21
Thu, Nov
1 New Articles

Top Five Misconfigurations That Leave Your IBM i Vulnerable

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

According to the IBM X-Force, misconfiguration is one of the top issues that leave organizations vulnerable. IBM i is not immune to misconfiguration. While there are many ways to misconfigure a system, Carol describes her top five.

I read articles about security breaches all the time. Except for cases when an organization is targeted by a nation-state or a competitor, the cause of the breach is usually attributed to “misconfiguration.” Misconfiguration can take numerous forms. Several situations come to mind that cause IBM i misconfigurations.

Many organizations set system values, object authorities, and user profiles to specific values that match security best practices, but they never bother to monitor to see if those values are changed. System values may be changed during vendor product installations, object authorities can be modified to accommodate a user request (which shouldn’t have been granted), or programmers may be assigned *ALLOBJ special authority for a short-term project never removed. Other organizations have totally ignored security, doing whatever they feel is necessary to make administration as easy as possible. Typically, this means making configuration decisions without regard to the security implications. In both cases, misconfiguration occurs. While I could list many configurations that make your system vulnerable, let’s take a look at my top five.

Vulnerability #1: Sharing root (/)

Sharing root shares the entire system, not just the directories. So even a read-only share exposes all aspects of the system to being viewed by users who don’t have a job responsibility to do so. Make that a read-write share and the system becomes highly vulnerable to malware. On top of this misconfiguration, when the *PUBLIC authority of root is left at the default setting, the system becomes vulnerable to malware. This is not theory: we have seen numerous clients become affected by ransomware. Fortunately, most of them have had a backup that allowed them to recover the portions of their system that were encrypted. Other types of malware also exist. For example, one organization was infected when the PC mapped to the root share became infected because someone clicked on a link that downloaded malware that renamed all directories—first on the PC and then on IBM i.

Vulnerability #2: Running at the Wrong Security Level

IBM i has shipped at QSECURITY level 40 for many releases now (since the 1990s!), but we still encounter systems that are running at security level 30 and some at 20. These organizations are leaving themselves open to having users elevate their privileges, bypassing some auditing, and potentially de-stabilizing the operating system depending on whether developers are directly accessing data (rather than using APIs or commands (*CMDs)) or modifying internal control blocks. None of these things are an issue at security level 40 or 50. There’s no excuse for not running at 40 or 50 these days. All vendor code runs at security level 40. The issue today is that organizations may have to clean up a bit of their own code, but rarely is it a huge issue. The good news is that you can audit to determine what issues you may encounter prior to moving from level 30 to level 40. Moving from 20 to 40 takes a bit more planning but is also quite doable.

Vulnerability #3: Default and Other Weak Passwords

Allowing default passwords is an open door for anyone to try to access your system. All hackers know that a default password on IBM i is the same as the profile name. So that’s the password they’ll try. Default passwords are easy to discover (Analyze Default Password—ANZDFTPWD) and, as of V7R2, can be prevented. By specifying *LMTPRFNAME and *ALLCRTCHG in the QPWDRULES system value, no one can specify a default password—even when creating or changing a profile. We’re recommending that our clients move to using the QPWDRULES system value rather than the individual password composition rule system values because of the additional options available. Allowing other weak passwords also leaves the system vulnerable. I’ve heard a lot of excuses for not requiring strong passwords, but, to be honest, I’m losing patience with those. Online banking and most online retail sites now require strong passwords. How it is that users can put up with strong passwords in their personal life but not their work life? Yes, they will complain, but they will be able to handle them!

Vulnerability #4: Unencrypted Communications

If someone infiltrates your network or an insider “turns” and has a desire to harm your organization, leaving communications in clear text rather than implementing encrypted sessions (using TLS) allows the communications to be read, including user ids and passwords. All that’s needed is to find one user ID/password combination of an administrator, and the intruder or insider makes even more inroads into your organization. Encrypted sessions are not difficult: everything you need to configure them comes with IBM i.

Vulnerability #5: Continuing to Think That “Menu Security” Is Sufficient to Protect Data

Sad but true, I still have organizations claiming that they don’t need to do anything more to protect their data because their users can only access data through menus. Sigh. I’m not sure if they actually believe this or if they’re trying to make excuses for why they haven’t taken action to secure their data. If you’ve read other articles or heard me speak, you’ve heard me mention “multiple layers of defense” or “defense in depth.” The data residing on our IBM i systems is a valuable corporate asset. How many layers of defense you’ll choose to implement will depend on the value of the data to your organization and/or will be dictated by laws or regulations.

Here are the layers of defense to consider. The outermost layer of defense are exit points; think of this as a logical firewall that will prevent users from accessing data via FTP, ODBC, DDM, etc. The next layer that will protect data is object-level security. Setting data to “deny by default” means that database files will be set to *PUBLIC *EXCLUDE, and only users with a business need will have access to the data. Or perhaps your business simply requires data integrity. That means that the *PUBLIC authority will be set to *USE so that the organization can be assured the data is modified only via application interfaces but anyone can read the data. We’re now seeing an increased number of organizations using a final layer of defense and encrypting fields containing sensitive data. Finally, securing data assumes that you have your role-based access in place, meaning that only administrators have been granted *ALLOBJ special authority.

Summary

All of these vulnerabilities work together. All should be addressed if you want to have a secure system. The good news is that, with the possible exception of Vulnerability #5, all of these are easily corrected. Determining which data to protect and how many layers of defense you’re going to implement takes a bit more planning.

 

My hope with this article is that you understand that IBM i is not immune to misconfiguration and that you’ll start looking to see if corrections need to be made.

 

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: