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

X.509 Client Certificate Authentication Schemes

SiteMinder supports the use of X.509 V3 client certificates. Digital certificates act as cryptographic proof of a user's identity. Once a certificate is installed on a client, that certificate can be used to verify the identity of a user who is accessing a resource. Certificate authentication uses SSL communication and can be combined with basic authentication to provide an even higher level of access security.

The Administrative UI provides authentication scheme templates for the following certificate-based authentication schemes:

• X.509 Client Certificates
• X.509 Client Certificates and Basic
• X.509 Client Certificates or Basic
• X.509 Client Certificates and HTML Forms
• X.509 Client Certificates or HTML Forms

Note: In the case of certificate-only authentication schemes, the web agent returns HTTP Error 403: Access Denied/Forbidden for any failed authentication or authorization attempt. This is because there is no way for the web agent to challenge the user for a new certificate.