VERIFY PASSWORD
Verify that a password matches the password recorded by an external security manager (ESM).
Description
Use the VERIFY PASSWORD command to check that a password matches the password recorded by an ESM for a user ID. The command returns the values recorded by the ESM for the password. This process is called password verification. If your system uses password phrases in addition to or instead of standard passwords, use the VERIFY PHRASE command instead of the VERIFY PASSWORD command.
Attention: To ensure that passwords are not revealed in system or transaction dumps, clear the password or password phrase fields on the EXEC CICS commands that have a password or password phrase option as soon as possible after use.
- The user ID's connections to groups have been revoked.
- The user ID is not authorized to access the CICS address space (identified by the APPLID).
- The user ID is not authorized to use the terminal at which the user is signing on (identified by the TERMINAL class).
If you supply an incorrect password on the VERIFY PASSWORD request, the invalid attempt count is increased for the user ID. If you supply multiple incorrect passwords on successive VERIFY PASSWORD requests, the user ID may be revoked by the ESM. CICS issues message DFHXS1201 when you supply an incorrect password on a VERIFY PASSWORD request. When you supply a correct password following one or more invalid attempts, CICS issues message DFHXS1206, which includes a count of the invalid attempts.
Unlike the EXEC CICS SIGNON command, the VERIFY PASSWORD command does not depend upon the principal facility; therefore, it can be issued in non-terminal environments such as web applications.
CICS enforces a full verification request at the first time each day that a user ID is used to log on to the CICS region or is verified through a VERIFY PASSWORD or VERIFY PHRASE command. The full verification request records the date and time of last access for the user ID, and writes user statistics. A full verification is also made if an incorrect password or password phrase is entered, and in the next successful request. In other cases, the command request uses a fastpath method to verify the password or password phrase. For details of the SAF interfaces used, see CICS security control points.
Options
- CHANGETIME(data-area)
- Returns
the date and time the password was last changed, in ABSTIME units.
When the ESM is RACF®, the time is shown as midnight.
If the supplied password is successfully verified but has expired or is not set in the external security manager, CHANGETIME has no meaning and is shown as -2.
- DAYSLEFT(data-area)
- Returns the
number of days from now until the password expires, in a halfword binary field.
If a user has a password that does not expire, DAYSLEFT has no meaning and is shown as -1.
If the supplied password is successfully verified but has expired or is not set in the external security manager, DAYSLEFT has no meaning and is shown as -2.
- ESMREASON(data-area)
- Returns the
reason code, in a fullword binary field, that CICS receives
from the ESM.
If the ESM is RACF, this field is the RACF reason code.
The ESM does not always return response and reason codes to CICS. Make sure that you check the EIBRESP and EIBRESP2 values returned by this command in addition to checking the ESMRESP and ESMREASON values.
- ESMRESP(data-area)
- Returns the
response code, in a fullword binary field, that CICS receives
from the ESM.
If the ESM is RACF, this field is the RACF return code.
The ESM does not always return response and reason codes to CICS. Make sure that you check the EIBRESP and EIBRESP2 values returned by this command in addition to checking the ESMRESP and ESMREASON values.
- EXPIRYTIME(data-area)
- Returns
the date and time the password will expire, in ABSTIME units.
When the ESM is RACF, the time is shown as midnight.
If a user has a password that does not expire, EXPIRYTIME has no meaning and is shown as -1.
If the supplied password is successfully verified but has expired or is not set in the external security manager, EXPIRYTIME has no meaning and is shown as -2.
- INVALIDCOUNT(data-area)
- Returns the number of times, in a halfword binary field, that an invalid password was entered for this user.
- LASTUSETIME(data-area)
- Returns the data and time this user ID was last accessed, in ABSTIME units.
- PASSWORD(data-value)
- Specifies
the 8-character password that you want the ESM to check for the specified user ID. The other data is
not returned if the password is not valid.
If the ESM does not allow mixed case passwords, the password is converted to uppercase.
- USERID(data-value)
- Specifies the
8-character user ID of the user whose password is to be checked.
The user ID supplied is converted to uppercase.
Conditions
- 16 INVREQ
- RESP2
values:
- 13
- There is an unknown return code in ESMRESP from the ESM.
- 18
- The CICS ESM interface is not initialized.
- 29
- The ESM is not responding.
- 32
- The user ID field contains a blank character in an invalid position.
Default action: terminate the task abnormally.
- 70 NOTAUTH
- RESP2
values:
- 1
- The PASSWORD field is blank.
- 2
- The supplied password is wrong. If the ESM is RACF, the
revoke count maintained by RACF is incremented.
However, if ESM RESP = 24, the revoke count is not incremented.
- 3
- A new password is required.
- 17
- The USERID is not authorized to use the application.
- 19
- The user ID is revoked.
- 20
- The user's connection to their default group has been revoked.
- 69 USERIDERR
- RESP2
values:
- 8
- The user ID is not known to the ESM.
Default action: terminate the task abnormally.