How does CICS authenticate users?

CICS uses various authentication methods including user IDs and passwords, RACF integration, and external security managers. Users must provide valid credentials to access CICS resources and perform operations.

What is resource protection in CICS?

Resource protection controls which users can access specific CICS resources like transactions, files, and programs. This is typically managed through security definitions and access control lists.

How do you implement security in CICS applications?

Security is implemented through proper user authentication, resource authorization, input validation, audit logging, and following security best practices in program design and deployment.

What are CICS security best practices?

Best practices include implementing least privilege access, regular security audits, proper error handling, input validation, secure communication protocols, and maintaining up-to-date security definitions.

CICS Security

Q: What is CICS security?

CICS security encompasses mechanisms to control access to CICS resources, authenticate users, authorize operations, and protect data integrity. It includes user identification, resource protection, and audit logging.

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Security is a fundamental aspect of CICS operations, ensuring that only authorized users can access resources and perform operations. Understanding CICS security mechanisms is essential for building secure mainframe applications.

What is CICS Security?

CICS security is a comprehensive framework that protects CICS resources, controls user access, and ensures data integrity. It operates at multiple levels to provide defense-in-depth protection for mainframe applications.

Think of CICS security like a multi-layered security system for a high-security building. You need proper identification (authentication), permission to enter specific areas (authorization), and monitoring of all activities (audit logging). Each layer adds protection and helps maintain overall security.

Key Components of CICS Security:

Authentication: Verifying user identity through credentials
Authorization: Controlling access to specific resources and operations
Resource Protection: Securing files, transactions, and programs
Audit Logging: Recording security-relevant events for monitoring
Data Integrity: Ensuring data remains accurate and unmodified

Authentication Methods

CICS provides multiple authentication methods to verify user identity. The choice of method depends on security requirements, infrastructure, and organizational policies.

1. User ID and Password Authentication:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  USER-ID           PIC X(8).
       01  PASSWORD          PIC X(8).
       01  AUTH-STATUS       PIC X(1).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       AUTHENTICATE-USER.
           EXEC CICS RECEIVE
               INTO(USER-ID)
               LENGTH(8)
               MAXLENGTH(8)
           END-EXEC
           
           EXEC CICS RECEIVE
               INTO(PASSWORD)
               LENGTH(8)
               MAXLENGTH(8)
           END-EXEC
           
           PERFORM VALIDATE-CREDENTIALS
           
           IF AUTH-STATUS = 'Y'
               PERFORM GRANT-ACCESS
           ELSE
               PERFORM DENY-ACCESS
           END-IF.
       
       VALIDATE-CREDENTIALS.
           IF USER-ID = 'ADMIN' AND PASSWORD = 'SECRET'
               MOVE 'Y' TO AUTH-STATUS
           ELSE
               MOVE 'N' TO AUTH-STATUS
           END-IF.

This basic example shows user ID and password validation. In production environments, passwords should never be hardcoded and should use proper encryption and secure storage methods.

2. RACF Integration:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  RACF-USER         PIC X(8).
       01  RACF-PASS         PIC X(8).
       01  RACF-RETURN       PIC S9(8) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       RACF-AUTHENTICATION.
           EXEC CICS LINK
               PROGRAM('IKJEFT01')
               COMMAREA(RACF-USER)
               RESP(EIBRESP)
           END-EXEC
           
           IF EIBRESP = 0
               PERFORM CHECK-RACF-AUTHORITY
           ELSE
               PERFORM HANDLE-RACF-ERROR
           END-IF.
       
       CHECK-RACF-AUTHORITY.
           EXEC CICS LINK
               PROGRAM('IKJEFT02')
               COMMAREA(RACF-PASS)
               RESP(EIBRESP)
           END-EXEC.

3. External Security Manager (ESM):

CICS can integrate with external security managers like Top Secret, ACF2, or IBM Security Server for centralized security administration and enhanced authentication capabilities.

Resource Protection

Resource protection ensures that users can only access the resources they're authorized to use. This includes transactions, files, programs, and other CICS resources.

Transaction Security:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  TRANSACTION-ID    PIC X(4).
       01  USER-AUTHORITY    PIC X(1).
       01  ALLOWED-TRANS     PIC X(4) VALUE 'CUST'.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       CHECK-TRANSACTION-AUTH.
           MOVE EIBTRNID TO TRANSACTION-ID
           
           IF TRANSACTION-ID = ALLOWED-TRANS
               PERFORM EXECUTE-TRANSACTION
           ELSE
               PERFORM LOG-UNAUTHORIZED-ACCESS
               PERFORM SEND-ACCESS-DENIED
           END-IF.
       
       LOG-UNAUTHORIZED-ACCESS.
           EXEC CICS WRITE
               DATASET('SECURITY')
               FROM(TRANSACTION-ID)
               RESP(EIBRESP)
           END-EXEC.

File Access Control:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  FILE-NAME         PIC X(8).
       01  ACCESS-TYPE       PIC X(1).
       01  USER-PERMISSIONS  PIC X(10).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       CHECK-FILE-ACCESS.
           MOVE 'CUSTFILE' TO FILE-NAME
           MOVE 'R' TO ACCESS-TYPE
           
           PERFORM VALIDATE-FILE-PERMISSIONS
           
           IF USER-PERMISSIONS(1:1) = 'Y'
               PERFORM READ-FILE
           ELSE
               PERFORM DENY-FILE-ACCESS
           END-IF.
       
       VALIDATE-FILE-PERMISSIONS.
           EXEC CICS READ
               DATASET('PERMFILE')
               INTO(USER-PERMISSIONS)
               RIDFLD(USER-ID)
               RESP(EIBRESP)
           END-EXEC.

Program Security:

Programs can implement additional security checks to control access to sensitive operations and data. This includes checking user roles, permissions, and business rules.

Security Implementation in Applications

Implementing security in CICS applications requires careful planning and consistent application of security principles throughout the development lifecycle.

1. Input Validation and Sanitization:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  INPUT-DATA        PIC X(80).
       01  VALIDATED-DATA    PIC X(80).
       01  VALIDATION-STATUS PIC X(1).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       VALIDATE-INPUT.
           EXEC CICS RECEIVE
               INTO(INPUT-DATA)
               LENGTH(80)
               MAXLENGTH(80)
           END-EXEC
           
           PERFORM CHECK-FOR-SQL-INJECTION
           PERFORM CHECK-FOR-XSS-ATTACKS
           PERFORM VALIDATE-DATA-FORMAT
           
           IF VALIDATION-STATUS = 'Y'
               MOVE INPUT-DATA TO VALIDATED-DATA
               PERFORM PROCESS-VALID-DATA
           ELSE
               PERFORM SEND-VALIDATION-ERROR
           END-IF.
       
       CHECK-FOR-SQL-INJECTION.
           IF INPUT-DATA CONTAINS ';' OR '--' OR '/*'
               MOVE 'N' TO VALIDATION-STATUS
           END-IF.

2. Session Management:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  SESSION-ID        PIC X(16).
       01  SESSION-TIME      PIC S9(8) COMP.
       01  MAX-SESSION-TIME  PIC S9(8) COMP VALUE 3600.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       
       MANAGE-SESSION.
           PERFORM GENERATE-SESSION-ID
           PERFORM SET-SESSION-TIMEOUT
           
           DO WHILE SESSION-ACTIVE
               PERFORM CHECK-SESSION-VALIDITY
               IF SESSION-EXPIRED
                   PERFORM TERMINATE-SESSION
               END-IF
               
               PERFORM PROCESS-USER-REQUEST
           END-DO.
       
       CHECK-SESSION-VALIDITY.
           IF FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE > SESSION-TIME + MAX-SESSION-TIME
               MOVE 'Y' TO SESSION-EXPIRED
           END-IF.

3. Audit Logging:

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       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  AUDIT-RECORD.
           05  AUDIT-TIME     PIC X(8).
           05  AUDIT-USER     PIC X(8).
           05  AUDIT-ACTION   PIC X(16).
           05  AUDIT-RESOURCE PIC X(8).
           05  AUDIT-STATUS   PIC X(1).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVUCTION.
       
       LOG-SECURITY-EVENT.
           MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE TO AUDIT-TIME
           MOVE EIBUSERID TO AUDIT-USER
           MOVE 'FILE_ACCESS' TO AUDIT-ACTION
           MOVE FILE-NAME TO AUDIT-RESOURCE
           MOVE 'S' TO AUDIT-STATUS
           
           EXEC CICS WRITE
               DATASET('AUDITLOG')
               FROM(AUDIT-RECORD)
               RESP(EIBRESP)
           END-EXEC.

Security Best Practices

Following established security best practices helps ensure that CICS applications remain secure and resistant to various types of attacks and security breaches.

Security Best Practices:

Implement Least Privilege Access

Users should only have access to the minimum resources necessary for their job functions.

Regular Security Audits

Conduct periodic security reviews to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Input Validation

Always validate and sanitize user input to prevent injection attacks and data corruption.

Secure Communication

Use encrypted communication channels and secure protocols for sensitive data transmission.

Common Security Vulnerabilities to Avoid:

Vulnerability	Risk	Prevention
SQL Injection	Data theft, corruption	Input validation, prepared statements
Cross-Site Scripting	Session hijacking, data theft	Output encoding, input sanitization
Buffer Overflow	System compromise, crashes	Bounds checking, safe functions
Privilege Escalation	Unauthorized access	Least privilege, access controls

CICS Security

What is CICS Security?

Key Components of CICS Security:

Authentication Methods

1. User ID and Password Authentication:

2. RACF Integration:

3. External Security Manager (ESM):

Resource Protection

Transaction Security:

File Access Control:

Program Security:

Security Implementation in Applications

1. Input Validation and Sanitization:

2. Session Management:

3. Audit Logging:

Security Best Practices

Security Best Practices:

Implement Least Privilege Access

Regular Security Audits

Input Validation

Secure Communication

Common Security Vulnerabilities to Avoid:

Quick Quiz

Question 1: What is the principle of least privilege?

Question 2: What is input validation used to prevent?

Question 3: What is the purpose of audit logging?

Related Concepts and Pages

Related Concepts

User Authentication

Resource Protection

Audit Logging

Related Pages