You can configure WebSphere® Application
Server to use the SP800-131 standard strict mode.
Before you begin
Read the WebSphere Application Server
security standards configurations
topic for more background information regarding security
standards.
About this task
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications (SP) 800-131
standard strengthens algorithms and increases the key lengths to improve security. The standard also
provides for a transition period to move to the new standard. The transition period enables a user
to run in a mixed environment of settings not supported under the standard along with those that are
supported. The NIST SP800-131 standard requires that users be configured for strict enforcement of
the standard by a specific timeframe. See The National
Institute of Standards and Technology web site for more details.
WebSphere Application Server can be configured to run
SP800-131 in a transition
mode or a strict
mode. For instructions
on how to configure transition mode, read the topic Transitioning WebSphere Application Server to the SP800-131 Security Standard
.
To run in strict mode, there are several changes necessary to the server configuration:
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) configuration must use the TLSv1.2 protocol.
- The com.ibm.jsse2.sp800-131 system property must be set to
strict
for the JSSE
to run in a strict SP800-131 mode.
- Certificates used for SSL communication must have a minimum length of 2048, and for Elliptical
Curve (EC) certificates they must have a minimum length of 244.
- Certificates must be signed with a signature algorithm of SHA256, SHA384, or SHA512.
- SP800-131 approved cipher suites must be used.
.
Important: Supported signatures algorithm suites that use SHA-256 should apply to the
whole certificate chain. That is, certificates must be signed with a signature algorithm of SHA256,
SHA384, or SHA512 and supported signatures algorithm suites that use SHA256, SHA384, or SHA512
should apply to the whole certificate chain.
Procedure
- Click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Manage
FIPS
To run in a strict SP800-131 mode, all of the certificates used for SSL on the
server must be converted to certificates that comply with the SP800-131 requirements.
- To convert certificates, under Related Items, click Convert
Certificates.
- Select the radio button marked Strict, and choose which signatureAlgorithm to use
when creating the new certificates from the pull-down box.
- Select the size of the certificate from the pull-down box labeled New Certificate Key
Size.
Note: If you choose an Elliptical Curve signature algorithm, they require specific sizes; you are
not able to fill in a size. The correct size is used instead.
- If no certificates are displayed in the box labeled Certificates that can not be
converted, click Apply/Save.
- If certificates are displayed in the box labeled Certificates that can not be
converted, the server is unable to convert the certificate for you. You must replace these
certificates with ones that meet SP800-131 requirements.
Reasons why the server can not
convert a certificate for you include:
- The certificate was created by a Certificate Authority (CA)
- The certificate is in a read only keystore
Once certificates are converted to meet the SP800-131 specification, perform the following
steps to enable SP800-131 strict mode.
- Click SSL certificate and key management > Manage FIPS.
- Enable the radio button labeled Enable SP800-131.
- Enable the radio button labeled Strict.
- Click Apply/Save.
- Restart the servers and manually sync the nodes for the SP800-131 strict mode to take
effect.
When these changes are applied, and the server is restarted, all of the SSL configuration on the
server are modified to use the TLSv1.2 protocol and the com.ibm.jsse2.sp800-131 system property is
set to strict
. The SSL configuration uses the appropriate SSL ciphers for the
standard.
There are several wsadmin tasks that can be used to enable strict SP800-131 using scripting
- Check the status of certificates for the security standard by using the
listCertStatusForSecurityStandard task.
- Convert certificates for the security standard by using the convertCertForSecurityStandard
task.
- Enable the security standard by using the enableFips task.
- To see the security standard setting, use the getFipsInfo task.
- Once the server is configured for SP800-131 strict mode, the
ssl.client.props file must be modified so that the admininstrative client is
running in SP800-131 strict mode.
They are not able to make a SSL connection to the server without the change.
Edit the
ssl.client.props file by doing the following:
- Modify com.ibm.security.useFIPS to be set to
true
.
- Add com.ibm.websphere.security.FIPSLevel=SP800-131 following the useFips property.
- Change the com.ibm.ssl.protocol property to TLSv1.2.
What to do next
The SP800-131 standard strict mode requires that the SSL connection use the TLSv1.2
protocol. For a browser to access the administrative console or an application, the browser must
support and first be configured to use the TLSv1.2 protocol.Avoid trouble: When enabling the security standards on a Network
Deployment version of the product, the node and deployment manager can be in an incompatible
protocol state. Since configuring the security standard requires the server to be restarted, it is
recommended that all node agents and servers be stopped, leaving the deployment manager running.
Once the configuration changes are made through the console, restart the deployment
manager.
Manually sync the nodes with syncNode, and start the node agents and servers. To
use syncNode, you might need to update the ssl.client.props file to communicate
with the deployment manager.