diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth.php b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth.php
index 001bdeef1b0..41b3c514674 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth.php
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ public function startup($controller) {
 				}
 			}
 		} else {
-			if (!$this->user()) {
+			if (!$this->_getUser()) {
 				if (!$request->is('ajax')) {
 					$this->flash($this->authError);
 					$this->Session->write('Auth.redirect', Router::reverse($request));
@@ -558,6 +558,29 @@ public static function user($key = null) {
 		}
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Similar to AuthComponent::user() except if the session user cannot be found, connected authentication
+ * objects will have their getUser() methods called.  This lets stateless authentication methods function correctly.
+ *
+ * @return boolean true if a user can be found, false if one cannot.
+ */
+	protected function _getUser() {
+		$user = $this->user();
+		if ($user) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		if (empty($this->_authenticateObjects)) {
+			$this->constructAuthenticate();
+		}
+		foreach ($this->_authenticateObjects as $auth) {
+			$result = $auth->getUser($this->request);
+			if (!empty($result) && is_array($result)) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+
 /**
  * If no parameter is passed, gets the authentication redirect URL.  Pass a url in to 
  * set the destination a user should be redirected to upon logging in.  Will fallback to 
diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/base_authenticate.php b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/base_authenticate.php
index d34789729b9..575b7544ec0 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/base_authenticate.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/base_authenticate.php
@@ -87,4 +87,15 @@ protected function _findUser($username, $password) {
  * @return mixed Either false on failure, or an array of user data on success.
  */
 	abstract public function authenticate(CakeRequest $request, CakeResponse $response);
+
+/**
+ * Get a user based on information in the request.  Primarily used by stateless authentication
+ * systems like basic and digest auth.
+ *
+ * @param CakeRequest $request Request object.
+ * @return mixed Either false or an array of user information
+ */
+	public function getUser($request) {
+		return false;
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.php b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.php
index 08a35846361..9bf68d38675 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.php
@@ -83,20 +83,10 @@ public function __construct($settings) {
  * @return mixed Either false on failure, or an array of user data on success.
  */
 	public function authenticate(CakeRequest $request, CakeResponse $response) {
-		$username = env('PHP_AUTH_USER');
-		$pass = env('PHP_AUTH_PW');
-
-		if (empty($username) || empty($pass)) {
-			$response->header($this->loginHeaders());
-			$response->send();
-			return false;
-		}
-
-		$result = $this->_findUser($username, $pass);
+		$result = $this->getUser($request);
 
 		if (empty($result)) {
 			$response->header($this->loginHeaders());
-			$response->header('Location', Router::reverse($request));
 			$response->statusCode(401);
 			$response->send();
 			return false;
@@ -104,6 +94,23 @@ public function authenticate(CakeRequest $request, CakeResponse $response) {
 		return $result;
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Get a user based on information in the request.  Primarily used by stateless authentication
+ * systems like basic and digest auth.
+ *
+ * @param CakeRequest $request Request object.
+ * @return mixed Either false or an array of user information
+ */
+	public function getUser($request) {
+		$username = env('PHP_AUTH_USER');
+		$pass = env('PHP_AUTH_PW');
+		
+		if (empty($username) || empty($pass)) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		return $this->_findUser($username, $pass);
+	}
+
 /**
  * Generate the login headers
  *
diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.php b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.php
index 91d8ed2702c..0e506824678 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.php
@@ -108,28 +108,40 @@ public function __construct($settings) {
  * @return mixed Either false on failure, or an array of user data on success.
  */
 	public function authenticate(CakeRequest $request, CakeResponse $response) {
-		$digest = $this->_getDigest();
+		$user = $this->getUser($request);
 
-		if (empty($digest)) {
+		if (empty($user)) {
 			$response->header($this->loginHeaders());
+			$response->statusCode(401);
 			$response->send();
 			return false;
 		}
+		return $user;
+	}
 
-		$result = $this->_findUser($digest['username'], null);
-		$password = $result[$this->settings['fields']['password']];
-		unset($result[$this->settings['fields']['password']]);
-
-		if (empty($result) || $digest['response'] !== $this->generateResponseHash($digest, $password)) {
-			$response->header($this->loginHeaders());
-			$response->header('Location', Router::reverse($request));
-			$response->statusCode(401);
-			$response->send();
+/**
+ * Get a user based on information in the request.  Primarily used by stateless authentication
+ * systems like basic and digest auth.
+ *
+ * @param CakeRequest $request Request object.
+ * @return mixed Either false or an array of user information
+ */
+	public function getUser($request) {
+		$digest = $this->_getDigest();
+		if (empty($digest)) {
 			return false;
 		}
-		return $result;
+		$user = $this->_findUser($digest['username'], null);
+		if (empty($user)) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		$password = $user[$this->settings['fields']['password']];
+		unset($user[$this->settings['fields']['password']]);
+		if ($digest['response'] === $this->generateResponseHash($digest, $password)) {
+			return $user;
+		}
+		return false;
 	}
-
 /**
  * Find a user record using the standard options.
  *
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.test.php
index 656ca0fbb1a..b1b2fc2e4b8 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/basic_authenticate.test.php
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
  * @license       MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
  */
 
+App::import('Component', 'Auth');
 App::import('Component', 'auth/basic_authenticate');
 App::import('Model', 'AppModel');
 App::import('Core', 'CakeRequest');
@@ -114,6 +115,7 @@ function testAuthenticateNoUsername() {
 	function testAuthenticateNoPassword() {
 		$request = new CakeRequest('posts/index', false);
 		$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] = 'mariano';
+		$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] = null;
 		
 		$this->response->expects($this->once())
 			->method('header')
@@ -196,14 +198,10 @@ function testAuthenticateFailReChallenge() {
 			->with('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="localhost"');
 
 		$this->response->expects($this->at(1))
-			->method('header')
-			->with('Location', Router::reverse($request));
-		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('statusCode')
 			->with(401);
 		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(3))
+		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('send');
 
 		$this->assertFalse($this->auth->authenticate($request, $this->response));
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.test.php
index 40b8ef4c136..1ef4ccc5f8b 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/components/auth/digest_authenticate.test.php
@@ -122,14 +122,10 @@ function testAuthenticateWrongUsername() {
 			->with('WWW-Authenticate: Digest realm="localhost",qop="auth",nonce="123",opaque="123abc"');
 
 		$this->response->expects($this->at(1))
-			->method('header')
-			->with('Location', Router::reverse($request));
-		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('statusCode')
 			->with(401);
 		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(3))
+		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('send');
 
 		$this->assertFalse($this->auth->authenticate($request, $this->response));
@@ -149,6 +145,10 @@ function testAuthenticateChallenge() {
 			->with('WWW-Authenticate: Digest realm="localhost",qop="auth",nonce="123",opaque="123abc"');
 		
 		$this->response->expects($this->at(1))
+			->method('statusCode')
+			->with(401);
+		
+		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('send');
 		
 		$result = $this->auth->authenticate($request, $this->response);
@@ -211,16 +211,12 @@ function testAuthenticateFailReChallenge() {
 		$this->response->expects($this->at(0))
 			->method('header')
 			->with('WWW-Authenticate: Digest realm="localhost",qop="auth",nonce="123",opaque="123abc"');
-
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(1))
-			->method('header')
-			->with('Location', Router::reverse($request));
 		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
+		$this->response->expects($this->at(1))
 			->method('statusCode')
 			->with(401);
 		
-		$this->response->expects($this->at(3))
+		$this->response->expects($this->at(2))
 			->method('send');
 
 		$this->assertFalse($this->auth->authenticate($request, $this->response));