How to enable Session with SSL wsHttpBinding in WCF

Question

I have a WCF Service with wsHttpBindings and SSL enabled, but I\'d like to enable WCF sessions.

After changing SessionMode to required

SessionMode:         


        

Answer 1

If you want "sessions" with wsHttpBinding, you have to use either reliable messaging, or the security sessions. (source : how to enable WCF Session with wsHttpBidning with Transport only Security).

WSHttpBinding supports session but only if either security (SecureConversation) or reliable messaging are enabled. If you are using transport security then it is not using WS-SecureConversation and WS-ReliableMessaging is turned off by default. Therefore the two protocols that WSHttpBinding uses for session are not available. You either need to use message security or turn on reliable session. (source : http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wcf/thread/57b3453e-e7e8-4875-ba23-3be4fff080ea/).

We’ve disallowed RM over Https in the standard bindings because the way to secure an RM session is to use a security session and Https does not provide session.

I found the msdn blurb about it here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms733136.aspx The blurb is “The only exception is when using HTTPS. The SSL session is not bound to the reliable session. This imposes a threat because sessions sharing a security context (the SSL session) are not protected from each other; this might or might not be a real threat depending on the application.”

However you can do it if you determine there is no threat. There is an RM over HTTPS sample via custom binding http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms735116.aspx (source : http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/wcf/thread/fb4e5e31-e9b0-4c24-856d-1c464bd0039c/).

To sum up your possibilities you can either :

1 - Keep wsHttpBinding, remove transport security and enable reliable messaging

But you loose the SSL layer and then part of your security.

2 - Keep wsHttpBinding, keep transport security and add message authentication

You get to keep your SSL security layer but your client will have to provide credentials (of any form) and even if you don't validate them at the service side, fake ones must still be provided as WCF will reject any message not specifying credentials.

3 - Use a custom binding with reliable messaging and HTTPS transport

I can't see any downside to this except the threat explained in MSDN, and it depends on your application.

4 - Use other session providers If your application is hotsed in IIS, you could set

and depend on the

HttpContext.Current.Session

for your state.

Or implementing your own cookies.

PS : Note that for all those WCF configuration, I only tested service activation, not calls.

EDIT : As per user request, wsHttpBinding with TransportWithMessageCredential security mode implementing sessions (I'm not too familiar with VB.NET so pardon my syntax) :

Service code snippet :

Public Interface IService1

     _
    Sub SetSessionValue(ByVal value As Integer)

     _
    Function GetSessionValue() As Nullable(Of Integer)

End Interface


Public Class Service1
    Implements IService1

    Private _sessionValue As Nullable(Of Integer)

    Public Sub SetSessionValue(ByVal value As Integer) Implements IService1.SetSessionValue
        _sessionValue = value
    End Sub

    Public Function GetSessionValue() As Nullable(Of Integer) Implements IService1.GetSessionValue
        Return _sessionValue
    End Function
End Class

Public Class MyUserNamePasswordValidator
    Inherits System.IdentityModel.Selectors.UserNamePasswordValidator

    Public Overrides Sub Validate(userName As String, password As String)
        ' Credential validation logic
        Return ' Accept anything
    End Sub

End Class

service Configuration snippet :

Client test code snippet :

Imports System.Threading.Tasks

Module Module1

    Sub Main()
        Parallel.For(0, 10, Sub(i) Test(i))
        Console.ReadLine()
    End Sub

    Sub Test(ByVal i As Integer)
        Dim client As ServiceReference1.Service1Client
        client = New ServiceReference1.Service1Client()
        client.ClientCredentials.UserName.UserName = "login"
        client.ClientCredentials.UserName.Password = "password"
        Console.WriteLine("Session N° {0} : Value set to {0}", i)
        client.SetSessionValue(i)
        Dim response As Nullable(Of Integer)
        response = client.GetSessionValue()
        Console.WriteLine("Session N° {0} : Value returned : {0}", response)
        client.Close()
    End Sub

End Module