Configuring the was.policy file for Java 2 security

If the application has specific resources to access, update the was.policy file.

Before you begin

Java™ 2 security uses several policy files to determine the granted permission for each Java program. The was.policy file is an application-specific policy file for WebSphere® Application Server enterprise applications. This file is embedded in the META-INF/was.policy enterprise archive (.EAR) file. The was.policy file is located in:

profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/applications/
ear_file_name/deployments/application_name/META-INF/was.policy

See Java 2 security policy files for the list of available policy files that are supported by WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1.

The union of the permissions that are contained in the following files is applied to the WebSphere Application Server enterprise application:

Any policy file that is specified in the policy.url.* properties in the java.security file.
The app.policy files, which are managed by configuration and file replication services.
The server.policy file.
The java.policy file.
The application was.policy file.
The permission specification of the ra.xml file.
The shared library, which is the library.policy file.

Changes made in these files are replicated to other nodes in the cell.

Table 1. Symbols defined to associate permission lists to a specific type of resource . Several product-reserved symbols are defined to associate the permission lists to a specific type of resource.
Symbol	Definition
file:${application}	Permissions apply to all resources used within the application.
file:${jars}	Permissions apply to all utility Java archive (JAR) files within the application
file:${ejbComponent}	Permissions apply to enterprise bean resources within the application
file:${webComponent}	Permissions apply to web resources within the application
file:${connectorComponent}	Permissions apply to connector resources within the application

In WebSphere Application Server, applications that manipulate threads must have the appropriate thread permissions specified in the was.policy or app.policy file. Without the thread permissions specified, the application cannot manipulate threads and WebSphere Application Server creates a java.security.AccessControlException exception. If you add the permissions to the was.policy file for a specific application, you do not need to restart WebSphere Application Server. An administrator must add the following code to a was.policy or app.policy file for an application to manipulate threads:

grant codeBase "file:${application}" {
  permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "stopThread";
  permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread";
  permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup";
};

An administrator can add the thread permissions to the app.policy file, but the permission change requires a restart of WebSphere Application Server.

Important: The Signed By and the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) principal keywords are not supported.

Other than these blocks, you can specify the module name for granular settings. For example,

grant codeBase "file:DefaultWebApplication.war" {
  permission java.security.SecurityPermission "printIdentity";
};

grant codeBase "file:IncCMP11.jar" {
  permission java.io.FilePermission 
      "${user.install.root}${/}bin${/}DefaultDB${/}-", 
      "read,write,delete";
};

Table 2. Embedded symbols provided to specify the path and name for the java.io.FilePermission permission . Five embedded symbols are provided to specify the path and name for the java.io.FilePermission permission. These symbols enable flexible permission specification. The absolute file path is fixed after the application is installed.
Symbol	Definition
${app.installed.path}	Path where the application is installed
${was.module.path}	Path where the module is installed
${current.cell.name}	Current® cell name
${current.node.name}	Current node name
${current.server.name}	Current server name

About this task

If the default permissions for the enterprise application are enough, an action is not required. The default permissions are a union of the permissions that are defined in the java.policy file, the server.policy file, and the app.policy file. If an application has specific resources to access, update the was.policy file. The first two steps assume that you are creating a new policy file.

Tip: Syntax errors in the policy files cause the application server to fail. Use care when editing these policy files.

Procedure

Create or edit a new was.policy file by using the PolicyTool.
Package the was.policy file into the enterprise archive (EAR) file.

The following instructions describe how to import a was.policy file.
1. Import the EAR file into an assembly tool.
2. Open the Project Navigator view.
3. Expand the EAR file and click META-INF.
  You might find a was.policy file in the META-INF directory. If you want to delete the file, right-click the file name and select Delete.
4. On the Project Navigator view, click J2EE Hierarchy.
5. Import the was.policy file by right-clicking the Modules directory within the deployment descriptor and by clicking Import > Import > File system.
6. Click Next.
7. Enter the path name to the was.policy file in the From directory field or click Browse to locate the file.
8. Verify that the path directory that is listed in the Into directory field lists the correct META-INF directory.
9. Click Finish.
10. To validate the EAR file, right-click the EAR file, which contains the Modules directory, and click Run Validation.
11. To save the new EAR file, right-click the EAR file, and click Export > Export EAR file.
  If you do not save the revised EAR file, the EAR file will contain the new was.policy file. However, if the workspace becomes corrupted, you might lose the revised EAR file.
12. To generate deployment code, right-click the EAR file and click Generate Deployment Code.
Update an existing installed application, if one already exists.
Modify the was.policy file with the Policy Tool.
1. Extract the policy file. Enter the following command from a command prompt:
```
wsadmin> set obj [$AdminConfig extract profiles/profile_name/cells/cell_name
/application/ear_file_name/deployments/application_name
/META_INF/was.policy c:/temp/test/was.policy]
```
  Enter the three previous lines as one continuous line. They are display here for illustration only.
2. Edit the extracted was.policy file with the Policy Tool.
3. Check in the policy file. Enter the following at a command prompt:
```
wsadmin> $AdminConfig checkin profiles/profile_name/cells/cell_name/application/
ear_file_name/deployments/application_name/META_INF/was.policy 
c:/temp/test/was.policy $obj
```
  Enter the three previous lines as one continuous line. They are display here for illustration only.

Results

The updated was.policy file is applied to the application after the application restarts.

Example

java.security.AccessControlException: access denied (java.io.FilePermission 
${was.install.root}/java/ext/mail.jar read)

If an application must access a specific resource that is not defined as a default in the java.policy file, the server.policy file, and the app.policy, delete the was.policy file for that application. The symptom of the missing permission is the java.security.AccessControlException exception. The missing permission is listed in the exception data:

Note: The following examples are split into several lines for illustration only. You actually enter the permission on one line.

java.security.AccessControlException: access denied (java.io.FilePermission 
${was.install.root}/java/ext/mail.jar read)

When a Java program receives this exception and adding this permission is justified, add the following permission to the was.policy file:

grant codeBase "file:user_client_installed_location" { 
  permission java.io.FilePermission 
"${was.install.root}$(/)java$(/)jre$(/)lib$(/)ext$(/)mail.jar", "read";
};

To determine whether to add a permission, see Access control exception for Java 2 security.

What to do next

Restart all applications for the updated app.policy file to take effect.