Secure Sockets Layer

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol provides transport layer
security with authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality, for a secure connection between a client and server in WebSphere Application Server. The protocol runs above TCP/IP and below application protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP), and provides trust and privacy for the transport data.

Depending upon the SSL configurations of both the client and server, various levels of trust, data integrity, and privacy can be established. Understanding the basic operation of SSL is very important to proper configuration and to achieve the required protection level for both client and application data.

Some of the security features that are provided by SSL are data encryption to prevent the exposure of sensitive information while data flows. Data signing prevents unauthorized modification of data while data flows. Client and server authentication ensures that you talk to the appropriate person or machine. SSL can be effective in securing an enterprise environment.

SSL is used by multiple components within WebSphere Application Server to provide trust and privacy. These components are the built-in HTTP transport, the Object Request Broker (ORB), and the secure LDAP client.

Figure 1. SSL and WebSphere Application Server In this figure:

• The built-in HTTP transport in WebSphere Application Server accepts HTTP requests over SSL from a Web client like a browser.

• The Object Request Broker that is used in WebSphere Application Server can perform Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) over SSL to secure the message.

• The secure LDAP client uses LDAP over SSL to securely connect to an LDAP user registry and is present only when LDAP is configured as the user registry.

WebSphere Application Server and the IBM Java Secure Socket Extension (IBMJSSE and IBMJSSE2) providers The SSL implementations that are used by WebSphere Application Server are the IBM Java Secure Sockets Extension (IBMJSSE) and the IBM Java Secure Sockets Extension 2 (IBMJSSE2). The IBMJSSE and IBMJSSE2 providers contain a reference implementation supporting SSL and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols and an application programming interface (API) framework. The IBMJSSE and IBMJSSE2 providers also come with a standard provider, which supplies Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) support for the signature-related J2EE Connector Architecture (J2CA) features of the Java 2 Platform, common SSL and TLS cipher suites, hardware cryptographic token device, X.509-based key and trust managers, and PKCS12 implementation for a J2CA keystore. A graphical tool called Key Management Tool (iKeyman) also is provided to manage digital certificates. With this tool, you can create a new key database or a test digital certificate, add certificate authority (CA) roots to the database, copy certificates from one database to another as well as request and receive a digital certificate from a CA.

Important: The HTTP and JMS transports utilize the transport channel service for asynchronous I/O. This framework requires the use of IBMJSSE2 provider for SSL. Any provider you specify other than the IBMJSSE2 provider in the SSL repertoire is ignored and the IBMJSSE2 provider is used. Other SSL transports such as IIOP over SSL and LDAP over SSL utilize the provider you specify in the SSL repertoire configuration. Configuring the JSSE provider is very similar to configuring most other SSL implementations (for example, GSKit); however, a couple of differences are worth noting.

• The JSSE provider supports both signer and personal certificate storage in an SSL key file, but it also supports a separate file called a trust file. A trust file can contain only signer certificates. You can put all of your personal certificates in an SSL keyfile and your signer certificates in a trustfile. This support might be helpful, for example, if you have an inexpensive hardware cryptographic device with only enough memory to hold a personal certificate. In this case, the keyfile refers to the hardware device and the trustfile refers to a file on a disk that contains all of the signer certificates.

• The JSSE provider does not recognize the proprietary SSL keyfile format, which is used by the plug-in (.kdb files). Instead, the JSSE provider recognizes standard file formats such as Java Key Standard (JKS). SSL keyfiles might not be shared between the plug-in and application server. Furthermore, a different implementation of the key management utility must be used to manage
  application server key and trustfiles. For iSeries, use the Digital Certificate Manager (DCM) to manage .kdb files. For more information about DCM, see these topics in the iSeries Information Center:
  • V5R3 Digital Certificate Manager
  • V5R2 Digital Certificate Manager

Certain limitations exist with the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) provider:

• Customer code using JSSE and Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) APIs must reside within WebSphere Application Server environment. This restriction includes
  applications that are deployed in WebSphere Application Server and client
  applications in the J2EE application client environment.

• Only com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE, com.ibm.jsse.IBMJSSEProvider, com.ibm.security.cert.IBMCertPath, and com.ibm.crypto.pkcs11.provider.IBMPKCS11 are provided as the cryptography package providers.

• Interoperability of the IBMJSSE implementation with other SSL implementations by vendors is limited to tested implementations. The tested implementations include Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), BEA WebLogic Server, IBM AIX, and IBM AS/400.

• Hardware token support is limited to supported cryptographic token devices. Note that no hardware cryptographic devices are supported for iSeries (OS/400).
  

  Tested for SSL clients	Tested for SSL clients or servers
  IBM Security Kit Smartcard	IBM 4758-23
  GemPlus Smartcards	IBM 4758-23
  Rainbow iKey 1000/2000(USB "Smartcard" device)	IBM 4758-23

• The SSL protocol of Version 2.0 is not supported. In addition, the JSSE and JCE APIs are not supported with Java applet applications.

WebSphere Application Server and the Federal Information Processing Standards for Java Secure Socket Extension and Java Cryptography Extension providers

The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-approved Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) and Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) providers are optional in WebSphere Application Server. By default, the FIPS-approved JSSE and JCE providers are disabled. When these providers are enabled, WebSphere Application Server uses FIPS-approved cryptographic algorithms in the IBMJCEFIPS provider package only.

Important: The IBMJCEFIPS module is a FIPS 140-2-approved cryptographic provider. For more information on the FIPS certification process and to check the status of the IBM submission, refer to Cryptographic Module Validation Program FIPS 140-1 and FIPS 140-2 Pre-validation List Web site.

Sub-topics

Authenticity

Confidentiality

Integrity

Digital certificates

Network communication using Secure Sockets Layer and the Transport Channel Service

Related tasks

Related information

FIPS 140-1 and FIPS 140-2 Cryptographic Modules Validation List