fteObfuscate (encrypt sensitive data)

The fteObfuscate command encrypts sensitive data in credentials files. This stops the contents of credentials files being read by someone who gains access to the file. From IBM® MQ 9.2.0, the command provides a more secure credentials protection method to improve the encryption.

Purpose

User name and password properties in credentials files can be encrypted. These properties are transformed to a new related property, with a Cipher suffix. For example:

<!--
  MQMFTCredentials properties before
-->
<tns:logger name="logger1" user="user1" password="passw0rd" />
<tns:file path="$HOME/trust.jks" password="passw0rd" />

<!--
  MQMFTCredentials properties after
-->
<tns:logger name="logger1" userCipher="e71vKCg2pf" passwordCipher="se71vKCg" />
<tns:file path="$HOME/trust.jks" passwordCipher="e71vKCg2pf" />

<!--
  ProtocolBridgeCredentials Properties before
-->
<tns:user name="Fred" serverUserId="fred" serverPassword="passw0rd" />

<!--
  ProtocolBridgeCredentials properties after
-->
<tns:user name="Fred" serverUserIdCipher="e51vVCg2pf" serverPasswordCipher="se51vBCg" />

<!--
  ConnectDirectCredentials properties before
-->
<tns:user name="fteuser" ignorecase="true" pattern="wildcard"
          cdUserId="cdUser" cdPassword="cdPassword" pnodeUserId="pnodeUser"
          pnodePassword="pnodePassword">
  <tns:snode name="snode1" pattern="wildcard" userId="snodeUser" password="snodePassword"/>
</tns:user>

<!--
  ConnectDirectCredentials properties after
-->
<tns:user name="fteuser" ignorecase="true" pattern="wildcard"
          cdUserIdCipher="e71vKCg2pf" cdPasswordCipher="se71vKCg"
          pnodeUserIdCipher="2f1vgCg6df" pnodePasswordCipher="e71vKCg2pf">
  <tns:snode name="snode1" pattern="wildcard" userIdCipher="e51vVCg2pf" passwordCipher="se51vBCg"/>
</tns:user>

From IBM MQ 9.2.0, the preferred formats are:

MFT


<tns:qmgr mqPasswordCipher="mqmftcred!1!kvAzYv/1aCMfSQ5igkFVmQ==!f4rX5KL7aFKHJl7Ln0X+OQ==" 
mqUserIdCipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g==" 
name="MFTQM" user="JOHNDOE"/>

ProtocolBridgeCredentials


<tns:agent name="agent3">                                        
  <tns:serverHost name="ftpsServer" 
                            keyStorePasswordCipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz3VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g==" 
trustStorePasswordCipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGKtz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g==">
   </tns:serverHost>
 </tns:agent>

ConnectDirectCredentials


<tns:agent name="CDAGENT01">
        <tns:pnode name="cdnode*" pattern="wildcard">
          <tns:user name="MUSR_.*"
            ignorecase="true"
            pattern="regex"
            cdUserIdCipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g=="/>            cdPasswordCipher=="!mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g=="/>            pnodeUserIdipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g=="/>            pnodePasswordCipher="mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g=="/>          <tns:snode name="cdnode2" pattern="wildcard" userId="sue" passwordCipher="!mqmftcred!1!w2PQGhQcyq1NwYzGItz0VA==!Q40i2rRSEMGwrx6gnRFe8g=="/>
          </tns:user>
        </tns:pnode>
      </tns:agent>

Syntax

From IBM MQ 9.2.0, the syntax is as follows:

fteObfuscate

Parameters

-f credentials_file_name

Required. Name of the credentials file whose contents will be encrypted.

Note: The -credentialsFile parameter, used in IBM MQ prior to IBM MQ 9.2.0, is deprecated. In IBM MQ 9.2.0, the -credentialsFile parameter is supported, but will be removed in a future release.

-sp protection_mode

Optional. The protection mode to be used for encrypting credentials. The value can be:

0: Use the credentials protection method deprecated at IBM MQ 9.2.0.
1: Use the more secure credentials protection method introduced at IBM MQ 9.2.0. For more information, see Improvements to MFT security.; This is the default value for Long Term Support and Continuous Delivery before IBM MQ 9.2.4.; From IBM MQ 9.2.4, you can use protection mode 1 for compatibility with versions earlier than IBM MQ 9.2.4. However, consider migrating any stored passwords to the enhanced protection provided by setting protection mode to 2.
2: Use the enhanced credentials protection mode introduced at IBM MQ 9.2.4. For more information, see Improvements to MFT security.; This is the default from IBM MQ 9.2.4.

-sf credentials_key_file

Optional. The name of the file containing the credentials key. If this parameter is omitted, the command uses the default credentials key. For more information, see Protecting passwords in IBM MQ component configuration files.

-o output_file_name

Optional. Name of the file to output the protected credentials.

-? or -h

Optional. Displays command syntax.

Examples

To encrypt credentials in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the old algorithm, and store them in the old format, issue the following command:


fteObfuscate -f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml -sp 0

To encrypt a password in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the old algorithm, and store it in the new format, issue the following command:


fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -sp 0
 -f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

To encrypt a password in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the new algorithm, and store it in the new format, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -sp 1 
-f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

Note: You do not have to specify the level of protection if you are using the more secure version of the command, so the following command is identical to the previous command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key 
-f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

To encrypt credentials in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the new algorithm, and store them in the new format, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

To encrypt a password in the ProtocolBridgeCredentials.xml file using the default protection, new algorithm, and store it in the new format, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key 
-f /usr/home/ProtocolBridgeCredentials.xml

To encrypt credentials in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file and output to another file, this time specifying the default protection, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -sp 1 
-f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml -o /usr/home/enccred.xml

Using data sets on z/OS®

Encrypt a data set and output it as an XML file format:

fteObfuscate  -f "//test.creds(creds)" -o enc.xml

Encrypt a data set with the key specified in the data set:

/fteObfuscate -f "//test.creds(creds)" -sf "//test.creds(key)"

Examples of using the command from IBM MQ 9.2.4

To encrypt a password in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the new algorithm, protection mode (1) and store it in the new format, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -sp 1 -f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

To encrypt a password in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file using the default protection (2), new algorithm, and store it in the new format, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml

To encrypt credentials in the MQMFTCredentials.xml file and output to another file, issue the following command:

fteObfuscate -sf /var/mqmft/credKeyfile.key -sp 2 
-f /usr/home/MQMFTCredentials.xml -o /usr/home/enccred.xml

Return codes

0: Command completed successfully.
1: Command ended unsuccessfully.