diff --git a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ISecurityManager.java b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ISecurityManager.java
index f407182dfde..59f6b202323 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ISecurityManager.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ISecurityManager.java
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 package ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server;
 
+import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.AuthenticationException;
+
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 
 /**
  * Created by dsotnikov on 3/7/2014.
  */
 public interface ISecurityManager {
-    public boolean authenticate(HttpServletRequest request);
+    public void authenticate(HttpServletRequest request) throws AuthenticationException;
 }
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/RestfulServer.java b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/RestfulServer.java
index 65933bf9d7e..eb8cb3c9108 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/RestfulServer.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/RestfulServer.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
+import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.*;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 
 import ca.uhn.fhir.context.FhirContext;
@@ -26,10 +27,6 @@ import ca.uhn.fhir.model.api.IResource;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.model.primitive.IdDt;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.common.BaseMethodBinding;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.common.SearchMethodBinding;
-import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.BaseServerResponseException;
-import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.InternalErrorException;
-import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.MethodNotFoundException;
-import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions.ResourceNotFoundException;
 
 public abstract class RestfulServer extends HttpServlet {
 
@@ -107,6 +104,11 @@ public abstract class RestfulServer extends HttpServlet {
 
 	protected void handleRequest(SearchMethodBinding.RequestType requestType, HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
 		try {
+
+            if (null != securityManager) {
+                securityManager.authenticate(request);
+            }
+
 			String resourceName = null;
 			Long identity = null;
 
@@ -178,7 +180,11 @@ public abstract class RestfulServer extends HttpServlet {
 			}
 			// resourceMethod.get
 
-		} catch (BaseServerResponseException e) {
+		} catch (AuthenticationException e) {
+            response.setStatus(e.getStatusCode());
+            response.getWriter().write(e.getMessage());
+        }
+        catch (BaseServerResponseException e) {
 
 			if (e instanceof InternalErrorException) {
 				ourLog.error("Failure during REST processing", e);
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/exceptions/AuthenticationException.java b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/exceptions/AuthenticationException.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bd49917fcf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hapi-fhir-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/exceptions/AuthenticationException.java
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.exceptions;
+
+import javax.servlet.ServletException;
+
+/**
+ * Created by dsotnikov on 3/10/2014.
+ */
+public class AuthenticationException extends BaseServerResponseException {
+
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+    public AuthenticationException() {
+        super(401, "Client unauthorized");
+    }
+
+    public AuthenticationException(String theMessage) {
+        super(401, theMessage);
+    }
+
+    public AuthenticationException(int theStatusCode, String theMessage) {
+        super(theStatusCode, theMessage);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file