IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

Component Integrator security issues

The Component Integrator makes it possible to access an external entity, such as a Java™ object, from a step in a workflow.

The Component Integrator also makes it possible to access an external entity, such as Java Message Service (JMS), from a step in a workflow.

Through the Component Integrator a workflow might:

Components are defined within an isolated region and can be used in any workflow defined within the isolated region. So that a component behaves consistently from workflow to workflow, the permissions a component has on the specific entity it interacts with are also defined at an isolated region level. For example, the Content Extended operations have the necessary permissions to get and set document properties, file and unfile a document in a folder, and publish a document. So, if an operation that publishes a document is used in both workflow A and workflow B, when the step containing that component is completed in either workflow, a document will be published.

Because a component's permissions on an entity might exceed those that the user running the workflow has on that entity, you should limit access to workflows that contain component steps, in order to protect the external systems.

The following table summarizes the various security issues, and provides actions that you can take to provide security for external systems that are accessed by component steps.

Issue Action
Anyone who can create a workflow can include a predefined component that has specific access to whatever entity the component interacts with.

By defining a workflow that contains the appropriate Content Extended Operations, for example, a user can ultimately make changes to a document to which he personally doesn't have Modify access.

  • Limit access to the Process Designer application.
  • Limit access to secure documents that might be targeted for unauthorized changes using Content Extended Operations. (A workflow author who has View access to a document can specify that document as a parameter to the operation that changes his access level.)
Anyone who can launch a workflow can initiate the action performed by the workflow component step.
  • Limit access to workflow definitions that contain component steps.
  • Limit access to documents with a workflow subscription.
  • Limit access to documents with a workflow that is launched automatically and that contains component steps.


Last updated: March 2016
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