- Introduction
- A Simple Example
- Security Architecture
- User Authentication Requirements
- Authorization Requirements
- Deployment Requirements
- Future Directions
J2EE.3.5 Authorization Requirements
To support the authorization models described in this chapter, the following requirements are imposed on J2EE products.
J2EE.3.5.1 Code Authorization
A J2EE product may restrict the use of certain J2SE classes and methods to secure and insure proper operation of the system. The minimum set of permissions that are required for a J2EE product are defined in Section J2EE.6.2, “Java 2 PlatformStandard Edition (J2SE) Requirements, .” All J2EE products must be capable of deploying application components with exactly these permissions.
A J2EE product provider may choose to enable selective access to resources using the J2SE 1.2 protection model. The mechanism used is J2EE product dependent.
A future version of the J2EE deployment descriptor definition (see Chapter J2EE.8) may make it possible to express any additional permissions that a component needs.
J2EE.3.5.2 Caller Authorization
A J2EE product must enforce the access control rules specified at deployment time (see Section J2EE.3.6, “Deployment Requirements”) and more fully described in the EJB and Servlet specifications.
It must be possible to configure a J2EE product so that the propagated caller identity is used in authorization decisions. This is, for all calls to all enterprise beans from a single application within a single J2EE product, the principal name returned by the EJBContext method getCallerPrincipal must be the same as that returned by the first enterprise bean in the call chain. If the first enterprise bean in the call chain is called by a servlet or JSP page, the principal name must be the same as that returned by the HttpServletRequest method getUserPrincipal in the calling servlet or JSP page. (However, if the HttpServletRequest method getUserPrincipal returns null, the principal used in calls to enterprise beans is not specified by this specification, although it must still be possible to configure enterprise beans to be callable by such components.) Note that this does not require delegation of credentials, only identification of the caller. This principal must be the principal used in authorization decisions for access to all enterprise beans in the call chain. The requirements in this paragraph apply only when a J2EE product has been configured to propagate caller identity.
J2EE products may also provide other deployment modes or configuration options in which the original caller identity is not propagated to all components in the call chain. For instance, some enterprise beans may execute with their own identity and corresponding privileges, and that identity may be made available to other enterprise beans that they call.