[role="xpack"]
[[security-troubleshooting]]
== Troubleshooting security
++++
<titleabbrev>Troubleshooting</titleabbrev>
++++

Use the information in this section to troubleshoot common problems and find
answers for frequently asked questions.

* <<security-trb-settings>>
* <<security-trb-roles>>
* <<security-trb-extraargs>>
* <<trouble-shoot-active-directory>>
* <<trb-security-maccurl>>
* <<trb-security-sslhandshake>>
* <<trb-security-ssl>>
* <<trb-security-kerberos>>
* <<trb-security-saml>>
* <<trb-security-internalserver>>
* <<trb-security-setup>>
* <<trb-security-path>>


For issues that you cannot fix yourself … we’re here to help.
If you are an existing Elastic customer with a support contract, please create
a ticket in the
https://support.elastic.co/customers/s/login/[Elastic Support portal].
Or post in the https://discuss.elastic.co/[Elastic forum].

[[security-trb-settings]]
=== Some settings are not returned via the nodes settings API

*Symptoms:*

* When you use the {ref}/cluster-nodes-info.html[nodes info API] to retrieve
settings for a node, some information is missing.

*Resolution:*

This is intentional. Some of the settings are considered to be highly
sensitive: all `ssl` settings, ldap `bind_dn`, and `bind_password`.
For this reason, we filter these settings and do not expose them via
the nodes info API rest endpoint. You can also define additional
sensitive settings that should be hidden using the
`xpack.security.hide_settings` setting. For example, this snippet
hides the `url` settings of the `ldap1` realm and all settings of the
`ad1` realm.

[source, yaml]
------------------------------------------
xpack.security.hide_settings: xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap1.url,
xpack.security.authc.realms.ad1.*
------------------------------------------

[[security-trb-roles]]
=== Authorization exceptions

*Symptoms:*

* I configured the appropriate roles and the users, but I still get an
authorization exception.
* I can authenticate to LDAP, but I still get an authorization exception.


*Resolution:*

. Verify that the role names associated with the users match the roles defined
in the `roles.yml` file. You can use the `elasticsearch-users` tool to list all
the users. Any unknown roles are marked with `*`.
+
--
[source, shell]
------------------------------------------
bin/elasticsearch-users list
rdeniro        : admin
alpacino       : power_user
jacknich       : monitoring,unknown_role* <1>
------------------------------------------
<1> `unknown_role` was not found in `roles.yml`

For more information about this command, see the
<<users-command,`elasticsearch-users` command>>.
--

. If you are authenticating to LDAP, a number of configuration options can cause
this error.
+
--
|======================
|_group identification_ |

Groups are located by either an LDAP search or by the "memberOf" attribute on
the user. Also, If subtree search is turned off, it will search only one
level deep. For all the options, see <<ref-ldap-settings>>.
There are many options here and sticking to the defaults will not work for all
scenarios.

| _group to role mapping_|

Either the `role_mapping.yml` file or the location for this file could be
misconfigured. For more information, see {ref}/security-files.html[Security files].

|_role definition_|

The role definition might be missing or invalid.

|======================

To help track down these possibilities, add the following lines to the end of
the `log4j2.properties` configuration file in the `ES_PATH_CONF`:

[source,properties]
----------------
logger.authc.name = org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc
logger.authc.level = DEBUG
----------------

A successful authentication should produce debug statements that list groups and
role mappings.
--

[[security-trb-extraargs]]
=== Users command fails due to extra arguments

*Symptoms:*

* The `elasticsearch-users` command fails with the following message:
`ERROR: extra arguments [...] were provided`.

*Resolution:*

This error occurs when the `elasticsearch-users` tool is parsing the input and
finds unexpected arguments. This can happen when there are special characters
used in some of the arguments. For example, on Windows systems the `,` character
is considered a parameter separator; in other words `-r role1,role2` is
translated to `-r role1 role2` and the `elasticsearch-users` tool only
recognizes `role1` as an expected parameter. The solution here is to quote the
parameter: `-r "role1,role2"`.

For more information about this command, see
{ref}/users-command.html[`elasticsearch-users` command].

[[trouble-shoot-active-directory]]
=== Users are frequently locked out of Active Directory

*Symptoms:*

* Certain users are being frequently locked out of Active Directory.

*Resolution:*

Check your realm configuration; realms are checked serially, one after another.
If your Active Directory realm is being checked before other realms and there
are usernames that appear in both Active Directory and another realm, a valid
login for one realm might be causing failed login attempts in another realm.

For example, if `UserA` exists in both Active Directory and a file realm, and
the Active Directory realm is checked first and file is checked second, an
attempt to authenticate as `UserA` in the file realm would first attempt to
authenticate against Active Directory and fail, before successfully
authenticating against the `file` realm. Because authentication is verified on
each request, the Active Directory realm would be checked - and fail - on each
request for `UserA` in the `file` realm. In this case, while the authentication
request completed successfully, the account on Active Directory would have
received several failed login attempts, and that account might become
temporarily locked out. Plan the order of your realms accordingly.

Also note that it is not typically necessary to define multiple Active Directory
realms to handle domain controller failures. When using Microsoft DNS, the DNS
entry for the domain should always point to an available domain controller.


[[trb-security-maccurl]]
=== Certificate verification fails for curl on Mac

*Symptoms:*

* `curl` on the Mac returns a certificate verification error even when the
`--cacert` option is used.


*Resolution:*

Apple's integration of `curl` with their keychain technology disables the
`--cacert` option.
See http://curl.haxx.se/mail/archive-2013-10/0036.html for more information.

You can use another tool, such as `wget`, to test certificates. Alternately, you
can add the certificate for the signing certificate authority MacOS system
keychain, using a procedure similar to the one detailed at the
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14003[Apple knowledge base]. Be sure to add the
signing CA's certificate and not the server's certificate.


[[trb-security-sslhandshake]]
=== SSLHandshakeException causes connections to fail

*Symptoms:*

* A `SSLHandshakeException` causes a connection to a node to fail and indicates
that there is a configuration issue. Some of the common exceptions are shown
below with tips on how to resolve these issues.


*Resolution:*

`java.security.cert.CertificateException: No name matching node01.example.com found`::
+
--
Indicates that a client connection was made to `node01.example.com` but the
certificate returned did not contain the name `node01.example.com`. In most
cases, the issue can be resolved by ensuring the name is specified during
certificate creation. For more information, see <<encrypt-internode-communication>>. Another scenario is
when the environment does not wish to use DNS names in certificates at all. In
this scenario, all settings in `elasticsearch.yml` should only use IP addresses
including the `network.publish_host` setting.
--

`java.security.cert.CertificateException: No subject alternative names present`::
+
--
Indicates that a client connection was made to an IP address but the returned
certificate did not contain any `SubjectAlternativeName` entries. IP addresses
are only used for hostname verification if they are specified as a
`SubjectAlternativeName` during certificate creation. If the intent was to use
IP addresses for hostname verification, then the certificate will need to be
regenerated with the appropriate IP address. See <<encrypt-internode-communication>>.
--

`javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: null cert chain` and `javax.net.ssl.SSLException: Received fatal alert: bad_certificate`::
+
--
The `SSLHandshakeException` indicates that a self-signed certificate was
returned by the client that is not trusted as it cannot be found in the
`truststore` or `keystore`. This `SSLException` is seen on the client side of
the connection.
--

`sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: unable to find valid certification path to requested target` and `javax.net.ssl.SSLException: Received fatal alert: certificate_unknown`::
+
--
This `SunCertPathBuilderException` indicates that a certificate was returned
during the handshake that is not trusted. This message is seen on the client
side of the connection. The `SSLException` is seen on the server side of the
connection. The CA certificate that signed the returned certificate was not
found in the `keystore` or `truststore` and needs to be added to trust this
certificate.
--

`javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: Invalid ECDH ServerKeyExchange signature`::
+
--
The `Invalid ECDH ServerKeyExchange signature` can indicate that a key and a corresponding certificate don't match and are
causing the handshake to fail.
Verify the contents of each of the files you are using for your configured certificate authorities, certificates and keys. In particular, check that the key and certificate belong to the same key pair.
--

[[trb-security-ssl]]
=== Common SSL/TLS exceptions

*Symptoms:*

* You might see some exceptions related to SSL/TLS in your logs. Some of the
common exceptions are shown below with tips on how to resolve these issues. +



*Resolution:*

`WARN: received plaintext http traffic on a https channel, closing connection`::
+
--
Indicates that there was an incoming plaintext http request. This typically
occurs when an external applications attempts to make an unencrypted call to the
REST interface. Please ensure that all applications are using `https` when
calling the REST interface with SSL enabled.
--

`org.elasticsearch.common.netty.handler.ssl.NotSslRecordException: not an SSL/TLS record:`::
+
--
Indicates that there was incoming plaintext traffic on an SSL connection. This
typically occurs when a node is not configured to use encrypted communication
and tries to connect to nodes that are using encrypted communication. Please
verify that all nodes are using the same setting for
`xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled`.

For more information about this setting, see
{ref}/security-settings.html[Security Settings in {es}].
--

`java.io.StreamCorruptedException: invalid internal transport message format, got`::
+
--
Indicates an issue with data received on the transport interface in an unknown
format. This can happen when a node with encrypted communication enabled
connects to a node that has encrypted communication disabled. Please verify that
all nodes are using the same setting for `xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled`.

For more information about this setting, see
{ref}/security-settings.html[Security Settings in {es}].
--

`java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: empty text`::
+
--
This exception is typically seen when a `https` request is made to a node that
is not using `https`. If `https` is desired, please ensure the following setting
is in `elasticsearch.yml`:

[source,yaml]
----------------
xpack.security.http.ssl.enabled: true
----------------

For more information about this setting, see
{ref}/security-settings.html[Security Settings in {es}].
--

`ERROR: unsupported ciphers [...] were requested but cannot be used in this JVM`::
+
--
This error occurs when a SSL/TLS cipher suite is specified that cannot supported
by the JVM that {es} is running in. Security tries to use the specified cipher
suites that are supported by this JVM. This error can occur when using the
Security defaults as some distributions of OpenJDK do not enable the PKCS11
provider by default. In this case, we recommend consulting your JVM
documentation for details on how to enable the PKCS11 provider.

Another common source of this error is requesting cipher suites that use
encrypting with a key length greater than 128 bits when running on an Oracle JDK.
In this case, you must install the
<<ciphers, JCE Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files>>.
--

[[trb-security-kerberos]]
=== Common Kerberos exceptions

*Symptoms:*

* User authentication fails due to either GSS negotiation failure
or a service login failure (either on the server or in the {es} http client).
Some of the common exceptions are listed below with some tips to help resolve
them.

*Resolution:*

`Failure unspecified at GSS-API level (Mechanism level: Checksum failed)`::
+
--

When you see this error message on the HTTP client side, then it may be
related to an incorrect password.

When you see this error message in the {es} server logs, then it may be
related to the {es} service keytab. The keytab file is present but it failed
to log in as the user. Please check the keytab expiry. Also check whether the
keytab contain up-to-date credentials; if not, replace them.

You can use tools like `klist` or `ktab` to list principals inside
the keytab and validate them. You can use `kinit` to see if you can acquire
initial tickets using the keytab. Please check the tools and their documentation
in your Kerberos environment.

Kerberos depends on proper hostname resolution, so please check your DNS infrastructure.
Incorrect DNS setup, DNS SRV records or configuration for KDC servers in `krb5.conf`
can cause problems with hostname resolution.

--

`Failure unspecified at GSS-API level (Mechanism level: Request is a replay (34))`::

`Failure unspecified at GSS-API level (Mechanism level: Clock skew too great (37))`::
+
--

To prevent replay attacks, Kerberos V5 sets a maximum tolerance for computer
clock synchronization and it is typically 5 minutes. Please check whether
the time on the machines within the domain is in sync.

--

`gss_init_sec_context() failed: An unsupported mechanism was requested`::

`No credential found for: 1.2.840.113554.1.2.2 usage: Accept`::
+
--

You would usually see this error message on the client side when using `curl` to
test {es} Kerberos setup. For example, these messages occur when you are using
an old version of curl on the client and therefore Kerberos Spnego support is missing.
The Kerberos realm in {es} only supports Spengo mechanism (Oid 1.3.6.1.5.5.2);
it does not yet support Kerberos mechanism (Oid 1.2.840.113554.1.2.2).

Make sure that:

* You have installed curl version 7.49 or above as older versions of curl have
known Kerberos bugs.

* The curl installed on your machine has `GSS-API`, `Kerberos` and `SPNEGO`
features listed when you invoke command `curl -V`. If not, you will need to
compile `curl` version with this support.

To download latest curl version visit https://curl.haxx.se/download.html

--

As Kerberos logs are often cryptic in nature and many things can go wrong
as it depends on external services like DNS and NTP. You might
have to enable additional debug logs to determine the root cause of the issue.

{es} uses a JAAS (Java Authentication and Authorization Service) Kerberos login
module to provide Kerberos support. To enable debug logs on {es} for the login
module use following Kerberos realm setting:
[source,yaml]
----------------
xpack.security.authc.realms.kerberos.<realm-name>.krb.debug: true
----------------

For detailed information, see {ref}/security-settings.html#ref-kerberos-settings[Kerberos realm settings].

Sometimes you may need to go deeper to understand the problem during SPNEGO
GSS context negotiation or look at the Kerberos message exchange. To enable
Kerberos/SPNEGO debug logging on JVM, add following JVM system properties:

`-Dsun.security.krb5.debug=true`

`-Dsun.security.spnego.debug=true`

For more information about JVM system properties, see {ref}/jvm-options.html[configuring JVM options].

[[trb-security-saml]]
=== Common SAML issues

Some of the common SAML problems are shown below with tips on how to resolve
these issues.

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the {es}
logs:

....
Cannot find any matching realm for [SamlPrepareAuthenticationRequest{realmName=saml1,
assertionConsumerServiceURL=https://my.kibana.url/api/security/saml/callback}]
....

*Resolution:*

In order to initiate a SAML authentication, {kib} needs to know which SAML realm
it should use from the ones that are configured in {es}. You can use the
`xpack.security.authc.providers.saml.<provider-name>.realm` setting to explicitly
set the SAML realm name in {kib}. It must match the name of the SAML realm that is
configured in {es}.

If you get an error like the one above, it possibly means that the value of
`xpack.security.authc.providers.saml.<provider-name>.realm` in your {kib}
configuration is wrong. Verify that it matches the name of the configured realm
in {es}, which is the string after `xpack.security.authc.realms.saml.` in your
{es} configuration.

--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the
{es} logs:

....
Authentication to realm saml1 failed - Provided SAML response is not valid for realm
saml/saml1 (Caused by ElasticsearchSecurityException[Conditions [https://some-url-here...]
do not match required audience [https://my.kibana.url]])
....

*Resolution:*

We received a SAML response that is addressed to another SAML Service Provider.
This usually means that the configured SAML Service Provider Entity ID in
`elasticsearch.yml` (`sp.entity_id`) does not match what has been configured as
the SAML Service Provider Entity ID in the SAML Identity Provider documentation.

To resolve this issue, ensure that both the saml realm in {es} and the IdP are
configured with the same string for the SAML Entity ID of the Service Provider.

TIP: These strings are compared as case-sensitive strings and not as
canonicalized URLs even when the values are URL-like. Be mindful of trailing
slashes, port numbers, etc.

--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the
{es} logs:

....
Cannot find metadata for entity [your:entity.id] in [metadata.xml]
....

*Resolution:*

We could not find the metadata for the SAML Entity ID `your:entity.id` in the
configured metadata file (`metadata.xml`).

.. Ensure that the `metadata.xml` file you are using is indeed the one provided
by your SAML Identity Provider.
.. Ensure that the `metadata.xml` file contains one <EntityDescriptor> element
as follows: `<EntityDescriptor ID="0597c9aa-e69b-46e7-a1c6-636c7b8a8070" entityID="https://saml.example.com/f174199a-a96e-4201-88f1-0d57a610c522/" ...`
where the value of the `entityID` attribute is the same as the value of the
`idp.entity_id` that you have set in your SAML realm configuration in
`elasticsearch.yml`.
.. Note that these are also compared as case-sensitive strings and not as
canonicalized URLs even when the values are URL-like.
--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the {es}
logs:

....
unable to authenticate user [<unauthenticated-saml-user>]
for action [cluster:admin/xpack/security/saml/authenticate]
....

*Resolution:*

This error indicates that {es} failed to process the incoming SAML
authentication message. Since the message can't be processed, {es} is not aware
of who the to-be authenticated user is and the `<unauthenticated-saml-user>`
placeholder is used instead. To diagnose the _actual_ problem, you must check
the {es} logs for further details.
--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the {es}
logs:

....
Authentication to realm <saml-realm-name> failed - SAML Attribute [<AttributeName0>] for
[xpack.security.authc.realms.saml.<saml-realm-name>.attributes.principal] not found in saml attributes
[<AttributeName1>=<AttributeValue1>, <AttributeName2>=<AttributeValue2>, ...] or NameID [ NameID(format)=value ]
....

*Resolution:*

This error indicates that {es} failed to find the necessary SAML attribute in the SAML response that the
Identity Provider sent. In this example, {es} is configured as follows:
....
xpack.security.authc.realms.saml.<saml-realm-name>.attributes.principal: AttributeName0
....
This configuration means that {es} expects to find a SAML Attribute with the name `AttributeName0` or a `NameID` with the appropriate format in the SAML
response so that <<saml-attribute-mapping,it can map it>> to the `principal` user property. The `principal` user property is a
mandatory one, so if this mapping can't happen, the authentication fails.

If you are attempting to map a `NameID`, make sure that the expected `NameID` format matches the one that is sent.
See <<saml-attribute-mapping-nameid>> for more details.

If you are attempting to map a SAML attribute and it is not part of the list in the error message, it might mean
that you have misspelled the attribute name, or that the IdP is not sending this particular attribute. You might
be able to use another attribute from the list to map to `principal` or consult with your IdP administrator to
determine if the required attribute can be sent.

--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the {es}
logs:

....
Cannot find [{urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:metadata}IDPSSODescriptor]/[urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect] in descriptor
....

*Resolution:*

This error indicates that the SAML metadata for your Identity Provider do not contain a `<SingleSignOnService>` endpoint with binding of
HTTP-Redirect (urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect). {es} supports only the `HTTP-Redirect` binding for SAML authentication
requests (and it doesn't support the `HTTP-POST` binding). Consult your IdP administrator in order to enable at least one
`<SingleSignOnService>` supporting `HTTP-Redirect` binding and update your IdP SAML Metadata.
--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the
{es} logs:

....
Authentication to realm my-saml-realm failed -
Provided SAML response is not valid for realm saml/my-saml-realm
(Caused by ElasticsearchSecurityException[SAML Response is not a 'success' response:
 The SAML IdP did not grant the request. It indicated that the Elastic Stack side sent
 something invalid (urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:status:Requester). Specific status code which might
 indicate what the issue is: [urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:status:InvalidNameIDPolicy]]
)
....

*Resolution:*

This means that the SAML Identity Provider failed to authenticate the user and
sent a SAML Response to the Service Provider ({stack}) indicating this failure.
The message will convey whether the SAML Identity Provider thinks that the problem
is with the Service Provider ({stack}) or with the Identity Provider itself and
the specific status code that follows is extremely useful as it usually indicates
the underlying issue. The list of specific error codes is defined in the
https://docs.oasis-open.org/security/saml/v2.0/saml-core-2.0-os.pdf[SAML 2.0 Core specification - Section 3.2.2.2]
and the most commonly encountered ones are:

. `urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:status:AuthnFailed`: The SAML Identity Provider failed to
  authenticate the user. There is not much to troubleshoot on the {stack} side for this status, the logs of
  the SAML Identity Provider will hopefully offer much more information.
. `urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:status:InvalidNameIDPolicy`: The SAML Identity Provider cannot support
  releasing a NameID with the requested format. When creating SAML Authentication Requests, {es} sets
  the NameIDPolicy element of the Authentication request with the appropriate value. This is controlled
  by the {ref}/security-settings.html#ref-saml-settings[`nameid_format`] configuration parameter in
  `elasticsearch.yml`, which if not set defaults to `urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:transient`.
   This instructs the Identity Provider to return a NameID with that specific format in the SAML Response. If
  the SAML Identity Provider cannot grant that request, for example because it is configured to release a
  NameID format with `urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:persistent` format instead, it returns this error
  indicating an invalid NameID policy. This issue can be resolved by adjusting `nameid_format` to match the format
  the SAML Identity Provider can return or by setting it to `urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:unspecified`
  so that the Identity Provider is allowed to return any format it wants.
--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Authentication in {kib} fails and the following error is printed in the
{es} logs:

....
The XML Signature of this SAML message cannot be validated. Please verify that the saml
realm uses the correct SAMLmetadata file/URL for this Identity Provider
....

*Resolution:*

This means that {es} failed to validate the digital signature of the SAML
message that the Identity Provider sent. {es} uses the public key of the
Identity Provider that is included in the SAML metadata, in order to validate
the signature that the IdP has created using its corresponding private key.
Failure to do so, can have a number of causes:

.. As the error message indicates, the most common cause is that the wrong
metadata file is used and as such the public key it contains doesn't correspond
to the private key the Identity Provider uses.
.. The configuration of the Identity Provider has changed or the key has been
rotated and the metadata file that {es} is using has not been updated.
.. The SAML Response has been altered in transit and the signature cannot be
validated even though the correct key is used.

NOTE: The private keys and public keys and self-signed X.509 certificates that
are used in SAML for digital signatures as described above have no relation to
the keys and certificates that are used for TLS either on the transport or the
http layer. A failure such as the one described above has nothing to do with
your `xpack.ssl` related configuration.

--

. *Symptoms:*
+
--
Users are unable to login with a local username and password in {kib} because
SAML is enabled.

*Resolution:*

If you want your users to be able to use local credentials to authenticate to
{kib} in addition to using the SAML realm for Single Sign-On, you must enable
the `basic` `authProvider` in {kib}. The process is documented in the
<<saml-kibana-basic, SAML Guide>>
--

*Logging:*

If the previous resolutions do not solve your issue, enable additional
logging for the SAML realm to troubleshoot further. You can enable debug
logging by configuring the following persistent setting:

[source, console]
----
PUT /_cluster/settings
{
  "persistent": {
    "logger.org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc.saml": "debug"
  }
}
----

Alternatively, you can add the following lines to the end of the
`log4j2.properties` configuration file in the `ES_PATH_CONF`:

[source,properties]
----------------
logger.saml.name = org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.authc.saml
logger.saml.level = DEBUG
----------------

Refer to <<configuring-logging-levels,configuring logging levels>> for more
information.

[[trb-security-internalserver]]
=== Internal Server Error in Kibana

*Symptoms:*

* In 5.1.1, an `UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning` occurs and {kib} displays an
Internal Server Error.
//TBD: Is the same true for later releases?

*Resolution:*

If the Security plugin is enabled in {es} but disabled in {kib}, you must
still set `elasticsearch.username` and `elasticsearch.password` in `kibana.yml`.
Otherwise, {kib} cannot connect to {es}.


[[trb-security-setup]]
=== Setup-passwords command fails due to connection failure

The {ref}/setup-passwords.html[elasticsearch-setup-passwords command] sets
passwords for the built-in users by sending user management API requests. If
your cluster uses SSL/TLS for the HTTP (REST) interface, the command attempts to
establish a connection with the HTTPS protocol. If the connection attempt fails,
the command fails.

*Symptoms:*

. {es} is running HTTPS, but the command fails to detect it and returns the
following errors:
+
--
[source, shell]
------------------------------------------
Cannot connect to elasticsearch node.
java.net.SocketException: Unexpected end of file from server
...
ERROR: Failed to connect to elasticsearch at
http://127.0.0.1:9200/_security/_authenticate?pretty.
Is the URL correct and elasticsearch running?
------------------------------------------
--

. SSL/TLS is configured, but trust cannot be established. The command returns
the following errors:
+
--
[source, shell]
------------------------------------------
SSL connection to
https://127.0.0.1:9200/_security/_authenticate?pretty
failed: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException:
PKIX path building failed:
sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException:
unable to find valid certification path to requested target
Please check the elasticsearch SSL settings under
xpack.security.http.ssl.
...
ERROR: Failed to establish SSL connection to elasticsearch at
https://127.0.0.1:9200/_security/_authenticate?pretty.
------------------------------------------
--

. The command fails because hostname verification fails, which results in the
following errors:
+
--
[source, shell]
------------------------------------------
SSL connection to
https://idp.localhost.test:9200/_security/_authenticate?pretty
failed: java.security.cert.CertificateException:
No subject alternative DNS name matching
elasticsearch.example.com found.
Please check the elasticsearch SSL settings under
xpack.security.http.ssl.
...
ERROR: Failed to establish SSL connection to elasticsearch at
https://elasticsearch.example.com:9200/_security/_authenticate?pretty.
------------------------------------------
--

*Resolution:*

. If your cluster uses TLS/SSL for the HTTP interface but the
`elasticsearch-setup-passwords` command attempts to establish a non-secure
connection, use the `--url` command option to explicitly specify an HTTPS URL.
Alternatively, set the `xpack.security.http.ssl.enabled` setting to `true`.

. If the command does not trust the {es} server, verify that you configured the
`xpack.security.http.ssl.certificate_authorities` setting or the
`xpack.security.http.ssl.truststore.path` setting.

. If hostname verification fails, you can disable this verification by setting
`xpack.security.http.ssl.verification_mode` to `certificate`.

For more information about these settings, see
{ref}/security-settings.html[Security Settings in {es}].

[[trb-security-path]]
=== Failures due to relocation of the configuration files

*Symptoms:*

* Active Directory or LDAP realms might stop working after upgrading to {es} 6.3
or later releases. In 6.4 or later releases, you might see messages in the {es}
log that indicate a config file is in a deprecated location.

*Resolution:*

By default, in 6.2 and earlier releases, the security configuration files are
located in the `ES_PATH_CONF/x-pack` directory, where `ES_PATH_CONF` is an
environment variable that defines the location of the
<<config-files-location,config directory>>.

In 6.3 and later releases, the config directory no longer contains an `x-pack`
directory. The files that were stored in this folder, such as the
`log4j2.properties`, `role_mapping.yml`, `roles.yml`, `users`, and `users_roles`
files, now exist directly in the config directory.

IMPORTANT: If you upgraded to 6.3 or later releases, your old security
configuration files still exist in an `x-pack` folder. That file path is
deprecated, however, and you should move your files out of that folder.

In 6.3 and later releases, settings such as `files.role_mapping` default to
`ES_PATH_CONF/role_mapping.yml`. If you do not want to use the default locations,
you must update the settings appropriately. See
<<security-settings>>.
