webConfigurator authentication error

Eugene_Tar

Hi!

There is a problem with access to the web configurator. Authentication failed on any login. Did a password reset, restart of services (menu items 3, 11, 16). Does not allow access to the web with default admin/pfsense values. Though on ssh access with these values is.

*** Welcome to pfSense 2.7.0-RELEASE (amd64) on prod-vpn-ovpn1 ***

WAN (wan) -> vmx0 -> v4/DHCP4: ***

Logout (SSH only) 9) pfTop
Assign Interfaces 10) Filter Logs
Set interface(s) IP address 11) Restart webConfigurator
Reset webConfigurator password 12) PHP shell + pfSense tools
Reset to factory defaults 13) Update from console
Reboot system 14) Disable Secure Shell (sshd)
Halt system 15) Restore recent configuration
Ping host 16) Restart PHP-FPM
Shell

Enter an option:
Message from syslogd@prod-vpn-ovpn1 at Aug 16 14:43:38 ...
php-fpm[47801]: /index.php: webConfigurator authentication error for user 'admin' from: ***

What could be the problem?

the other

@Eugene_Tar
hey there,
do you have login protection active?
Under System > Advanced > admin access it can be found...
So, maybe you just tried too many times wirth a wrong password and are now blocked from loggin in for that special IP?

Gertjan

@the-other said in webConfigurator authentication error:

So, maybe you just tried too many times wirth a wrong password and are now blocked from loggin in for that special IP?

If that was the case, this protection would lists the IP into a firewall table.
In that case there will be no more system logs, as the firewall just drops the connection, and ngnix, the pfSense webConfigurator, never sees the connection.

This is a special case.
The issue is situated between the chair and the keyboard, and this time : the keyboard is included.
Example : map your French keyboard to a Spanish one (I know, why would some one do so ? Dono, but many manage to so anyway).
Or a key is dead.
Or the index finger has a half inch offset ...

The user name : 'admin' is build in, and should not be tampered with.

Use the console and change your password.
Make it '1234'.
And type first '1234' on a visible command line, so you can double check that the keyboard works.
Then set '1234'.
Then try the GUI again.

Eugene_Tar

@the-other said in webConfigurator authentication error:

hey there,
do you have login protection active?
Under System > Advanced > admin access it can be found...
So, maybe you just tried too many times wirth a wrong password and are now blocked from loggin in for that special IP?

Hi!
" Under System > Advanced > admin access it can be found..." - i can't check this without web access )) But as far as I remember, such settings were not made.

IP blocking of course occurs after 3 such consecutive errors, but this is not it.

It looks like the web does not see local users even after resetting the password. I tried to add new users through the shell, but they are also not allowed on the web (although there is access through ssh). I suppose that for web access the system does not use users from the shell, but some kind of database, but I can not find it.

Eugene_Tar

@Gertjan said in webConfigurator authentication error:

Use the console and change your password.
Make it '1234'.
And type first '1234' on a visible command line, so you can double check that the keyboard works.
Then set '1234'.
Then try the GUI again.

Yes, I tried changing the admin password (even root))
Added new users, the result is the same)

Gertjan

@Eugene_Tar said in webConfigurator authentication error:

I suppose that for web access the system does not use users from the shell, but some kind of database, but I can not find it.

Correct - or pretty close.

Still, check the good old famous /etc/passwd as every OS has one since 1960, except the one from Redmond.

The GUI, webConfigurator, uses /cf/conf/config.xml, pfSense one and only config file - just a plain text file, very readable.

Btw : pfSense 2.7.0, right ?

Eugene_Tar

@Gertjan

Yes, the current version is 2.7.0. The problem started when it was 2.5.1, I updated it via the console with the hope that it would help)

/etc/passwd looks well:

admin:*:0:0::/root:/etc/rc.initial

but this refers to the command shell, it does not correlate much with the web)

Thanks for the tip on /cf/conf/config.xml, I'll try looking there.

Gertjan

@Eugene_Tar said in webConfigurator authentication error:

2.5.1

Oh boy. That one is ancient. Coming from that one I would (free advise !) re install, and while doing so, use the new, way better, ZFS file system.

@Eugene_Tar said in webConfigurator authentication error:

/cf/conf/config.xm

Make a backup copy of this file.

Then, from the console menu

Reset webConfigurator password

or even better : option 4.

Now the password is known and default.
It still doesn't work ? You're good for a complete re install. This will solve the issue for sure with just one silly side effect : we'll never known what went wrong.