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Solved: How do I enable mac address bypass on FortiGate interfaces?

MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB) is supported to accept non-802.1X compliant devices onto the network using their MAC address as authentication.

Solution: Enable MAB on FortiGate

Apply below command to enable MAB on FortiGate:

# config sys interface
edit "<>"
set vdom "root"
set ip 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
set allowaccess ping radius-acct
set security-mode captive-portal
set security-mac-auth-bypass enable -----> can be enabled only via CLI
set security-external-web "https://<FAC-fqdn>/portal/"
set security-groups "radius-group"
set security-exempt-list "FAC-exempt-list"
set device-identification enable
set role lan
next
end

With this enabled, when the client attempts a connection, FortiGate will generate a RADIUS authentication request using the endpoint’s MAC address as the username to the FortiAuthenticator (set up as radius server).

FortiAuthenticator will verify the MAB request against Authentication > User management > Mac devices. It will return an Access-Accept response with authorized group name RADIUS attributes if the MAC address is authorized, or an Access-reject otherwise.

Upon an Access-Accept response and correct group membership, the end-user browser bypasses the captive portal and is allowed through to the requested website.

If Access-reject is received, the normal captive portal workflow will continue.

Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook

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