Many organizations provide VPN access for the end-user in their company with a third-party tool named Cisco VPN client. This doesn’t work on any 64-bit Mac OS.
Native Cisco VPN on Mac OS X. Confirmed working on OS X High Sierra. The proprietary CiscoVPN Mac client is somewhat buggy. It is possible to use the IPSec VPN software included with Mac OS X instead. This tutorial shows you how to migrate from CiscoVPN to the native OS X IPSec VPN by decrypting passwords saved in CiscoVPN PCF files.
However, from Mac OS X 10.6, you can use the in-built feature named IPSec VPN ,so you don’t need to look around for any third-party tool. In this case, you might have to decode your .pcf file which contains all the configuration of your VPN setting.
Here’s the step by step guide for configuring it:
Install Cisco AnyConnect VPN client for Mac OS X Double click on AnyConnect. If you see the message: “This package will run a program to determine if the software can be installed”, Click on “Continue”. Had the same issue after upgrading to Mac-OS Catalina. Cisco Anyconnect version 4.7.04056 didnt worked on all the VPN Porfile configs, it worked for some and failed to some. DIfferent ASA Software and Hardware versions.
- Open System Preferences -> Network
- Click “+” to get more options where you have to select Interface “VPN” and VPN Type “Cisco IPSec“. Hereby give your proper description in “Service Name” and click Create
Once you create this, the main work out is to decode the “enc_GroupPwd” which you can’t simply copy and paste.
- Simply, open .pcf file that you got from your organization in any editor (e.g.: Notepad ++ ), and copy hostname and put it in your server address.
- Click Authentication Settings, and mention GroupName as per your PCF file. Now you will see enc_GroupPwd in your PCF file which you need to decode and put it in Shared Secret
There are many ways of getting a clear group password. However, I recommend using this link to decode it. Once you manage to set up all the required settings, you can simply press connect.
Cheers,
Udhyan.
Installing the VPN Client
- Download the AnyConnect VPN client for macOS 11.0 - 10.15 (Big Sur to Catalina) or macOS 10.14 - 10.13 (Mojave to High Sierra).
- In your Downloads folder, double-click the file you just downloaded to open it. An icon will appear on the desktop called AnyConnect, and a separate window will open.
- Double-click on AnyConnect.mpkg to run the installer, then follow the steps to complete the installation. NOTE: We recommend you un-check everything (Web Security, Umbrella, etc) except for the VPN and the Diagnostic and Reporting Tool (DART). This will give you a minimal install. The other features are not supported so there's no need to install them.
- Starting with macOS 10.13 High Sierra: During the installation, you will be prompted to enable the AnyConnect software extension in the System Preferences -> Security & Privacy pane. The requirement to manually enable the software extension is an operating system requirement.
Starting the VPN Client
- In your Applications folder, go to the Cisco folder and double-click the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.
- Enter vpn.uci.edu in the Ready toConnect to field, then press the Connect button.
- Select your desired connection profile from the Group drop-down menu:
- UCIFULL – Route all traffic through the UCI VPN.
- IMPORTANT: Use UCIFULL when accessing Library resources.
- UCI – Route only campus traffic through the UCI VPN. All other traffic goes through your normal Internet provider.
- UCIFULL – Route all traffic through the UCI VPN.
- Enter your UCInetID and password, then click OK.
- A banner window will appear. Click Accept to close that window. You are now connected!
Cisco Anyconnect Vpn Client For Mac Os X Yosemite
Disconnecting the VPN Client
Anyconnect Client Mac Os Download
When you are finished using the VPN, remember to disconnect.
- Click the AnyConnect client icon located in the menu bar near the top right corner of your screen.
- Select Quit.