The document discusses security management in GeoServer using Geofence, detailing authentication and authorization processes for user access control. It explains how different authentication methods can be implemented through various filter chains and emphasizes the role-based authorization system. Additionally, it covers the Geofence framework's functionality in managing user permissions and rules within GeoServer, including its integration and REST API for user management and rule configuration.

1. Mastering Security with
GeoServer and GeoFence
Ing. Mauro Bartolomeoli
Ing. Emanuele Tajariol
Ing. Simone Giannecchini
GeoSolutions

2. GeoSolutions
 Founded in Italy in late 2006
 Expertise
• Image Processing, GeoSpatial Data Fusion
• Java, Java Enterprise, C++, Python
• JPEG2000, JPIP, Advanced 2D visualization
 Supporting/Developing FOSS4G projects
 GeoServer, MapStore
 GeoNetwork, GeoNode, Ckan
 Clients
 Public Agencies
 Private Companies
 http://www.geo-solutions.it

3. Overview
 GeoServer security handles
 Authentication (filtering and credential checks)
 Authorization (resource access managers)

4. Authentication

5. The filter chains
 Different chains for different URL groups
 Each chain authenticates in a different way by
composigin different filters

6.  UI chain, with form, HTTP session (creation
allowed), and remember me services
 OGC one, lighter, will use session if available,
no creation
Different usage, different chain

7. Available auth filters
 Gathering user credentials (and eventually invoking
authentication providers chain)
 Basic
 Form
 Digest
 Anonymous (always the last)
 Preauthentication (and eventually load user details from
user/group and/or role service)
 Session
 HTTP Header
 X.509
 Remember Me
 J2EE
 Easy to implement and plug new filters
 Missing: authenticate from environment variables (e.g. Shibboleth SSO)

8. Authentication providers
 Given credentials pulled from the filters, who
is the user?
Search in
user/group
database
Auth as a
LDAP user
Auth as a
DBMS user
XML DBMS
tables
Authentication
providers
User/Group
service
Pluggable

9. Role providers
 Given the user, what are her roles in
GeoServer?
 Fundamental, authorization is role based
 Extensible, new providers can be built
LDAP DBMS XMLDBMS
tables

10. Extensions
 CAS (https://www.apereo.org/cas): Single Sign On
integration
 Authkey: simple UUID to user mapper
 Simple key in the URL (must use HTTPS)
 Allows authentication unware clients to participate
 Pluggable: possibility to define custom mappers (e.g.
webservices)
 URLMangler to add authkey to OGC request transparently (via
GetCapabilities)

11. Authorization

12. Authorization
 Given the user and her roles
 Can the current «action» on the current «resource»
be allowed?
 Action:
 Generic read/write
 Specific OGC service/method call
 Resource
 Workspace
 Layer
 Layer Group
 Style

13. ResourceAccessManager
 Pluggable interface, multiple implementations
 Define AccessLimits for the various Catalog
Resources (Workspace, Layer, Style, LayerGroup)
 Can access the current request
(service/method/details)
 Allows for fine grained limits
 Attributes visible
 Read filters (which features can be read)
 Write filters (which features can be written)
 Filters:
 Alphanumeric
 Temporal
 Spatial

14. Implementations
 Default security subsystem
 Simple per workspace/layer authentication
 GeoFence
 External application or embedded as a plugin
 Full use of ResourceAccessManager abilities
 Other custom implementations
 Integrate with existing in-house authorization
mechanism
 Quite popular in large enterprise setup

15. GeoFence

16. GeoFence
 Extended A&A for GeoServer
 Optional Authentication, Sophisticated
authorization
 Open Source, GPL
https://github.com/geoserver/geofence

17. Structure

18. Stand alone User interface

19. User management

20. GeoFence rules
 Authorizations are expressed as a
priority-based rule set:
 Type of Rules are ALLOW/DENY/LIMIT
 The first matching rule is the one that determines
the outcome of the auth request

21. GeoFence rules matching
 Rules are matched based on:
 Username
 Group the provided user belongs to
 GeoServer Instance (single GeoFence 
multiple GS clusters)
 OGC Service (e.g., WMS)
 OGC Service Operation (e.g., GetFeatureInfo)
 Workspace (E.g. it.geosolutions)
 Layer name (E.g. topp:states)

22. Example
Example
 Let’s assume we have configured these rules :
 User:u1, Service:WMS, Workspace:W1, ALLOW
 User:u1, DENY
 These rules will grant access for user u1 to
 all the layers in worspace W1
 only for WMS requests
 All other types of requests will be DENIED.

23. Restrictions (LIMIT rules)
 When an ALLOW rule is matched, the user will
have access to the requested resource:
  Restrictions on available area
  Restrictions on alphanumeric
conditions

24. Restrictions (LIMIT rules)
  Restrictions on available attributes

25. Stand-alone GeoFence
 Geofence Probe
(ResourceAccessManager)
calls stand-alone GeoFence REST
services
 A cache is setup to minimize network
traffic
 A cache can be configured on
different aspects: number of entries,
expiration time
 The cache provides REST operations
(using GeoServer’s own REST
dispatcher) in order to
 Invalidate the cache
 Query the cache statistics

26. GeoFence REST API
 REST interface for administration  automation
 Complete CRUD access to the various entities
managed by GeoFence:
 Users and groups
 GeoServer instances
 Rules
 Paging support
 Priority ordering in rules is fundamental: different ways
to insert and set a position for the new rules
 Batch mode, backup and restore available
 See details at:
https://github.com/geosolutions-it/geofence/wiki/REST-API

27. GeoFence direct integration

28. GeoFence integration
 Simple setups demand simple solution
 Have GeoFence run inside GeoServer
 Integration similar to GWC one, runs like a plugin
GeoServer GeoWebCache
GeoFence
Rules DB

29. Baby steps
 Born as a more future-proof alternative to improving
the internal security subsystem
 Community module, available via nightly builds
 Delivers a subset of the full functionality:
access/deny/limit based on mix of
roles/user/layer/workspace/service/request
 Integrated UI

30. General Configuration

31. General Configuration (continued)

32. Creating rules

33. Rules list

34. Example 1

35. Example 1 – layer preview

36. Example 2

37. Example 2 – layer preview

38. TODO
 Allow to edit LIMIT rules
 Force default style
 Limit attributes
 Filter contents
 Control writes at the rule level
 Better/Easier way to re-order rules between pages
(drag and drop can be used on the same page)
 Migrate old security system rules to GeoFence as
possible

39. That’s all folks!
Questions?
info@geo-solutions.it