Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Could Not Connect To Server

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  1. Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Windows 10
  2. Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Could Not Connect To Servers
  3. Cisco Anyconnect Will Not Connect

Hello! We are currently deploying Zscaler App to customer and having compatibility issue with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. The agent is only for Network access control.
We found that the issue happen when user switch from wired network to wireless network. Both network are also connected to the same corporate network internally. When user switch network, the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client will act as NAC solution and check for 3 things before allow the user connect to internal corporate network:

A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to cause a targeted AnyConnect user to execute a malicious script. The vulnerability is due to a lack of authentication to the IPC listener. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IPC messages to the AnyConnect. To correct this issue, please use the server address in the server address field in the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. Was this answer helpful? We are currently deploying Zscaler App to customer and having compatibility issue with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. The agent is only for Network access control. We found that the issue happen when user switch from wired network to wireless network. Both network are also connected to the same corporate network internally. When user switch network, the Cisco AnyConnect Secure. Allow Captive Portal Remediation—Check to let the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility client lift the network access restrictions imposed by the closed connect failure policy. By default, this parameter is unchecked to provide the greatest security; however, you must enable it if you want the client to connect to the VPN if a captive portal is.

  1. Check if the PC is domain-joined
  2. Check the Antivirus is installed
  3. Check the Virus signature is up-to-date
    After all checking are compliant, user will be allowed to access the internal corporate network.

After installed Zscaler App, we found on Zscaler App that when switch between network, the ZApp will show message that indicate not able to reach internet. This is normal since Cisco agent need to complete the checking before allow the network. However after the Cisco agent completed the checking and show compliant, the ZApp still showing the same error message. We observed the symptom on the affected PC as below:

  • Not able to access any internal website
  • Not able to access internet
  • not able to resolve DNS with internal DNS server
    The issue remain the same when we try to restart the checking on Cisco agent.
    The issue is Intermittent and it does NOT happen every time when switch between network.
    It could only be resumed when user restart the PC.

May I know if there is any previous experience sharing that install Zscaler App to Cisco ISE agent environment, or any other NAC solution?

For additional information, refer to the AnyConnect configuration guide.

Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Windows 10

Client Download

Unlike the ASA, the MX does not support web deploy or web launch, a feature that allows end users to access a web page on the AnyConnect server to download the AnyConnect client. With the MX, there are download links to the client software on the AnyConnect settings page on the dashboard, however, the download links are only available to the Meraki dashboard admin and not the end user. We do not recommend sharing the down link with users as the link expires after every five minutes of loading the AnyConnect settings page.

We recommend downloading the AnyConnect client directly from Cisco.com as there may be an updated version in the Cisco repository. Refer to the doc for the AnyConnect clientrelease notes. We also recommend using either Meraki Systems Manager, an equivalent MDM solution, or Active Directory to seamlessly push the AnyConnect software client to the end user's device.

Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Could Not Connect To Servers

AnyConnect requires a VPN client to be installed on a client device. The AnyConnect client for Windows, MacOS, and Linux are available on the Client Connection section of the AnyConnect configuration page on the dashboard and can be downloaded by a Meraki dashboard administrator. Please note, the download links on the Meraki dashboard expire after five minutes. The AnyConnect client for mobile devices can be downloaded via the respective mobile stores. You can also download other versions (must be version 4.8 or higher) of the AnyConnect client from Cisco.com if you have an existing AnyConnect license. AnyConnect web deploy is not supported on the MX at this time.

  • Installing the AnyConnect client
  • You only need the VPN box checked. Once the client has been installed on the device, open the AnyConnect application and specify the hostname or IP address of the MX (AnyConnect server) you need to connect to.

AnyConnect Profiles

An AnyConnect profile is a crucial piece for ensuring easy configuration of the AnyConnect client software, once installed. The MX does not support the use of custom hostnames for certificates (e.g. vpn.xyz.com). The MX only supports use of the Meraki DDNS hostname for auto-enrollment and use on the MX. With the Meraki DDNS hostname (e.g. mx450-xyuhsygsvge.dynamic-m.com) not as simply as a custom hostname, the need for AnyConnect profiles cannot be overemphasized. Profiles can be used to create hostname aliases, thereby masking the Meraki DDNS with a friendly name for the end user.

Cisco AnyConnect client features are enabled in AnyConnect profiles. These profiles can contain configuration settings like server list, backup server list, authentication time out, etc., for client VPN functionality, in addition to other optional client modules like Network Access Manager, ISE posture, customer experience feedback, and web security. It is important to note that at this time, the Meraki MX does not support other optional client modules that require AnyConnect head-end support. For more details, see AnyConnect profiles.

When a profile is created, it needs to get pushed to the end user's device. There are three ways to do this.

1. Through the AnyConnect server (MX): If profiles are configured on the dashboard, the MX will push the configured profile to the user's device after successful authentication.
2. Through an MDM solution: Systems Manager, an equivalent MDM solution, or Active Directory can be used push files to specific destinations on the end user's device. Mac photo download software. Profiles can also be pushed to the following paths:

Cisco anyconnect secure mobility client could not connect to server using

Windows
%ProgramData%CiscoCisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility ClientProfile

Mac OS X
/opt/cisco/anyconnect/profile

Linux
/opt/cisco/anyconnect/profile

3. Manually: Profiles can also be preloaded manually to the same paths as listed above.

How to Create a Profile

Cisco Anyconnect Will Not Connect

Profiles can be created using the AnyConnect profile editor. The profile editor can be downloaded from the AnyConnect Settings page on dashboard or on cisco.com. Refer to this link for more details on AnyConnect profiles.

Could

Using the profile editor: The profile editor can be downloaded from the AnyConnect Settings page on dashboard or on Cisco.com. The profile editor only runs on Windows operating systems. The screenshot below shows a configured server ton the Server List Entry option.

When configuration is complete, save the profile. It is recommended to use a unique file name to avoid profile overrides by other AnyConnect servers, then you can upload the file to the profile update section on the AnyConnect settings page.

Cisco

Please note that only VPN profiles are supported on the MX at this time. This means you cannot push NVM, NAM, or Umbrella profiles via the MX.

Cisco anyconnect will not connect
  • Select enable profiles, upload your xml file, and save your configuration
  • After a user successfully authenticates, the configured profile gets pushed to the user's device automatically
  • The result of the .xml can be seen below, after successful authentication to the AnyConnect server; this gives users the ease of selecting VPN servers on the AnyConnect client
    The Meraki DDNS hostname is not easy to remember, therefore end users are not expected to use it directly. Profiles should be used to make connecting to the AnyConnect server easy for end users.