WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, Version 6.0.x     Operating Systems: AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Windows

Protecting plain text passwords

Why and when to perform this task

WebSphere Application Server contains several plain text passwords. These passwords are not encrypted, but are encoded. WebSphere Application Server provides the PropFilePasswordEncoder utility, which you can use to encode these passwords. However, the utility does not encode passwords that are contained within XML or XMI files. Instead, WebSphere Application Server automatically encodes the passwords in the following XML or XMI files as the files are modified by the administrative console.
Table 1. XML and XMI files that contain plain text passwords
File name Additional information
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name/config/
cells/cell_name/security.xml
The following fields contain encoded passwords:
  • LTPA password
  • JAAS authentication data
  • User registry server password
  • LDAP user registry bind password
  • Key store password
  • Trust store password
  • Cryptographic token device password
war/WEB-INF/ibm_web_bnd.xml
Specifies the passwords for the default basic authentication for the "resource-ref" bindings within all the descriptors (except in the Java cryptography architecture).
ejb jar/META-INF/ibm_ejbjar_bnd.xml
Specifies the passwords for the default basic authentication for the "resource-ref" bindings within all the descriptors (except in the Java cryptography architecture).
client jar/META-INF/ibm-appclient_bnd.xml
Specifies the passwords for the default basic authentication for the "resource-ref" bindings within all the descriptors (except in the Java cryptography architecture).
ear/META-INF/ibm_application_bnd.xml
Specifies the passwords for the default basic authentication for the "run as" bindings within all the descriptors.
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT /profiles/profile_name/config/
cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/
server_name/server.xml
The following fields contain encoded passwords:
  • Key store password
  • Trust store password
  • Cryptographic token device password
  • Authentication target password
  • Session persistence password
  • DRS Client data replication password
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name/config/
cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/
server_name/resources.xml
The following fields contain encoded passwords:
  • WAS40Datasource password
  • mailTransport password
  • mailStore password
  • MQQueue queue mgr password
For Network Deployment:
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name/config
/cells/cell_name/ws-security.xml
 
ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi
 
ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi
 

You can use the PropFilePasswordEncoder utility to encode the passwords that are found in the following files.

Table 2. Files that you can encode using the PropFilePasswordEncoder utility
File name Additional information
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name
/properties/sas.client.props
Specifies the passwords for the following files:
  • com.ibm.ssl.keyStorePassword
  • com.ibm.ssl.trustStorePassword
  • com.ibm.CORBA.loginPassword
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name
/properties/soap.client.props
Specifies passwords for:
  • com.ibm.ssl.keyStorePassword
  • com.ibm.ssl.trustStorePassword
  • com.ibm.SOAP.loginPassword
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name
/properties/sas.tools.properties
Specifies passwords for:
  • com.ibm.ssl.keyStorePassword
  • com.ibm.ssl.trustStorePassword
  • com.ibm.CORBA.loginPassword
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name
/properties/sas.stdclient.properties
Specifies passwords for:
  • com.ibm.ssl.keyStorePassword
  • com.ibm.ssl.trustStorePassword
  • com.ibm.CORBA.loginPassword
WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name
/properties/wsserver.key
 
To re-encode a password in one of the previous files, complete the following steps:

Steps for this task

  1. Access the file using a text editor and type over the encoded password in plain text. The new password is shown in plain text and must be encoded.
  2. Use the PropFilePasswordEncoder.bat or PropFilePasswordEncode.sh file in the WAS_INSTALL_ROOT/profiles/profile_name/bin/ directory to re-encode the password.

    If you are re-encoding SAS properties files, type PropFilePasswordEncoder file_name -sas and the PropFilePasswordEncoder file encodes the known SAS properties.

    If you are encoding files that are not SAS properties files, type PropFilePasswordEncoder file_name password_properties_list

    file_name is the name of the z/SAS properties file. password_properties_list is the name of the properties to encode within the file.
    Note: Only the password should be encoded in this file using the PropFilePasswordEncoder tool.

    Use the PropFilePasswordEncoder utility to encode WebSphere Application Server password files only. The utility cannot encode passwords contained in XML files or other files that contain open and close tags.

Result

If you reopen the affected file or files, the passwords do not display in plain text. Instead, the passwords appear encoded. WebSphere Application Server does not provide a utility for decoding the passwords.



Related reference
Supported authentication protocols

Task topic    

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Last updated: Mar 17, 2005 4:28:29 AM CST
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