[Version 6 only]WebSphere Application Server - Express, Version 6.0.x     Operating Systems: AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows

Securing Web services for version 6.0.x applications based on WS-Security

Before you begin

Web services security for WebSphere Application Server is based on standards included in the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) Web services security (WSS) Version 1.0 specification, the Username token Version 1.0 profile, and the X.509 token Version 1.0 profile. These standards and profiles address how to provide protection for messages exchanged in a Web service environment. The specification defines the core facilities for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of a message and provides mechanisms for associating security-related claims with the message. Web services security is a message-level standard based on securing Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) messages through XML digital signature, confidentiality through XML encryption, and credential propagation through security tokens.

Why and when to perform this task

To secure Web services, you must consider a broad set of security requirements, including authentication, authorization, privacy, trust, integrity, confidentiality, secure communications channels, federation, delegation, and auditing across a spectrum of application and business topologies. One of the key requirements for the security model in today's business environment is the ability to interoperate between formerly incompatible security technologies (such as public key infrastructure, Kerberos and so on) in heterogeneous environments (such as Microsoft .NET and Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE)). The complete Web services security protocol stack and technology roadmap is described in Security in a Web Services World: A Proposed Architecture and Roadmap.

The Web Services Security: SOAP Message Security 1.0 specification outlines a standard set of SOAP extensions that you can use to build secure Web services. These standards confirm integrity and confidentiality, which are generally provided with digital signature and encryption technologies. In addition, Web services security provides a general purpose mechanism for associating security tokens with messages. A typical example of the security token is a username token, in which a user name and password are included as text. Web services security defines how to encode binary security tokens using methods such as X.509 certificates and Kerberos tickets. However, the required security tokens are not defined in the Web service security Version 1.0 specification. Instead, the tokens are defined in separate profiles such as the Username token profile, the X.509 token profile, the SAML profile, the Kerberos profile, the XrML profile and so on.

Web service security is supported in the managed Web service container. To establish a managed environment and to enforce constraints for Web services security, you must perform a Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) lookup on the client to resolve the service reference. For more information on the recommended client programming model, see "Service lookup" in the Java Specification Request (JSR) 109 specification available at: ftp://www-126.ibm.com/pub/jsr109/spec/1.0/websvcs-1_0-fr.pdf.

WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x and Version 5.x compatibility

In WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x, you can run a version 5.x Web services-secured application on a version 6 application server. However, when you use a Web services-secured application, the client and the server must use the same version of the application server. For example, a Web services-secured application does not work properly when the client uses WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0.x and the server uses version 5.x. Conversely, a Web services-secured application does not work properly when the client uses WebSphere Application Server Version 5.x and the server uses version 6. This issue occurs because the SOAP message format is different between a version 5.x application and a version 6.0.x application.

Configurations

To secure Web services with WebSphere Application Server, you must specify several different configurations. Although there is not a specific sequence in which you must specify these different configurations, some configurations reference other configurations. You can configure Web services security on the application level, server level, and the cell level. The following table shows an example of the relationships between each of the configurations that apply to just the application, to an entire server, or to the entire cell. However, the requirements for the bindings depend upon the deployment descriptor. Some binding information depends upon other information in the binding or server and cell-level configuration. Within the table, the configurations in the Referenced configurations column are referenced by the configuration listed in the Configuration name column. For example, the token generator on the application-level for the request generator references the collection certificate store, the nonce, time stamp, and callback handler configurations.

Table 1. The relationship between the configurations.
Configuration level Configuration name Referenced configurations
Application-level request generator Token generator
  • Collection certificate store
  • Nonce
  • Timestamp
  • Callback handler
Application-level request generator Key information
  • Key locator
  • Key name
  • Token
Application-level request generator Signing information
  • Key information
Application-level request generator Encryption information
  • Key information
Application-level request consumer Token consumer
  • Trust anchor
  • Collection certificate store
  • Trusted ID evaluators
  • Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) configuration
Application-level request consumer Key information
  • Key locator
  • Token
Application-level request consumer Signing information
  • Key information
Application-level request consumer Encryption information
  • Key information
Application-level response generator Token generator
  • Collection certificate store
  • Callback handler
Application-level response generator Key information
  • Key locator
  • Token
Application-level response generator Signing information
  • Key information
Application-level response generator Encryption information
  • Key information
Application-level response consumer Token consumer
  • Trust anchor
  • Collection certificate store
  • JAAS configuration
Application-level response consumer Key information
  • Key locator
  • Key name
  • Token
Application-level response consumer Signing information
  • Key information
Application-level response consumer Encryption information
  • Key information
Server-level default generator bindings Token generator
  • Collection certificate store
  • Callback handler
Server-level default generator bindings Key information
  • Key locator
  • Token
Server-level default generator bindings Signing information
  • Key information
Server-level default generator bindings Encryption information
  • Key information
Server-level default consumer bindings Token consumer
  • Trust anchor
  • Collection certificate store
  • Trusted ID evaluator
  • JAAS configuration
Server-level default consumer bindings Key information
  • Key locator
  • Token
Server-level default consumer bindings Signing information
  • Key information
Server-level default consumer bindings Encryption information
  • Key information
Cell-level default generator bindings Token generator
  • Collection certificate store
  • Callback handler
Cell-level default generator bindings Key information
  • Key locator
  • Token

If multiple applications will use the same binding information, consider configuring the binding information on the server level. For example, you might have a global key locator configuration that is used by multiple applications. Configuration information for the application-level precedes similar configuration information on the server-level.

Because of the relationship between the different Web services security configurations, it is recommended that you specify the configurations on each level of the configuration in following order. You can choose to configure Web services security for the application level or the server level as it depends upon your environment and security needs.

Because of the relationship between the different Web services security configurations, it is recommended that you specify the configurations on each level of the configuration in following order. You can choose to configure Web services security for the application level, the server level or the cell level as it depends upon your environment and security needs.

Steps for this task (dependent on configuration)

Result

After completing these steps on the appropriate level of WebSphere Application Server, you have secured Web services.



Sub-topics
What is new for securing Web services
Web services security enhancements
High-level architecture for Web services security
Configuration overview
Security model mixture
Security considerations for Web services
Migrating Version 5.x applications with Web services security to Version 6 applications
Default implementations of the Web services security service provider programming interfaces
Default configuration
Nonce, a randomly generated token
Configuring an application for Web services security with an assembly tool
Configuring trust anchors for the generator binding on the application level
Configuring the collection certificate store for the generator binding on the application level
Username token element
Configuring the token generator on the application level
Configuring the key locator for the generator binding on the application level
Configuring the key information for the generator binding on the application level
Configuring the signing information for the generator binding on the application level
Configuring the encryption information for the generator binding on the application level
Configuring trust anchors for the consumer binding on the application level
Configuring the collection certificate store for the consumer binding on the application level
Binary security token
Configuring token consumer on the application level
Configuring the key locator for the consumer binding on the application level
Configuring the key information for the consumer binding on the application level
Configuring the signing information for the consumer binding on the application level
Configuring the encryption information for the consumer binding on the application level
Retrieving tokens from the JAAS Subject in a server application
Retrieving tokens from the JAAS Subject in a client application
Configuring trust anchors on the server or cell level
Configuring the collection certificate store for the server or cell-level bindings
Distributed nonce caching
Configuring a nonce on the server or cell level
Configuring token generators on the server or cell level
Configuring the key locator on the server or cell level
Configuring the key information for the generator binding on the server or cell level
Configuring the signing information for the generator binding on the server or cell level
Configuring the encryption information for the generator binding on the server or cell level
Configuring trusted ID evaluators on the server or cell level
Configuring token consumers on the server or cell level
Configuring the key information for the consumer binding on the server or cell level
Configuring the signing information for the consumer binding on the server or cell level
Configuring the encryption information for the consumer binding on the server or cell level
Tuning Web services security for version 6.0.x applications

Related concepts
Assembly tools

Related tasks
Configuring an application for Web services security with an assembly tool
Importing enterprise applications
Implementing Web services applications

Task topic    

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Last updated: Jun 8, 2005 12:45:23 PM EDT
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