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Default authentication token

Do not use the default authentication token in service provider code. This default token is used by the WebSphere Application Server run-time code only and is authentication mechanism specific.

Any modifications to this token by service provider code can potentially cause interoperability problems. If create an authentication token for custom usage, see Implement a custom authentication token for security attribute propagation for more information.


Change the token factory associated with the default authentication token

When WAS generates a default authentication token, the application server uses the TokenFactory class specified using the com.ibm.wsspi.security.token.authenticationTokenFactory property. To modify this property using the administrative console, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Security > Global security.

  2. Under Additional properties, click Custom properties.

The com.ibm.ws.security.ltpa.LTPATokenFactory token factory is the default for this property. The LTPATokenFactory token factory uses the DESede/ECB/PKCS5Padding cipher. This token factory creates an interoperable LPTA token.

If we associate the com.ibm.ws.security.ltpa.LTPAToken2Factory token factory with the com.ibm.wsspi.security.token.authenticationTokenFactory property, the token is AES encrypted. However, we need to weigh the performance against our security needs. We might add additional attributes to the authentication token in the Subject during a login available downstream.

If we need to perform our own signing and encryption of the default authentication token, we must implement the following classes:

Your token factory implementation instantiates (createToken) and validates (validateTokenBytes) your token implementation. Use the LTPA keys passed into the initialize method of the token factory or we can use our own keys. If we use our own keys, they must be the same everywhere to validate the tokens generated using those keys. See the API documentation, available through a link on the front page of the information center, for more information on implementing our own custom token factory. To associate your token factory with the default authentication token using the administrative console:

  1. Click Security > Global security.

  2. Under Additional properties, click Custom properties.
  3. Locate the com.ibm.wsspi.security.token.authenticationTokenFactory property and verify that the value of this property matches our custom token factory implementation.

  4. Verify that your implementation classes are put into the install_dir/classes directory so that the WAS class loader can load the classes.

  5. (iSeries) Verify that the QEJBSVR user profile has read, write, and execute (*RWX) authority to the classes directory. Use the Work with Authority (WRKAUT) command to view the authority permissions for that directory.


Related:

  • Security attribute propagation
  • Propagating security attributes among application servers
  • Implement a custom authentication token for security attribute propagation