SEC835

Identity and Access Management

Overview

Tasks of IAM

Specify the rules of electronic identity

Maintain identity

Validate identity

Define access privileges

Validate access privileges

Identity

Basic identityUser’s ID generated to be used by a given application

Federated identityUser’s ID assembled from many sites in distributed environmentWith a single ID a user can communicate to many sites

Identity lifecycle User provisioning

Create an electronic identity and access privileges

Identity lifecycleElectronic identity is an object that change its state from being created to being destroyed. Between the two ends it can have other states to reflect the user’s state, e.g. pending, not-active.

Identity assuranceThe method of determining that the electronic identity belongs to the right person

AuthenticationIdentity validation

Verify that this identity is correct (belongs to the group of valid identities)Identity proof

Verify that the validated identity belongs to the right person. We need validation factors to do that. That is user’s authentication.

Credential issuingMatch the valid identity to relevant access privileges. Two things together are known as a user’s credentials.

Credential assuranceCredentials also need assurance since they may be intercepted and misused (impersonation attack)

Graded authenticationAuthentication may be completed in stages, starting from more simple one (e.g. one factor) and growing up to more secure if there are business needs.

Authentication factors

Something you knowPasswordSecret word

Something you haveSmart CardToken

Something you areBiometrics (finger prints, eyes retina)

A single factor authenticationPassword

Must be strong• Long• Complicated structure• Not using dictionary

Changed regularly• Always change system generated password• Periodic changes of user-selected passwords

Stored hashed or encrypted• Hash cannot be restored

Resistant to brute-force attacksMeasures of precautions against information disclosure attacks

• Information disclosure through security holes in the application

Two-factor authentication

Second factor – identify the typeRSA certificate (PKI technology)

Smart card (Entrust card)

Telephone factor

Secret words

Fingerprints

Out-of-band authenticationUse additional input, that does not belong to the system

Authentication mechanismsBasic authentication

Mechanism provided by web browsers

This is weak authentication

Form-based authenticationMechanism that is built and controlled by the application

Recommended for commercial applications

Required to implement two-factor authenticationSingle Sign On (SSO)

The access control mechanism that allow authenticating a user just once when a user needs access to a few applications.

Strong authentication mechanism

Strong identity –at least two factors

Strong authentication protocol combined with secure session management and supported with other security mechanisms like encryption

Form-based authentication

Access controlAccess Control List (ACL)

Map identity to resources and show allowed actions in terms of Read/Write/Update

Role-based access controlApplication considers the end users rolesPrivileges are assigned to the roles, not to peoplesPrivileges specify access to functions and data

Attribute-based access controlPrivileges take into account the level of sensitivity of data and functions in addition to the roles.

Role-based Access ControlOften used for eCommerce applicationsThe users have been assigned with their roles in business processes, e.g. operator, teller, customer service representative, etc.Privileges have been assigned to roles, not to individualsAll users that play the same role have the same level of privilegesIndividuals move in and out but roles sustain

Attribute-based Access ControlDifferentiate access privileges within a group of users who play the same roleData attributes values or characteristics of functions are used as differentiating factorsExamples

Operator has the right to read data but do not have the right to delete them Teller has the right to perform transactions that are below $500. For greater amount of money she needs her manager

RBAC vs. ABAC

ABAC provides more granular access control than RBAC

Both are used for eCommerce

ABAC always assume custom development

RBAC tools is a part of nowadays Application Servers (Web Sphere, Web Logic)

Access control policy

Access control policy sets the rules forID and password creating

• Length, characters to be used

Assigning privileges• Map privileges to business functions or attributes

Maintaining identity and access privileges• Periodical changes, review, etc.

Access Control (cont.)

Additional security measuresLeast privileges

• One has the access to data or functions on “need to know” basis

Separation of duties• Sensitive functions always require more than one

person to complete

Access Control Implementation

ID and passwords are stored in LDAP or RDBPrivileges for RBAC or for ABAC are stored in RDB or in a special data repositoryPasswords must be hashedApplication must implement different views for different roles

View Patterns for RBAC

Full View with ExceptionsThe operations available in an application are made visible to users, but access attempts are guarded.

Limited ViewA user can see, and access, only the operations he/she is entitled to use.

IAM technology conceptual architecture

Strong access control requirements

A strong access-control mechanism must be:Policy based

Centralized at a single point

Invoked on every access request

Cannot be avoided

Reliable in that its operation cannot be subverted by hostile parties

Auditable

Strong Access Control Mechanism Checklist

Ensure that the access-control matrix is built for all development stages of the application (business, architecture, and design).

Ensure that all URLs and business functions are protected, as well as data.

Ensure that the request for data stored in the RDB goes through the access-control mechanism. At this point, the process must be authenticated and access privileges verified.

Avoid having files or libraries located at the Web root directory.

Block access to all file types that are not used by the application.

Keep virus protection and patches up-to-date.

Data classificationHow to determine the need in strong access control mechanism?

Each organization has its data classification policy

Data is classified by the degree of sensitivity in terms of confidentiality and integrity

Standard classification includes:• Highly confidential

• Confidential

• Public

This provides a clue to how strong the access control mechanism must be, and reflect the requirements to each category of users

Users discretion

Users have different level of privileges to access to data

Overall consideration of privileges assumesNeed to know

What operations are required (R/W/U)

How sensitive is the data

Access Management FeaturesAccess Management

Given that the account is viable, the application will use it to protect its assets by

Identify a user

Authenticate a user

Check a user’s privileges to access the system assets

Provide the access in accordance to the privileges

Strong authentication, session management, and access control patterns are recommended.

In a distributed environment we recommend using a Single Sign-On (SSO) component as the Portal’s access-management front-end.

Top IAM technologies

SunMicrosystems

IBM

Oracle

Second factor choice – Lab 6, part1How to decide about the second factor?

Read the article

Provide written answer to the following question:1. For each of the factors, please identify the category of an authentication mechanism (out of three known categories: smth you know, smth you have, smth you are).

Work individually or with your teammates (up to 3 people)

Send the answer by email today