Last Updated on September 16, 2022
If you’re looking for a way to check channel authentication on Cisco devices, this article can help. It discusses MCAUSER, Authorization profile selection rule, SSLPEERMAP, and USERMAP. There are other methods, too, but these are just a few of the most common. Once you’ve found one that works for you, follow these steps to get it working. And remember that you can always go back and check the settings later.
MCAUSER
When you configure MCAUSER channel authentication, the first step is to specify the MCAUSER user ID. You can either specify an unauthenticated client user ID or use a valid MCAUSER value. If you specify a user ID that is not available through the default configuration, the security exit program will apply a new user ID. Then, it will determine which channels should not be accessible to the user.
MCAUSER is only available when the queue manager or initiator is a privileged user. Then, you can set MCAUSER to be assigned to running instances of the SVRCONN channel. The MCAUSER value can be combined with SSL/TLS certificates or Distinguished Name matching to restrict connections. Without authentication, any user can access any resource that is defined in the channel object. The default MCAUSER value is MAP.
MCAUSER also supports a domain-qualified user identifier (UDID) for Windows. This must be in the form of user@domain. The domain must be a local system or trusted domain. Using a blank value means that the MCAUSER will use the default user identifier. Further information about MCAUSER channel authentication can be found in the DEFINE CHANNEL document.
Authorization profile selection rule
When you configure an Authorization Profile Selection Rule, the channel authentication policy is selected based on the user’s role and the authorization profiles that are granted to the user. Before the authentication process starts, the user must be assigned a role. The user can then define a rule based on the role, which must be the first one in the Priority Order. After creating the rule, the user must check whether the rule is enabled or disabled by logging into the ActivID AS console.
SSLPEERMAP
You can check whether the SSLPEERMAP has enabled channel authentication by running the MQSC command DISPLAY CHLAUTH or the PCF command Inquire Channel Authentication Records. When you do an explicit match, you will be shown records that match the channel name or specific connection criteria. For example, if you were trying to connect to 192.0.2.24 from IP address 192.0.2.24, the output would show that you have a channel authentication record that matches that IP address.
To check if SSLPEERMAP is able to establish a secure connection between two queue managers, you must first verify whether a user’s certificate is valid. Using the property TYPE(SSLPEERMAP), you should match the Distinguished Name of the SSL/TLS certificate. If the Distinguished Name matches, the SSLPEERMAP will allow the connection. You can also check whether SSLPEERMAP has a personal certificate if it supports this.
If you don’t want to block a particular IP address, you can use the MCAUSER attribute to determine if the user is authenticated. The MCAUSER attribute is only valid if the queue manager is TYPE(BLOCKUSER). MAP specifies the default user ID while NOACCESS enables no access to the queue manager. NOACCESS ends the channel immediately.
USERMAP
How to check channel authentication on USERMAP? First, you need to make sure that your channel is properly configured. If you don’t know what that is, then follow these steps to find out what it is. USERMAP is a feature of SMB that allows you to map users from Windows and DOS to UNIX systems. You can also use this feature to map multiple users to a single username. To perform a user map refresh, click on the ‘Refresh Required’ tag. Otherwise, click on the ‘Last Updated’ date and time to refresh the user map.
Using the MCAUSER parameter, you can check if the channel has been correctly authenticated. If it is, then you should modify the channel’s MCAUSER. The MCAUSER value specifies the user id. If the MCAUSER value is blank, then the channel has no authenticated user. If it is, then a security exit program should be used to change it.
A usermapping policy allows you to define which users can access certain remote servers. It also allows you to specify which IP addresses are permitted to connect. For example, a user in a queue manager may try to connect with a high-level user ID. Then, you can block this user. To map a user ID to a valid one, you need to map the asserted user ID to the correct user ID.
QMNAME
You can determine which channels are being used for authentication by using the MQSC or PCF commands DISPLAY CHLAUTH and MQCAUT_BLOCKUSER. The first command returns all the channel authentication records that match a specified channel name. If the value is blank, the security exit program can change the user ID associated with the channel. This information allows you to know which channels are to be blocked.
The next command enables you to block connections that do not match the rules. MCAUSER records are used for blocking connections from specific queue managers, IP addresses, or those that use certain TLS/SSL certificates. You can also create, modify, or remove channel authentication records. However, it is important to note that the records can conflict. If you want to use channel authentication, you must ensure that each connection presents a unique channel ID.
The third command allows you to block or enable certain clients from connecting to your cluster. A queue manager may attempt to connect with a high-level or blank user ID. In such a case, you can block the client or map an asserted user ID to a valid user ID. These actions enable you to protect your queue manager against the malicious users who wish to access your service. There are other steps you can take to ensure that your server can block these connections.
Client asserted user ID
The assertion is a digital signature that includes a key identifier and public key. Attribute values and references are also included in the assertion, as is any other relevant information about the subscriber. The assertion should be time-limited and be issued along with the channel authentication transaction. This is done to protect the user’s privacy, and to allow limited disclosure of identifying attributes. During the authentication transaction, the authorization component is issued along with the assertion.
If the primary method fails, the client can fall back to the secondary method. It is important to note that this secondary method requires an S1 secret. The S1 secret is required to maintain high availability during authentication method upgrades or credential rotation. The S2 secret is used to ensure simultaneous use of the two methods. However, if this method is not used, the user can be denied access to a website.
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