What is new for security specialists

This version contains many new and changed features for those who are responsible for securing applications and the application serving environment.

Standards support and interoperability

Web authentication improvements

Web authentication using the Java Authentication and Authorization Service programming model

WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x enables you to use the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) programming model to perform Web authentication in your application code. To use this function, you must create your own JAAS login configuration by cloning the WEB_INBOUND login configuration and define a cookie=true login option. After a successful login using your login configuration, the Web login session is tracked by single sign-on (SSO) token cookies. This option replaces the SSOAuthenticator interface, which was deprecated in WebSphere Application Server Version 4.

For more information, see Java Authentication and Authorization Service authorization.

Expanded capabilities

Custom password encryption

A plug point for custom password encryption must be created to encrypt and decrypt all passwords in WebSphere Application Server that are currently encoded or decoded using Base64-encoding. The implementation class of this plug point has the responsibility for managing keys, determining the encryption algorithm to use, and for protecting the master secret.

For more information, see the Technote http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg21210244.

Enhanced LDAP support

In addition to support for multiple Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory services binding and failover, you can dynamically update LDAP binding information without first stopping and restarting application servers.

For more information, see http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg21210243.

Programming interfaces for implementing identity assertion with trust validation

If you want an application or system provider to perform an identity assertion with trust validation, it can be accomplished by use of the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) login framework, where trust validation is performed in one login module and credential creation in another. These two custom login modules are used to create a JAAS login configuration that performs a login to an identity assertion.

For more information, see Identity assertions with trust validation.

Java 2 security manager

WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x provides you with greater control over the permissions granted to applications for manipulating non-system threads. You can permit applications to manipulate non-system threads using the was.policy file. However, these thread control permissions are disabled by default.

For more information, see Configuring the was.policy file.

SSL channel framework

The Secure Sockets Layer channel framework incorporates the new IBMJSSE2 implementation and separates the security function of Java Secure Sockets Extension (JSSE) from the network communication function.

See Transport chains.

   



Subtopics
[AIX HP-UX Linux Solaris Windows] [z/OS] Federal Information Processing Standard support
Identity management capabilities
Related concepts
Overview and new features for securing applications and their environment
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Last updated: Aug 29, 2010 10:43:27 PM CDT
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