Require authorization for excel requests

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 1 minute to read
  • Use the glide.basicauth.required.excel property to designate if incoming Excel requests should require basic authentication.

    If the glide.basicauth.required.excel system property is not set to the recommended value of true, then this will disable Basic Authentication for Excel format export processor. This also happens when combined with a wrong role within the guest_user related property (For example a high privileged user such as Admin).

    Ensure that the property glide.basicauth.required.excel exists in the System Properties [sys_properties] table and is set to true.

    Warning:
    This is a safe harbor property, meaning the value can't be altered once it's changed. It is non-revertible.

    More information

    Attribute Description
    Configuration name
    Configuration type System Properties (/sys_properties_list.do)
    Data type Boolean
    Recommended value true
    Default value <none>
    Fallback value false
    Category API and web service
    Security risk
    • Severity score: 7.5
    • CVSS rating: High
    • Security risk details: Unauthenticated access to Excel export data, when combined with misconfigured guest user role, poses a significant risk of unauthorized data exposure.
    Functional impact This remediation enforces a combination of authentication methods, in the form of basic authentication and system level access control.
    • It performs this authentication while retrieving data from tables/pages in the form of Excel data on the instance.
    • It restricts any guest users who are currently accessing this data. If applicable, you may need to create a new account for users who need access to this content, with necessary access control permissions.
    Dependencies and prerequisites None

    To learn more about adding or creating a system property, see Add a system property.