KB150825 - REMOTE_USER Blank w/o BASIC Password Authentication

Article ID: 150825

Article Last Modified on 6/23/2005

Microsoft Internet Information Server 1.0

This article was previously published under Q150825

We strongly recommend that all users upgrade to Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) version 6.0 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. IIS 6.0 significantly increases Web infrastructure security. For more information about IIS security-related topics, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/IIS.mspx

SUMMARY

The Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) does not return a username for the variable REMOTE_USER unless the WWW Service Properties dialog box options for BASIC (CLEAR TEXT) Password Authentication is selected and Allow Anonymous is cleared.

If you wish to use the REMOTE_USER variable in a CGI script, you will have to use BASIC (CLEAR TEXT) Password Authentication. With Anonymous authentication, it assumes the user is Anonymous and the variable is not a value assigned.

MORE INFORMATION

The following batch file will display in a browser the environment variables used by IIS to include REMOTE_USER:

   @echo off
   echo Content-Type: text/plain
   echo.
   set

Additional query words: prodnt not selected

Keywords: kbsetup KB150825