controller, 240 APs and 
we use Cisco ACS 5.2 as our RADIUS server.   One of our wireless networks is 
configured to use WPA/WPA2 with 802.1x and PEAP w/ MSCHAP v2.  After updating 
the server certificate on the ACS, our wireless users were asked to verify or 
validate the server certificate before gaining access to the wireless network.  
This requirement generates numerous helpdesk tickets and many more questions as 
to why the users must do this, when they don't have to do it on any other 
wireless network.    I have asked Cisco for assistance but they informed me 
that what we are seeing is the normal behavior for the wireless supplicants and 
that the user must manually verify the authentication server certificate when a 
wireless profile is created for the first time or after the server certificate 
is changed on the ACS.

I know we are not the only one seeing this requirements, numerous other 
University have publish wireless tutorials asking their user to verify the 
certificate as part of the initial setup of the wireless profile.  I know we 
can eliminate this requirement in Windows machines by just unchecking the 
validate certificate option, but this is not an option on iOS machines.  We use 
the 3rd party certificate by Incommon and have install both intermediate and 
root certificate on the ACS.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem?  Or is this just the default 
behavior of the supplicant that we are seeing?

Thank you for your assistance.

mike

Michael M. Williams
Network Systems Analyst
Information Technology Services
Tarleton State University
201st St. Felix Str.
Box T-0220
Stephenville, TX 76402

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