You may think that the only reason you should actively manage your security configuration is to prove to your auditors (and managers) that you're doing your job. In this world of "thou shalt be in compliance," that might be the driving factor for some of you. But another reason to consider actively managing and monitoring your security configuration is to stay in control. iSeries administrators typically take great pride in having control of their systems. It's a personal goal that most administrators seem to possess. Let's take a look at how SkyView Policy Minder for OS/400 and i5/OS helps you take control of your system.
Programs and Service Programs That Adopt Authority
Adopted authority is a powerful tool that allows you to temporarily give users authority to application resources, such as files. Many vendors use this technique to provide a secure method of allowing users to access files while running the application but not access files outside of the application (for example, from the command line or using FTP). Adopted authority is also used for utilities; you can allow operators or help desk personnel to perform functions (for example, resetting users' passwords) without having to assign their profiles the special authorities these functions require. While adopted authority provides flexibility, it is also very powerful and potentially dangerous. For that reason, you want to regularly review programs that adopt authority—especially programs and service programs that adopt powerful profiles such as QSECOFR.
SkyView's Policy Minder makes this process easy. After initializing the Policy Minder settings, the *ALLOBJ template in the Adopted authority category lists all programs and service programs that adopt a profile having *ALLOBJ special authority. You will want to review this list for appropriateness. For example, you should look for programs that allow the caller to circumvent security. Examples of these programs include calls to the command line API or programs that create a powerful profile that can be used surreptitiously. Once you're reviewed these programs, you take control by running a Policy Minder Compliance Check on a regular basis. A compliance check of the Adopted authority category will let you know if additional programs that adopt an *ALLOBJ user have been created. You can also look for programs that adopt other profiles, such as QPGMR. This is a great way to take control of your system by finding out when third-party application providers or developers create programs that adopt.
Commands That Limited-Capability Users Can Run
Another technique that is often used to control what users can access is to configure their user profiles to have limited capabilities. As i5/OS ships, limited-capability users can run only a handful of commands, such as Sign Off (SIGNOFF) and Display Message (DSPMSG). However, do you realize that commands can be changed to allow limited-capability users to run them? You may not realize how many application providers and programmers change this command attribute. You can take control of this situation by running SkyView Policy Minder. Initializing the Policy Minder settings will provide a list of all commands that can be run by a limited-capability user. Review this list for appropriateness, and then take charge by regularly running a Policy Minder Compliance Check of the limited-capability category. The results of the compliance check will tell you whether additional commands have been changed to allow them to be run by a limited-capability user.
Take Control
These are just a couple of examples of how SkyView Policy Minder for OS/400 and i5/OS helps you actively manage and monitor your security configuration, allowing you to take control of your iSeries system. Just schedule a regular Policy Minder compliance check to proactively discover and easily identify configuration changes.
Check out SkyView's offerings in the MC Showcase Buyer's Guide.
Carol Woodbury is co-founder of SkyView Partners, Inc., a firm specializing in security compliance management and assessment software as well as security services. Carol is the former chief security architect for AS/400 for IBM in Rochester, Minnesota, and has specialized in security architecture, design, and consulting for more than 15 years. Carol speaks around the world on a variety of security topics and is coauthor of the book Experts' Guide to OS/400 and i5/OS Security.
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