IPsec: Setup OPNsense for IKEv1 using XAuth

Index

• IPsec: Setup OPNsense for IKEv1 using XAuth

  • Step 1 - Create Certificates (only for RSA variants)

  • Step 2 - Mobile Clients

    • IKE Extensions

  • Step 3 - Phase 1 Mobile Clients

    • Phase 1 General information

    • Phase 1 proposal (Authentication)

    • Phase 1 proposal (Algorithms)

  • Step 3 - Phase 2 Mobile Clients

    • General information

    • Local Network

    • Phase 2 proposal (SA/Key Exchange)

  • Step 4 - Add IPsec Users

  • Step 5 - Add client certificate (for Mutual RSA)

  • Step 6 - Configure Client

  • Configure macOS Client

  • Configure iOS Client

  • Configure Android Client

XAuth was an addition to IKEv1 supporting user authentication credentials additionally to pre-shared keys or certificates. There are three different types supported by OPNsense which we will describe here.

Mutual PSK + XAuth: You define a pre-shared key which is the same for every user and after securing the channel the user authentication via XAuth comes into play. Mutual RSA + XAuth: Instead of using a pre-shared key, every device needs a client certificate to secure the connection plus XAuth for authentication. This is the most secure variant for IKEv1/XAuth but also with the most work to do. Hybrid RSA + XAuth: Hybrid RSA is the same as Mutual, without the need for a client certificate. Only the server will be authenticated (like using HTTPS) to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks like with Mutual PSK. It is more secure than PSK but does not need the complete roll-out process like with Mutual RSA.

We assume you have read the first part at Road Warriors - Setup Remote Access

Step 1 - Create Certificates (only for RSA variants)

For Mutual RSA + XAuth and Hybrid RSA + XAuth you need to create a Root CA and a server certificate for your Firewall.

For more information read Setup Self-Signed Certificate Chains

Step 2 - Mobile Clients

First we will need to setup the mobile clients network and authentication source. Go to VPN ‣ IPsec ‣ Mobile Clients

For our example will use the following settings:

IKE Extensions

Enable	checked	check to enable mobile clients
User Authentication	Local Database	For the example we use the Local Database
Group Authentication	none	Leave on none
Virtual Address Pool	10.10.0.0/24	Enter the IP range for the remote clients

You can select other options, but we will leave them all unchecked for this example.

Save your settings and select Create Phase1 when it appears. Then enter the Mobile Client Phase 1 setting.

Step 3 - Phase 1 Mobile Clients

Phase 1 General information

Connection method	default	default is ‘Start on traffic’
Key Exchange version	V1	XAuth only works on V1
Internet Protocol	IPv4
Interface	WAN	choose the interface connected to the internet
Description	MobileIPsec	freely chosen description

Phase 1 proposal (Authentication)

Authentication method	XAuth	Choose one of the three available options
Negotiation mode	Main Mode	Use Main Mode here
My identifier	Distinguished Name	Set the FQDN you used within certificate, for PSK use “My IP address”
Pre-shared Key	Shared secret	For Mutual PSK + XAuth use this PSK, otherwise certificate below
My Certificate	Certificate	Choose the certificate from dropdown list, only valid for RSA variants

Phase 1 proposal (Algorithms)

Encryption algorithm	AES	For our example we will use AES/256 bits
Hash algoritm	SHA1, SHA256	SHA1 and SHA256 for compatibility
DH key group	1024, 2048 bit	1024 and 2048 bit for compatibility
Lifetime	28800 sec	lifetime before renegotiation

Advanced Options are fine by default.

Save your settings.

Step 3 - Phase 2 Mobile Clients

Press the button + in front of the phase 1 entry to add a new phase 2.

General information

Mode	Tunnel IPv4	Select Tunnel mode
Description	MobileIPsecP2	Freely chosen description

Local Network

Local Network

LAN subnet

Route the local LAN subnet

Phase 2 proposal (SA/Key Exchange)

Protocol	ESP	Choose ESP for encryption
Encryption algorithms	AES / 256	For this example we use AES 256
Hash algorithms	SHA1, SHA256	Same as before, mix SHA1 and SHA256
PFS Key group	off	Most mobile systems do not support PFS in Phase2
Lifetime	3600 sec

Save your settings and Enable IPsec, Select:

Note

If you already had IPsec enabled and added Road Warrior setup, it is important to restart the whole service via services widget in the upper right corner of IPSec pages or via System ‣ Diagnostics ‣ Services ‣ Strongswan since applying configuration only reloads it, but a restart also loads the required modules of strongSwan.

Step 4 - Add IPsec Users

Go to System ‣ Access ‣ Users and press the + sign in the lower right corner to add a new user.

Enter the following into the form:

User Name	expert
Password	&test!9T

Save to apply.

Step 5 - Add client certificate (for Mutual RSA)

This step is only needed for Mutual RSA + XAuth!

Go to System ‣ Trust ‣ Certificates and create a new client certificate. Just click Add, choose your CA and probably increase the lifetime. Everything else besides the CN can be left default. Give a Common Name and Save. Download the newly created certificate as PKCS12 and export it to you enduser device.

Step 6 - Configure Client

To illustrate the client setup we will look at the configuration under macOS, including some screenshots. The configurations for Android and iOS will be settings only.

Note

Configuration samples listed here where created using latest macOS, iOS and Android devices on time of publication in February 2016.

Configure macOS Client

Start with opening your network settings (System Preferences ‣ Network) and Add a new network by pressing the + in the lower left corner.

Now select VPN and Cisco IPSec, give your connection a name and press Create.

Now enter the details for our connection:

Next press Authentication Settings to add the group name and pre-shared key.

Press OK to save these settings and then Apply to apply them.

Now test the connection by selecting it from the list and hit Connect.

Done

Configure iOS Client

To add a VPN connection on an iOS device go to Settings ‣ General ‣ VPN. Select Add VPN Configuration chose IPsec and use the Following Settings:

Description	IPsec OPNsense	Freely chosen description
Server	172.18.0.164	Our server address
Account	expert	Username of the remote account
Password	&test!9T	Leave blank to be prompted every time
Preshared IPsec-key	At4aDMOAOub2NwT6gMHA	Our PSK

Configure Android Client

To add a VPN connection on an Android device go to Settings ‣ Connections ‣ more networks, select VPN. Press the + in the top right corner to add a new VPN connection.

Use the Following Settings:

Name	IPsec OPNsense	Freely chosen name
Type	IPSec Xauth PSK	As configured in OPNsense
Server address	172.18.0.164	Our server address
Preshared IPsec-key	At4aDMOAOub2NwT6gMHA	Our PSK

Save and try connecting. To connect enter Username and Password for the user expert we created in this example.