String bindPattern = settings.getString(Keys.realm.ldap.bindpattern, "");
if (!StringUtils.isEmpty(bindPattern)) {
try {
String bindUser = StringUtils.replace(bindPattern, "${username}", escapeLDAPSearchFilter(simpleUsername));
ldapConnection.bind(bindUser, new String(password));
alreadyAuthenticated = true;
} catch (LDAPException e) {
return null;
}