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Cisco AnyConnect VPN is a remote access software to replacement the old Cisco VPN client which it can be downloaded from ASA firewall via web browser. It is a best VPN solution providing the remote access user to use the AnyConnect VPN client to connect to the Cisco ASA firewall and will receive an IP address from a remote access VPN pool, then allowing full access to the internal network.
In this article will show how to configure Cisco AnyConnect remote access VPN on Cisco ASA firewalls IOS version 9.x to allow remote access user connect to internal network remotely.
Cisco AnyConnect VPN is a remote access software to replacement the old Cisco VPN client which it can be downloaded from ASA firewall via web browser. But please note that ASAv, which utilizes Cisco Smart Licensing, doesn't require any AnyConnect license to be physically applied to the actual platform. The same licenses must still be purchased and you must still link the Contract number to your Cisco.com ID for SW Center access and tech support.
In this article of configuring Cisco AnyConnect remote access software, it is assumed that:
a. You already have Cisco ASAv on GNS3 VM up and running. In case that you don’t, please follow this link. Configuring Cisco ASAv QCOW2 with GNS3 VM
b. You have already downloaded Cisco AnyConnect remote access software (anyconnect-win-4.3.05017-k9.pkg) PKG file from the Cisco website. Cisco service contract is needed to be able to download it.
Cisco Asav Anyconnect License
To demonstrate configuring Cisco AnyConnect remote access VPN on Cisco ASA firewalls IOS version 9.x, we will set up a GNS3 lab as the following diagram.
There is a Cisco ASAv firewall virtual server and there is one Cisco router act as client in the internal network connected to ASAv firewall virtual server interface inside. Another ASAv firewall virtual server interface is outside interface connect to the real physical computer via GNS3 Cloud. So, we use the real physical computer as the remote access client connect to router in the local network. Also, the Lab will use IP subnet 172.16.0.0/24 for assign for remote access clients. The following is the IP configuration of each device.
On Cisco ASAv firewall virtual server
On Cisco router
Mac store applications. The first thing to do of configuring Cisco AnyConnect remote access vpn is to copy AnyConnect client package into the firewall via TFTP server.
After the Cisco AnyConnect remote access software has been copied into ASAv firewall virtual server, we need to enable the WebVPN on on the outside interface of ASAv firewall virtual server and specify the AnyConnect image to be downloaded via web browser by remote access users.
We need to configure a pool with IP addresses for ASAv firewall virtual server to assign IP addresses to all remote access users that connect with Cisco AnyConnect remote access VPN client.
By default after remote access user is connected successfully, all traffic will be sent through the tunnel and they cannot access to any internet websites. To allow remote access users to access the Internet while they are connected with Cisco AnyConnect remote access software, we need to configure split tunneling. We need to create an access-list that specifies what networks we want to reach through the tunnel as the following.
Cisco AnyConnect remote access vpn need a Group Policies to specify the parameters that are applied to clients when they connect. In our case now, we’ll create a group policy named “GP-RemoteAcessVPN”.
A connection profile which is also known as a tunnel group is needed when the remote access vpn clients connect to the ASAv firewall virtual server. This tunnel group is used to define the specific connection parameters we want our remote access VPN clients to use.
The remote access clients will need to be assigned an IP address during login, so we’ll also set up a DHCP pool for them.
We need to create the remote access vpn user account on ASAv firewall virtual server to allow them access to the internal network. Below user will can only use AnyConnect remote access VPN and cannot login the ASAv firewall virtual server.
All the configuration for Cisco AnyConnect remote access VPN is now in ready on the ASAv firewall virtual server. Now we can start testing by accessing to IP address of the outside interface on ASAv firewall virtual server which is our case now is 192.168.229.131 and download install the Cisco AnyConnect remote access software to install on the client computer.
After finished installing the Cisco AnyConnect remote access software on the client computer, we can start the application and enter the IP address of the ASAv firewall virtual server, the click “Connect”.
Enter the username and password of the Cisco AnyConnect remote access VPN account that we create in the above step, then click “OK” to connect.
The remote access VPN client now should be able to successfully connected to the ASAv firewall virtual server.
We can verify if the remote access VPN client cannot access to the internet network or not by test ping to the router IP address with is “10.0.0.2” and we should get the successful ping result as the below.
Normal, Dynamic NAT is configured on Cisco ASA firewall appliance to provide internet access to all computers within a specific subnet in the Local Area Network (LAN). In this case, we need to configure NAT Exemption to exclude the remote access VPN subnet of Cisco AnyConnect remote access software from Dynamic NAT, otherwise the remote access VPN client cannot access to the resource within the internal network.
Now you should be able to configure Cisco AnyConnect Remote Access VPN on Cisco ASA firewall appliance with IOS version 9.x. It is recommended that you try it by your own self using GNS3 MV to verify your understanding. If you have any questions or suggestions you can always leave your comments below. I will try all of my best to review and reply them.
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Azure Multi-Factor Authentication Server (Azure MFA Server) can be used to seamlessly connect with various third-party VPN solutions. This article focuses on Cisco® ASA VPN appliance, Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN appliance, and the Juniper Networks Secure Access/Pulse Secure Connect Secure SSL VPN appliance. We created configuration guides to address these three common appliances. Azure MFA Server can also integrate with most other systems that use RADIUS, LDAP, IIS, or claims-based authentication to AD FS. You can find more details in Azure MFA Server configurations.
Important
As of July 1, 2019, Microsoft no longer offers MFA Server for new deployments. New customers that want to require multi-factor authentication (MFA) during sign-in events should use cloud-based Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication.
To get started with cloud-based MFA, see Tutorial: Secure user sign-in events with Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication.
If you use cloud-based MFA, see Integrate your VPN infrastructure with Azure MFA.
Existing customers that activated MFA Server before July 1, 2019 can download the latest version, future updates, and generate activation credentials as usual.
Cisco ASA VPN appliance and Azure MFA Server
Azure MFA Server integrates with your Cisco® ASA VPN appliance to provide additional security for Cisco AnyConnect® VPN logins and portal access. You can use either the LDAP or RADIUS protocol. Select one of the following to download the detailed step-by-step configuration guides.
| Configuration Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Cisco ASA with Anyconnect VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for LDAP | Integrate your Cisco ASA VPN appliance with Azure MFA using LDAP |
| Cisco ASA with Anyconnect VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for RADIUS | Integrate your Cisco ASA VPN appliance with Azure MFA using RADIUS |
Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN and Azure MFA Server
Azure MFA Server integrates with your Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN appliance to provide additional security for Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN logins and portal access. You can use either the LDAP or RADIUS protocol. Select one of the following to download the detailed step-by-step configuration guides.
| Configuration Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for LDAP | Integrate your Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN with Azure MFA appliance using LDAP |
| Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for RADIUS | Integrate your Citrix NetScaler SSL VPN appliance with Azure MFA using RADIUS |
Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN appliance and Azure MFA Server
Azure MFA Server integrates with your Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN appliance to provide additional security for Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN logins and portal access. You can use either the LDAP or RADIUS protocol. Select one of the following to download the detailed step-by-step configuration guides.
| Configuration Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for LDAP | Integrate your Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN with Azure MFA appliance using LDAP |
| Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN and Azure MFA Configuration for RADIUS | Integrate your Juniper/Pulse Secure SSL VPN appliance with Azure MFA using RADIUS |
Cisco Asav Anyconnect Software
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