Security Management Guide (G06.24+, H06.03+)

Concerns for the Application Programmer
Security Management Guide—522283-008
6-4
Application-Specific User IDs
Application-Specific User IDs
If you choose not to use standard user IDs, your application can use application-
specific user IDs.
Because the Guardian environment does not manage or interpret these user IDs, you
have the full flexibility to design the syntax and semantics within your application. Thus,
you can make the application’s security as simple or as powerful as you need.
However, you lose the support provided by Guardian and Safeguard tools, such as
distinct IDs on a TACL STATUS command, auditing of user actions, and so on. This
condition can make security management much more difficult.
HP PS MAIL illustrates the use of independent user IDs. Each user is assigned a
correspondent name, which typically reflects the real name of the user.
PS MAIL maintains an independent database of correspondent names and their
associated passwords. When a user first invokes PS MAIL, the user must enter their
correspondent name and associated password.
PS MAIL has its own tools to update, query, and maintain the database of
correspondent names. These tools are independent of standard Guardian tools such
as the ADDUSER and USERS utilities.
Name Selection
The Guardian environment does not restrict the syntax of the names for your
application-specific user IDs. It treats these names merely as data and attaches no
special significance to them.
Creating and Maintaining the Name Database
After you create the syntax of the names, you need to develop tools to create and
maintain a database that contains those names, along with information to be
associated with each name. For example, you need a way to authenticate the user
(such as a password). Other relevant information can also be stored in the database,
such as the hours of allowed access (if access needs to be restricted on an individual
basis), additional privileges (such as allowing a user to enter a maintenance screen or
update the name database), or administrative information (such as the user’s full name
or phone extension).
Because the name database contains sensitive information, take special care to
secure this database. Access to this database means that one user can impersonate
another with respect to the application. For example, in PS MAIL, access to the
database containing the correspondent names allows a user to read another user’s
mail or even send mail as the other user.