Policy Server Guides › Policy Server Configuration Guide › Authentication Schemes › X.509 Client Certificate Authentication Schemes

X.509 Client Certificate Authentication Schemes

X.509 client certificates provide cryptographic proof of a user's identity. The certificate, supplied by a certificate vendor, is unique, and can be used to identify the user who attempts to access a protected resource.

The certificate contains the following information:

• Name of the subscriber (user)—This is a unique name called the distinguished name.
• Public key of the subscriber
• Operational period for the certificate
• Name of the Certificate Authority that issued the certificate
• Certificate serial number

The X.509 Client Certificate authentication scheme is the method SiteMinder uses to implement certificate authentication. SiteMinder's X.509 Client Certificate authentication consists of two parts:

• Establishing an SSL connection and collecting the client certificate information.
• Identifying a user in a directory service based on the client certificate and optionally verifying this certificate with the directory.