Network Deployment (Distributed operating systems), v8.0 > Develop and deploying applications > Develop web services - Security (WS-Security) > Develop applications that use Web Services Security > Develop message-level security for JAX-WS web services > Secure web services applications using the WSS APIs at the message level > Secure messages at the request generator using WSS APIs > Secure messages at the request generator using WSS APIs > Configure encryption to protect message confidentiality using the WSS APIs


Add encrypted parts using the WSSEncryptPart API

We can secure the SOAP messages, without using policy sets for configuration, by using the Web Services Security APIs (WSS API).

To configure encrypted parts for the request generator (client side) bindings, use the WSSEncryptPart API to define and add to the listing of elements in the encrypted part. WSSEncryptPart is an interface that is part of the com.ibm.websphere.wssecurity.wssapi.encryption package.

We can use the WSS APIs or configure policy sets to enable the encrypted parts.

To secure SOAP messages, use the WSS APIs to complete the following encryption tasks, as needed:

Confidentiality settings require that confidentiality constraints be applied to generated messages. These constraints include specifying which message parts within the generated message must be encrypted, and which message parts to attach encrypted elements to. The encryption information on the generator side is used for encrypting an outgoing SOAP message. The request generator is configured for the client.

The WSSEncryptPart API specifies information related to encrypted parts and sets the encrypted parts that have been added for message confidentiality protection. Use the WSSEncryptPart to set the transform method and to specify the part to which the transform method is to be applied. Sets the transform method only if using SOAP with Attachments. The WSSEncryptPart is usually not needed except, in some case for tasks such as setting the transform method.

The encrypted parts and related information displayed in the following table are used to protect the confidentiality of messages.

Encrypted parts. Use encrypted parts to secure messages.

Encrypted parts Description
part Add the WSSEncryptPart object as a target of the encryption part.
keyword Add the encrypted parts using keywords. The default encryption parts that you can add using keywords are the BODY_CONTENT and SIGNATURE. WAS supports using these keywords:

  • BODY_CONTENT
  • SIGNATURE

xpath Add the encrypted part by using an XPath expression.
signature Add the WSSSignature component as a target of the encrypted part.

WSSSignature is applicable only if the SOAP message contains a signature element.

header Add the SOAP header, specified by QName, as a target of the encrypted part.
securityToken Add the SecurityToken object as a target of the encrypted part.

For encrypted parts, certain default behaviors occur. The simplest way to use the WSSEncryptPart API is to use the default behavior. The WSSEncryptPart API provides defaults for specifying the transform algorithm, setting objects as targets, specifying the encrypted parts, such as: the SOAP body content and the signature.

The encryption default behaviors include:

Encrypted part decisions. Several encrypted message parts are set by default.

Encrypted part decisions Default behavior
Which SOAP message parts to encrypt using keywords Specifies which keywords to use for the encrypted parts. WAS sets the following SOAP message parts by default for encryption:

  • WSSEncryption.BODY_CONTENT
  • WSSEncryption.SIGNATURE

Which transform method to add WAS does not specify any transform method by default. Specify a transform method only if using SOAP with Attachments.


Procedure

  1. To encrypt the SOAP message parts using the WSSEncryptPart API, first ensure that the application server is installed.
  2. The WSS API process using WSSEncryptPart follows these process steps:

    1. Uses WSSFactory.getInstance() to get the WSS API implementation instance.

    2. Creates the WSSGenerationContext instance from the WSSFactory instance.

    3. Creates the SecurityToken from WSSFactory to configure the encryption.

    4. Creates WSSEncryption from the WSSFactory instance using SecurityToken.

    5. Creates WSSEncryptPart from WSSFactory.

    6. Adds the parts to be encrypted and to be applied with the transform in WSSEncryptPart. WAS sets these encrypted parts by default for WSSEncryptPart: the BODY_CONTENT and SIGNATURE. After you add other encrypted parts, the default values are no longer valid. For example, if you call addEncryptPart(securityToken, false), only the security token is encrypted, and not the signature and body content. So to encrypt the security token, the signature, and the body content, call addEncryptPart(securityToken, false), addEncryptPart(WSSEncryption.SIGNATURE), and addEncryptPart(WSSEncrypyion.BODY_CONTENT).

    7. Sets the transform method.

    8. Adds WSSEncryptPart to WSSEncryption.

    9. Adds WSSEncryption to WSSGenerationContext.
    10. Calls WSSGenerationContext.process() with the SOAPMessageContext.


Results

If there is an error condition during encryption of the message parts, a WSSException is provided. If successful, the API calls the WSSGenerationContext.process(), the WS-Security header is generated, and the SOAP message is now secured using Web Services Security.


What to do next

After enabling encrypted parts for the request generator (client side) binding, specify the same parts to be decrypted for the response consumer (client side) bindings. Next, to configure decryption and decrypted parts, use the WSS APIs or configure policy sets .
Encrypted SOAP headers
Encrypting the SOAP message using the WSSEncryption API
Secure message parts
Configure generator security tokens using the WSS API
Configure encryption to protect message confidentiality using the WSS APIs

+

Search Tips   |   Advanced Search