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Configure Federal Information Processing Standard Java Secure Socket Extension files

Use this topic to configure Federal Information Processing Standard Java Secure Socket Extension files.

In WebSphere Application Server, the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) provider used is the IBMJSSE2 provider. This provider delegates encryption and signature functions to the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) provider. Consequently, IBMJSSE2 does not need to be Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-approved because it does not perform cryptography. However, the JCE provider requires FIPS-approval.

WebSphere Application Server provides a FIPS-approved IBMJCEFIPS provider that IBMJSSE2 can utilize. The IBMJCEFIPS provider that is shipped in WebSphere Application Server v8.5 supports the following SSL ciphers:

When enabling the Use the United States FIPS algorithms option on the server SSL certificate and key management panel, the runtime always uses IBMJSSE2, despite the contextProvider specified for SSL (IBMJSSE or IBMJSSE2S). Also, because FIPS requires the SSL protocol be TLS, the runtime always uses TLS when FIPS is enabled, regardless of the SSL protocol setting in the SSL repertoire. This simplifies the FIPS configuration in v8.5 because an administrator needs to enable only the Use the United States FIPS algorithms option on the server SSL certificate and key management panel to enable all transports using SSL.

  1. Click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Manage FIPS.

  2. Select the Enable FIPS 140-2 option and click Apply. This option makes IBMJSSE2 and IBMJCEFIPS the active providers.

  3. Accommodate Java clients that must access enterprise beans.

    Change the com.ibm.security.useFIPS property value from false to true in the profile_root/properties/ssl.client.props file.

  4. Ensure that the com.ibm.ssl.protocol property within the profile_root/properties/ssl.client.props file is set to TLS.

  5. Ensure that the java.security file includes the provider.

    Edit the java.security file to insert the IBMJCEFIPS provider (com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS) before the IBMJCE provider, and also renumber the other providers in the provider list. The IBMJCEFIPS provider must be in the java.security file provider list.

    (iseries) The java.security file is located in the profile_root/properties directory.

    (dist)(zos) The java.security file is located in the WASHOME/java/jre/lib/security directory.

    The IBM SDK java.security file looks like the following example after completing this step:
    (dist)(zos)

    security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS 
       security.provider.2=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE 
       security.provider.3=com.ibm.jsse.IBMJSSEProvider 
       security.provider.4=com.ibm.jsse2.IBMJSSEProvider2 
       security.provider.5=com.ibm.security.jgss.IBMJGSSProvider   
       security.provider.6=com.ibm.security.cert.IBMCertPath   
       security.provider.7=com.ibm.crypto.pkcs11impl.provider.IBMPKCS11Impl
       security.provider.8=com.ibm.security.cmskeystore.CMSProvider
       security.provider.9=com.ibm.security.jgss.mech.spnego.IBMSPNEGO
       security.provider.10=com.ibm.security.sasl.IBMSASL  
       security.provider.11=com.ibm.xml.crypto.IBMXMLCryptoProvider  
       security.provider.12=com.ibm.xml.enc.IBMXMLEncProvider   
       security.provider.13=org.apache.harmony.security.provider.PolicyProvider
    

    (iseries)

       security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS
       security.provider.2=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE
       security.provider.3=com.ibm.jsse.IBMJSSEProvider
       security.provider.4=com.ibm.jsse2.IBMJSSEProvider2
       security.provider.5=com.ibm.security.jgss.IBMJGSSProvider
       security.provider.6=com.ibm.security.cert.IBMCertPath
       security.provider.7=com.ibm.i5os.jsse.JSSEProvider
       security.provider.8=com.ibm.crypto.pkcs11.provider.IBMPKCS11
       security.provider.9=com.ibm.security.jgss.mech.spnego.IBMSPNEGO
       security.provider.10=com.ibm.security.cmskeystore.CMSProvider
       security.provider.11=com.ibm.security.sasl.IBMSASL
       security.provider.12=com.ibm.xml.crypto.IBMXMLCryptoProvider
       security.provider.13=com.ibm.xml.enc.IBMXMLEncProvider
       security.provider.14=org.apache.harmony.security.provider.PolicyProvider
    

    For the Oracle Java SE Development Kit, the java.security file looks like the following example after completing this step:

        security.provider.1=sun.security.provider.Sun   
        security.provider.2=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS   
        security.provider.3=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE
        security.provider.4=com.ibm.jsse.IBMJSSEProvider  
        security.provider.5=com.ibm.jsse2.IBMJSSEProvider2  
        security.provider.6=com.ibm.security.jgss.IBMJGSSProvider  
        security.provider.7=com.ibm.security.cert.IBMCertPath  
        #security.provider.12=com.ibm.crypto.pkcs11.provider.IBMPKCS11
        security.provider.8=com.ibm.security.jgss.mech.spnego.IBMSPNEGO
        security.provider.9=com.ibm.security.cmskeystore.CMSProvider  
        security.provider.10=com.ibm.security.sasl.IBMSASL  
        security.provider.11=com.ibm.xml.crypto.IBMXMLCryptoProvider  
        security.provider.12=com.ibm.xml.enc.IBMXMLEncProvider   
    

    Edit the java.security file to uncomment the line with the IBMJCEFIPS provider and also renumber the rest of the provider list. The IBMJCEFIPS provider must be in the java.security file provider list. The java.security file is located in the WASHOME/java/jre/lib/security directory. To edit the file... (zos)

    1. Copy the java.security file to a directory that has write permissions.

    2. Edit the java.security file to comment out the line with the IBMJCE provider, uncomment the line with the IBMJCEFIPS provider, and save the file.

      The IBM Software Development Kit (SDK) java.security file looks like the following example prior to completing this step:

      #security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS
      security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE
      security.provider.2=com.ibm.jsse.IBMJSSEProvider
      security.provider.3=com.ibm.jsse2.IBMJSSEProvider2
      security.provider.4=com.ibm.security.jgss.IBMJGSSProvider
      security.provider.5=com.ibm.security.cert.IBMCertPath
      security.provider.6=com.ibm.crypto.pkcs11.provider.IBMPKCS11
      security.provider.7=com.ibm.security.cmskeystore.CMSProvider
      security.provider.8=com.ibm.security.jgss.mech.spnego.IBMSPNEGO
      

    3. Configure the security.overridePropertiesFile and java.security.properties system properties for each Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in the cell. Add the following property and value pairs:

      for the java.security file.

      This table describes custom properties for specifying a new location for the java.security file.

      Property name Value
      security.overridePropertiesFile true
      java.security.properties Specify the new location of the java.security file.

      Specify the previous set of system properties for the deployment manager, the node agent, and other application servers. For the deployment manager, specify this set of system properties for both the control and the servant. For the node agent, specify this set of system properties for the control. For all application servers, specify this set of system properties for the adjunct, control, and servant. For example...to specify these system properties for the control on an application server:

      1. In the console, click Servers > Application servers > server_name.

      2. Under Server infrastructure, click Java and Process Management > Process Definition > Control.

      3. Under Additional properties, click Java Virtual Machine > Custom properties.

      4. Enter the properties as two sets of name and value pairs.

      5. Click Save.


What to do next

After completing these steps, a FIPS-approved JSSE or JCE provider offers increased encryption capabilities. However, when you use FIPS-approved providers:

(dist) Attention: The following error might occur when you attempt to stop WebSphere Application Server after enabling the FIPS option:

Uncomment the following entry in the java.security file if it was previously removed or commented out, then restart the server:

When enabling FIPS, we cannot configure cryptographic token devices in the SSL repertoires. IBMJSSE2 must use IBMJCEFIPS when utilizing cryptographic services for FIPS.

The following FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic providers that are the only devices that are supported with the FIPS option:

The relevant certificates are listed on the NIST website (csrc.nist.gov) and FIPS 140-2 Pre-validation List

To unconfigure the FIPS provider, reverse the changes made in the previous steps. After you reverse the changes, verify that we have made the following changes to the sas.client.props, soap.client.props, and java.security files:

(zos) When you use the FIPS provider, the IBM Software Development Kit (SDK) might issue an error message that refers to a bad certificate. Although this error message can result from a multitude of reasons, review your security configuration and consider one of the following actions:


Related

Develop extensions to the WebSphere security infrastructure
  • Global security settings
  • The Beginner's Guide to Cryptography