Security Basics

See General Computer Security for info and links about Security outside of the IBM i community.

Security Tools

• GO SECTOOLS
• GO SECBATCH

Security Wizard

• Access via Operations Navigator
  • Warning ... while this is for administrators new to IBM i or Security, before changing any security settings, it is advisable to consult with the most experienced IBM i security professional on-site.
  • You can change security settings, but while they are changed, they affect how objects function, including how they function after you change settings back again.

Security Commands

• Most functions of Security Commands, can also be done with Operations Navigator

User Profile

• GO CMDPRF
• GO CMDUSR
• CHGPRF
• CHGUSRPRF
• CRTUSRPRF
• DSPUSRPRF
• DSPAUTUSR
• WRKUSRPRF

Password

• GO CMDPWD
• CHGPWD change password
• CHKPWD makes user re-enter password that was used to sign onto the system

Object Authority

• GO CMDAUT
• GRTOBJAUT
• RVKOBJAUT
• GRTUSRAUT
• EDTOBJAUT

Objects Owned

• GO CMDOWN
• CHGOBJOWN
• WRKOBJOWN

Authorization List

• GO CMDAUTL
• ADDAUTLE
• CRTAUTL
• DLTAUTL
• DSPAUTL
• DSPAUTLOBJ
• EDTAUTL
• RMVAUTLE
• WRKAUTL

Adopted Authority

• DSPPGMADP Display Program Adopt
  • Specify a user profile and get a list of the programs that adopt that user's authority.
• PRTADJOBJ Print Adopting Objects
  • Specify a user profile, *ALL or generic user(QP*) and get a printout of objects that adopt user's authority.

Spooled files

The scenario: want to stop programmers from using a production OUTQ.

If the developers have either *JOBCTL or *SPLCTL, and the OPRCTL(*YES) parameter is specified on the OUTQ, the developers will be able to use and work with the OUTQ. One way to correct this is to turn the OPRCTL parameter on the OUTQ to *NO.

Assuming programmers have *JOBCTL, here is what I would do....

1. Make the OUTQ *OPRCTL(*NO)
2. Create a Group Profile for all developers
3. Add the Group Profile to the OUTQ with an authority of *EXCLUDE
4. Give the authorized user Group(s) *CHANGE (authorized users could be *PUBLIC now that the programmers are excluded.)
5. If there are any *JOBCTL or *SPLCTL users (SysOpers?) who you want to be able to manage the OUTQ, give them *CHANGE authority as well.

Thanks to John Earl via Midrange-L 21 Apr 2010

Security System Values

WRKSYSVAL SYSVAL(*SEC) Working with system values dealing with security should be done carefully. One should read the latest information at the IBM Knowledge Center at Security system values

QPWDMAXLEN

In addition to the information available at Maximum Length of Passwords (QPWDMAXLEN) one should be aware of these considerations when going above 8 characters:

• Configuring the IBM i SSH, SFTP, and SCP Clients to Use Public-Key Authentication
• There were some things dealing with "File Transfer Subroutine" (QY2FTML) but try to find documentation on that.
• If you find any other concerns, then by all means, please update this page.