Protecting a plain password inside the client security property file

Why and when to perform this task

The C++ SSL security client provides a password utility (PasswordEncoder4cpp) after a CORBA SDK or C++ CORBA client installation. You can use the password utility provided by WebSphere to encode the key file password in the client's security property file for further protection. Security service can decode the password at run time and use the decoded password when opening the key file. To run the utility, see passwordEncoder4cpp utility.

Results

If encoding completes without any errors, then the plain password in the original property file is replaced by an encoded password. If you encounter one of the following errors, take the recommended user action to correct the problem:
ERROR: invalid target file == C:\property\my.props
This indicates that the target file does not exist or the path is incorrect.
User Action
Check the name and location of the property file and retry.
ERROR: no password properties in specified list were found in target file
This indicates that the "com.ibm.ssl.keyPassword" password property does not exist.
User Action
Provide the password attribute in the property file and retry.
ERROR: cannot load properties from target file
This indicates that the client property file is corrupted and cannot be loaded.
User Action
Reconstruct the property file or use the backup copy.
ERROR: invalid password encoding exception
This indicates that the utility has a problem encoding the password.
User Action
The valid characters for a password are a-z, A-Z, and 0-9.
ERROR: cannot create backup file
This indicates that the utility has a problem creating a backup file.
User Action
Make sure that you are able to create a backup file in the same location as the property file.

Related reference
Run-time properties for CORBA clients and servers
passwordEncoder4cpp utility



Searchable topic ID:   tcor_pwdencode
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 8:07:48 PM CDT    WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation, Version 5.0.2
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.wasee.doc/info/ee/corba/tasks/tcor_pwdencode.html

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