04
Mon, Nov
6 New Articles

How Can I Tell Whether All the Connections to My IBM i Are Secure?

IBM i (OS/400, i5/OS)
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

While it’s easy enough to know whether my own connection to IBM i is secure—that is, encrypted—how can I tell whether all connections are encrypted?

By Carol Woodbury

Some organizations have a requirement that all connections to their IBM i be encrypted. I applaud those organizations and encourage everyone to adopt this practice. Most organizations encrypt outbound connections, but not everyone encrypts internal traffic. Encrypting all communication (including internal) ensures that no passwords or data are flowing anywhere in cleartext.

As I said, it’s easy to determine whether my connection to IBM i is encrypted. If I’m using Access Client Solutions (ACS) to establish a Telnet session, all I have to do is look in the lower right corner of the session to see the port used, an open or closed padlock, and encryption strength if the connection is secure. For ODBC, I simply look for the job name to be QZDASSINIT (SS meaning secure) rather than QZDZSOINIT (where SO is open or not encrypted). But if I’m an administrator and I want to prove to myself or am required to prove to an auditor that all connections are secure, how might I do that?

NETSTAT

One way to look at all connections is to use the Work with TCP/IP Network Status (WRKTCPSTS) command. Choosing to look at the IPv4 and IPv6 connections will show you the established connections and which server they’re connected to. The server name will indicate whether the connection is secure, typically by adding either -s or -ssl to the end of the server name, e.g., Telnet-ssl. The port used is also an indication of whether the connection is secure. For example, if the Telnet session is using port 23, then it’s not secure. But if it’s coming in via port 992, the connection is encrypted. Here’s a list of the well-known ports. In addition, you’ll need the list of ports used by the ACS. By analyzing the output of NETSTAT, you can determine if there are currently any unsecured connections established to your IBM i. The problem with NETSTAT is that it’s a point in time; it’s accurate only for the time at which you ran the command. Other connections may be established in the middle of the night, for example.

The Audit Journal

If you need a complete analysis of your connections, you’ll need to utilize the audit journal. To analyze all TCP/IP connections, you’ll need to add two values to the QAUDCTL system value: *NETTELSVR to audit Telnet connections and *NETSCK to get all other IP connections. (If you want to analyze UDP connections, you’ll need to add *NETUDP.) Once you’ve added these two values, all connections will be logged. (Note that these values may generate a significant number of audit journal entries, so once your analysis is completed you may want to remove them.)

To analyze the connections, you’ll need to gather the SK audit journal entries. Here’s an example (you’ll need to fill in the appropriate start and end times and dates.)

      CPYAUDJRNE ENTTYP(SK) JRNRCV(*CURCHAIN) FROMTIME(startdate starttime)                        

     TOTIME(enddate endtime)

The Copy Audit Journal Entry (CPYAUDJRNE) command will, by default, produce a file in QTEMP called QAUDITxx, where xx is the two-letter audit journal entry type. So in this case, I now have a file in QTEMP called QAUDITSK that I can use for analysis.

There are many subtypes within the SK audit journal entry (for the full list, see the IBM i Security Reference manual, Chapter 9) but the subtype we’re looking for is ‘A’, meaning that the connection has been accepted. So right away, I’m going to use the following SQL statement to filter the SK entries to just look for the accepted connections

      SELECT * FROM qtemp/qauditsk WHERE SKTYPE = 'A'

Even with this filter, you’re still likely to have a lot of entries. At this point, your next step depends on why you’re examining these entries. If you think you’ve gotten all connections secured, you may want to specifically look for connections coming in over unsecured ports. The following SQL lists the ports that the connections should be using; anything coming in over a different port will be listed. (Note: This is not a complete list of secure ports!)

      SELECT * FROM qtemp/qauditsk WHERE SKTYPE = 'A' and SKLPRT not in ('22','443','992')                      

If you are just starting out with this project, you’ll probably want to be more selective in the entries. For example, if you want to ensure all Telnet sessions are encrypted, you can use an SQL that will only include cleartext Telnet sessions (that is, connections coming in over port 23).

      SELECT * FROM qtemp/qauditsk WHERE SKTYPE = 'A' and SKLPRT = ‘23’                    

Now that you’ve selected the audit entries, how do you read/make sense of the information in the audit journal entry? For most audit journal entry types, I find the job name, user, and number helpful as well as the program and program library. But in this case, these fields are worthless. That’s because these entries are generated before the user’s job has started. Take a look at Figure 1 and you’ll understand what I mean.

How Can I Tell Whether All the Connections to My IBM i Are Secure? - Figure 1 

Figure 1: These entries were generated before the user’s job started.

Likewise, the User profile field that typically contains the name of the current user is also worthless in this audit journal entry as it will always contain the value *NONE. So what is helpful about this entry? You’ll want to focus on these two fields:

  • SKLPRT—Local port
  • SKRADR—Remote IP address

To decipher where the connection is coming from, you’ll have to do a reverse DNS lookup using the remote IP address. You may also find the timestamp (SKTSTP) field helpful if the connections are coming from remote servers and you have to look through scheduled jobs to find the incoming task.

Helpful Hints

As you start to play around with the SK entries, you may be tempted to force a few entries to understand how to better read and understand what you’re seeing. (That’s what I always do when I start using an entry I’m not familiar with.) To force the entry, remember that SK entries log new connections; therefore, it’s not sufficient to simply log off your Telnet session and log back on. That will not generate an SK entry. You must close and reinitiate the session to get an SK entry generated.

In V7R3 IBM reworked the *NETCMN value such that it no longer logs accepts and connects. If you have *NETCMN specified in QAUDLVL and think you’re going to get the audit journal entries I’ve been describing, you won’t. As I said earlier, you must specify *NETTELSVR and *NETSCK (and NETUDP if you want to analyze your UDP connections) in the QAUDLVL system value.

Summary

As I said earlier, I encourage my clients to make sure all communications—external and internal—are encrypted. I hope this article will provide you with the information that you’ll need to either start this project or ensure it’s already been completed.

 

Carol Woodbury

 

Carol Woodbury is IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor to Kisco Systems, a firm focused on providing IBM i security solutions. Carol has over 30 years’ experience with IBM i security, starting her career as Security Team Leader and Chief Engineering Manager for iSeries Security at IBM in Rochester, MN. Since leaving IBM, she has co-founded two companies: SkyView Partners and DXR Security. Her practical experience and her intimate knowledge of the system combine for a unique viewpoint and experience level that cannot be matched.

Carol is known worldwide as an author and award-winning speaker on security technology, specializing in IBM i security topics. She has written seven books on IBM i security, including her two current books, IBM i Security Administration and Compliance, 3rd Edition and Mastering IBM i Security, A Modern, Step-by-Step Approach. Carol has been named an IBM Champion since 2018 and holds her CISSP and CRISC security certifications.


MC Press books written by Carol Woodbury available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

IBM i Security Administration and Compliance: Third Edition
Don't miss the newest edition by the industry’s #1 IBM i security expert.
List Price $71.95

Now On Sale

Mastering IBM i Security Mastering IBM i Security
Get the must-have guide by the industry’s #1 security authority.
List Price $49.95

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: