Kentico and SharePoint connections with two_factor authentication account

Summary

The SharePoint Connections module in Kentico 13 stopped working after upgrading the account used for the connection to two-factor authentication. The error log indicates a PropertyOrFieldNotInitializedException, suggesting that the ‘Url’ property has not been initialized.

Root Cause

The root cause of the issue is the change in authentication method from a standard account to a two-factor authentication account. The SharePoint Connections module is not designed to handle two-factor authentication out of the box, leading to the initialization error.

Why This Happens in Real Systems

This issue occurs in real systems because the SharePoint Connections module relies on the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client library, which does not support two-factor authentication by default. When the account is upgraded to two-factor authentication, the library is unable to authenticate and initialize the required properties, resulting in the error.

Real-World Impact

The real-world impact of this issue is that the SharePoint Connections module becomes unusable, preventing the website from connecting to SharePoint and potentially disrupting business operations. This can lead to delays, lost productivity, and increased support requests.

Example or Code (if necessary and relevant)

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using System;

class SharePointConnection
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        using (var context = new ClientContext("https://example.sharepoint.com"))
        {
            context.ExecutingWebRequest += (sender, e) => {
                e.WebRequestExecutor.RequestHeaders["Authorization"] = "Bearer " + GetAccessToken();
            };
            var site = context.Site;
            context.Load(site);
            await context.ExecuteQueryAsync();
            Console.WriteLine(site.Url);
        }
    }

    public static string GetAccessToken()
    {
        // Implement logic to obtain access token for two-factor authentication
        // This may involve using the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL)
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }
}

How Senior Engineers Fix It

Senior engineers fix this issue by implementing a custom authentication mechanism that supports two-factor authentication. This involves using the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) to obtain an access token for the SharePoint site and then using this token to authenticate the ClientContext. Additionally, they may need to update the SharePoint Connections module to handle the new authentication flow.

Why Juniors Miss It

Junior engineers may miss this issue because they are not familiar with the intricacies of SharePoint authentication and the limitations of the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client library. They may not realize that two-factor authentication requires a custom authentication mechanism and may attempt to use the standard authentication methods, leading to the initialization error. Furthermore, they may not have the experience to troubleshoot the issue and identify the root cause, making it more challenging to resolve the problem.