diff --git a/app/webroot/.htaccess b/app/webroot/.htaccess
index e3543be40..bb4c43955 100644
--- a/app/webroot/.htaccess
+++ b/app/webroot/.htaccess
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
 	RewriteEngine On
+	RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
 	RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
 	RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
 	RewriteRule ^ index.php [L]
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticate.php b/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticate.php
index 02144b171..86f70c8ca 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticate.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticate.php
@@ -84,6 +84,12 @@ class BasicAuthenticate extends BaseAuthenticate {
 	public function getUser(CakeRequest $request) {
 		$username = env('PHP_AUTH_USER');
 		$pass = env('PHP_AUTH_PW');
+		if (!strlen($username)) {
+			$httpAuthorization = $request->header('Authorization');
+			if (strlen($httpAuthorization) > 0 && strpos($httpAuthorization, 'Basic') !== false) {
+				list($username, $pass) = explode(':', base64_decode(substr($httpAuthorization, 6)));
+			}
+		}
 
 		if (!is_string($username) || $username === '' || !is_string($pass) || $pass === '') {
 			return false;
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticateTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticateTest.php
index df18703c4..af5086caf 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticateTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/Auth/BasicAuthenticateTest.php
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
  * @since         CakePHP(tm) v 2.0
  * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
  */
-
-App::uses('AuthComponent', 'Controller/Component');
 App::uses('BasicAuthenticate', 'Controller/Component/Auth');
 App::uses('AppModel', 'Model');
 App::uses('CakeRequest', 'Network');
@@ -197,6 +195,28 @@ class BasicAuthenticateTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * test authenticate success with header values
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testAuthenticateSuccessFromHeaders() {
+		$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTHORIZATION'] = 'Basic ' . base64_encode('mariano:password');
+		unset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'], $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW']);
+
+		$request = new CakeRequest('posts/index', false);
+		$request->addParams(array('pass' => array(), 'named' => array()));
+
+		$result = $this->auth->authenticate($request, $this->response);
+		$expected = array(
+			'id' => 1,
+			'user' => 'mariano',
+			'created' => '2007-03-17 01:16:23',
+			'updated' => '2007-03-17 01:18:31'
+		);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result);
+	}
+
 /**
  * test contain success
  *