EPC configuration for iOS Mobile Connect Connections

03/26/2020 1184 16758

DESCRIPTION:

Mobile Connect VPN connections can be checked and provisioned in a separate EPC zones. This article will explain the different EPC definition checks that can be performed with the iOS devices when connecting with the Mobile Connect client. We recommend a separate EPC zone and Profile for Mobile Connect connections as the definition settings would be different from other client machines connections and checks.

CAUSE:

Admin would like to provide access to resources based on some properties of the iOS phones like Equipment ID, Certificate, iOS version, etc.,

RESOLUTION:

1. EPC Check for UDID/Equipment ID:

Step 1: Obtaining the Equipment ID: ActiveSync based EPC check uses the serial number of the iOS device whereas for Mobile Connect client, we will be using the UDID of the device. Users can find the UDID using iTunes or from the SMA appliance System message log / Unregistered device log.

Once we launch iTunes, we need to click on the serial number of the Phone and then we can see the UDID details as shown below:

To get the Equipment ID from the appliance, define a EPC Profile using Variable.

a) Create a variable from Resources - Variables. Click New. Configure a Name for the variable, Type as User attribute, Select the Realm and then select the appropriate attribute in which you will configure the Equipment ID of the user. Save.

b) Navigate to End Point Control Profiles - Add a new iOS profile - Set Type as Equipment ID. In the Device Identifier field, select the variable. Select the checkbox "Match profile if user has no registered devices"

c) Add to Current Attributes, Save and add the profile in the zone. Add the zone to appropriate community.

Now the user does not have any Equipment ID entered in the attribute, so the first connection will be allowed and following log will be seen in the appliance System message logs.

The same Equipment ID can be found in Unregistered device log:

Step 2: As we now have the Equipment ID of the devices,  configure the same in the respective user's attribute. From then on, only the configured IDs will be allowed.

2. EPC Check for Client certificates

For configuring a client certificate profile, Click Here

3. EPC check for iOS version

a. Configure the EPC profile to allow certain iOS based devices only. In the following example, we are allowing connections only from iOS 4.2.1 & later.



4. EPC check for Application or Directory to deny Jailbroken phone access

Finally customers can deny Jailbroken phones from connecting to the network using the mobile connect client by defining EPC checks for Jailbroken applications and File names. Phones matching these profiles can be provisioned to a deny zone.

a. Check for Jailbroken application Directory

b. Check for File names



Based on the above results, we can provision Jailbroken phones in a separate EPC zone. The following is the Realm configuration example used to test the above definitions. As you can see we are using the same realm to connect regular clients and Mobile Connect clients.