BasicAuth authentication method

When you use the BasicAuth authentication method, the security token that is generated is a <wsse:UsernameToken> element with <wsse:Username> and <wsse:Password> elements.

Important: There is an important distinction between Version 5.x and Version 6 and later applications. The information supports Version 5.x applications only used with WAS v6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to Version 6 and later applications.

WebSphere Application Server supports text passwords but not password digest because passwords are not stored and cannot be retrieved from the server. On the request sender side, a callback handler is invoked to generate the security token. On the request receiver side, a JAAS login module is used to validate the security token. These two operations, token generation and token validation, are described in the following sections.

BasicAuth token generation

The request sender generates a BasicAuth security token using a callback handler. The security token returned by the callback handler is inserted in the SOAP message. The callback handler used is specified in the <LoginBinding> element of the bindings file, ibm-webservicesclient-bnd.xmi. The following callback handler implementations are provided with WebSphere Application Server and can be used with the BasicAuth authentication method:

• com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.GUIPromptCallbackHandler

• com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.StdinPromptCallbackHandler

• com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.NonPromptCallbackHandler

We can add our own callback handlers that implement the javax.security.auth.callback.CallbackHandler method.

BasicAuth token validation

The request receiver retrieves the BasicAuth security token from the SOAP message and validates it using a JAAS login module. The <wsse:Username> and <wsse:Password> elements in the security token are used to perform the validation. If the validation is successful, the login module returns a JAAS Subject. This Subject is set as the identity of the running thread. If the validation fails, the request is rejected with a SOAP fault exception.

The JAAS login configuration is specified in the <LoginMapping> element of the bindings file. Default bindings are specified in the ws-security.xml file. However, we can override these bindings using the application-specific ibm-webservices-bnd.xmi file. The configuration information consists of a CallbackHandlerFactory and a ConfigName value. The CallbackHandlerFactory option specifies the name of a class used for creating the JAAS CallbackHandler object. WebSphere Application Server provides the com.ibm.wsspi.wssecurity.auth.callback.WSCallbackHandlerFactoryImpl CallbackHandlerFactory implementation. The ConfigName value specifies a JAAS configuration name entry. WebSphere Application Server searches security.xml for a matching configuration name entry. If a match is not found, it searches the wsjaas.conf file for a match. WebSphere Application Server provides the WSLogin default configuration entry, which is suitable for the BasicAuth authentication method.

Related tasks

Configure the client for basic authentication: collecting the authentication information