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Chapter 5. Storing Data Grid Server credentials in keystores

External services require credentials to authenticate with Data Grid Server. To protect sensitive text strings such as passwords, add them to a credential keystore rather than directly in Data Grid Server configuration files.

You can then configure Data Grid Server to decrypt passwords for establishing connections with services such as databases or LDAP directories.

Important

Plain-text passwords in $RHDG_HOME/server/conf are unencrypted. Any user account with read access to the host filesystem can view plain-text passwords.

While credential keystores are password-protected store encrypted passwords, any user account with write access to the host filesystem can tamper with the keystore itself.

To completely secure Data Grid Server credentials, you should grant read-write access only to user accounts that can configure and run Data Grid Server.

5.1. Setting up credential keystores

Create keystores that encrypt credential for Data Grid Server access.

A credential keystore contains at least one alias that is associated with an encrypted password. After you create a keystore, you specify the alias in a connection configuration such as a database connection pool. Data Grid Server then decrypts the password for that alias from the keystore when the service attempts authentication.

You can create as many credential keystores with as many aliases as required.

Note

As a security best practice, keystores should be readable only by the user who runs the process for Data Grid Server.

Procedure

  1. Open a terminal in $RHDG_HOME.

  2. Create a keystore and add credentials to it with the credentials command.

    Tip

    By default, keystores are of type PKCS12. Run help credentials for details on changing keystore defaults.

    The following example shows how to create a keystore that contains an alias of "dbpassword" for the password "changeme". When you create a keystore you also specify a password to access the keystore with the -p argument.

    Linux
    bin/cli.sh credentials add dbpassword -c changeme -p "secret1234!"
    Microsoft Windows
    bin\cli.bat credentials add dbpassword -c changeme -p "secret1234!"

  3. Check that the alias is added to the keystore. 

    bin/cli.sh credentials ls -p "secret1234!"
dbpassword
  4. Open your Data Grid Server configuration for editing.

  5. Configure Data Grid to use the credential keystore.

    1. Add a credential-stores section to the security configuration.
    2. Specify the name and location of the credential keystore.

    3. Specify the password to access the credential keystore with the clear-text-credential configuration.

      Note

      Instead of adding a clear-text password for the credential keystore to your Data Grid Server configuration you can use an external command or masked password for additional security.

      You can also use a password in one credential store as the master password for another credential store.

  6. Reference the credential keystore in configuration that Data Grid Server uses to connect with an external system such as a datasource or LDAP server.

    1. Add a credential-reference section.
    2. Specify the name of the credential keystore with the store attribute.

    3. Specify the password alias with the alias attribute.

      Tip

      Attributes in the credential-reference configuration are optional.

      • store is required only if you have multiple keystores.
      • alias is required only if the keystore contains multiple password aliases.
  7. Save the changes to your configuration.

5.2. Securing passwords for credential keystores

Data Grid Server requires a password to access credential keystores. You can add that password to Data Grid Server configuration in clear text or, as an added layer of security, you can use an external command for the password or you can mask the password.

Prerequisites

  • Set up a credential keystore for Data Grid Server.

Procedure

Do one of the following:

  • Use the credentials mask command to obscure the password, for example: 

    bin/cli.sh credentials mask -i 100 -s pepper99 "secret1234!"

    Masked passwords use Password Based Encryption (PBE) and must be in the following format in your Data Grid Server configuration: <MASKED_VALUE;SALT;ITERATION>.

  • Use an external command that provides the password as standard output.

    An external command can be any executable, such as a shell script or binary, that uses java.lang.Runtime#exec(java.lang.String).
    If the command requires parameters, provide them as a space-separated list of strings.

5.3. Credential keystore configuration

You can add credential keystores to Data Grid Server configuration and use clear-text passwords, masked passwords, or external commands that supply passwords.

Credential keystore with a clear text password

XML

<server xmlns="urn:infinispan:server:14.0">
  <security>
    <credential-stores>
      <credential-store name="credentials" path="credentials.pfx">
        <clear-text-credential clear-text="secret1234!"/>
      </credential-store>
    </credential-stores>
  </security>
</server>

JSON

{
  "server": {
    "security": {
      "credential-stores": [{
        "name": "credentials",
        "path": "credentials.pfx",
        "clear-text-credential": {
          "clear-text": "secret1234!"
        }
      }]
    }
  }
}

YAML

server:
  security:
    credentialStores:
      - name: credentials
        path: credentials.pfx
        clearTextCredential:
          clearText: "secret1234!"

Credential keystore with a masked password

XML

<server xmlns="urn:infinispan:server:14.0">
  <security>
    <credential-stores>
      <credential-store name="credentials"
                        path="credentials.pfx">
        <masked-credential masked="1oTMDZ5JQj6DVepJviXMnX;pepper99;100"/>
      </credential-store>
    </credential-stores>
  </security>
</server>

JSON

{
  "server": {
    "security": {
      "credential-stores": [{
        "name": "credentials",
        "path": "credentials.pfx",
        "masked-credential": {
          "masked": "1oTMDZ5JQj6DVepJviXMnX;pepper99;100"
        }
      }]
    }
  }
}

YAML

server:
  security:
    credentialStores:
      - name: credentials
        path: credentials.pfx
        maskedCredential:
          masked: "1oTMDZ5JQj6DVepJviXMnX;pepper99;100"

External command passwords

XML

<server xmlns="urn:infinispan:server:14.0">
  <security>
    <credential-stores>
      <credential-store name="credentials"
                        path="credentials.pfx">
        <command-credential command="/path/to/executable.sh arg1 arg2"/>
      </credential-store>
    </credential-stores>
  </security>
</server>

JSON

{
  "server": {
    "security": {
      "credential-stores": [{
        "name": "credentials",
        "path": "credentials.pfx",
        "command-credential": {
          "command": "/path/to/executable.sh arg1 arg2"
        }
      }]
    }
  }
}

YAML

server:
  security:
    credentialStores:
      - name: credentials
        path: credentials.pfx
        commandCredential:
          command: "/path/to/executable.sh arg1 arg2"

5.4. Credential keystore references

After you add credential keystores to Data Grid Server you can reference them in connection configurations.

Datasource connections

XML

<server xmlns="urn:infinispan:server:14.0">
  <security>
    <credential-stores>
      <credential-store name="credentials"
                        path="credentials.pfx">
        <clear-text-credential clear-text="secret1234!"/>
      </credential-store>
    </credential-stores>
  </security>
  <data-sources>
    <data-source name="postgres"
                 jndi-name="jdbc/postgres">
      <!-- Specifies the database username in the connection factory. -->
      <connection-factory driver="org.postgresql.Driver"
                          username="dbuser"
                          url="${org.infinispan.server.test.postgres.jdbcUrl}">
        <!-- Specifies the credential keystore that contains an encrypted password and the alias for it. -->
        <credential-reference store="credentials"
                              alias="dbpassword"/>
      </connection-factory>
      <connection-pool max-size="10"
                       min-size="1"
                       background-validation="1000"
                       idle-removal="1"
                       initial-size="1"
                       leak-detection="10000"/>
    </data-source>
  </data-sources>
</server>

JSON

{
  "server": {
    "security": {
      "credential-stores": [{
        "name": "credentials",
        "path": "credentials.pfx",
        "clear-text-credential": {
          "clear-text": "secret1234!"
        }
      }],
      "data-sources": [{
        "name": "postgres",
        "jndi-name": "jdbc/postgres",
        "connection-factory": {
          "driver": "org.postgresql.Driver",
          "username": "dbuser",
          "url": "${org.infinispan.server.test.postgres.jdbcUrl}",
          "credential-reference": {
            "store": "credentials",
            "alias": "dbpassword"
          }
        }
      }]
    }
  }
}

YAML

server:
  security:
    credentialStores:
      - name: credentials
        path: credentials.pfx
        clearTextCredential:
          clearText: "secret1234!"
  dataSources:
    - name: postgres
      jndiName: jdbc/postgres
      connectionFactory:
        driver: org.postgresql.Driver
        username: dbuser
        url: '${org.infinispan.server.test.postgres.jdbcUrl}'
        credentialReference:
          store: credentials
          alias: dbpassword

LDAP connections

XML

<server xmlns="urn:infinispan:server:14.0">
  <security>
    <credential-stores>
      <credential-store name="credentials"
                        path="credentials.pfx">
        <clear-text-credential clear-text="secret1234!"/>
      </credential-store>
    </credential-stores>
    <security-realms>
      <security-realm name="default">
        <!-- Specifies the LDAP principal in the connection factory. -->
        <ldap-realm name="ldap"
                    url="ldap://my-ldap-server:10389"
                    principal="uid=admin,ou=People,dc=infinispan,dc=org">
          <!-- Specifies the credential keystore that contains an encrypted password and the alias for it. -->
          <credential-reference store="credentials"
                                alias="ldappassword"/>
        </ldap-realm>
      </security-realm>
    </security-realms>
  </security>
</server>

JSON

{
  "server": {
    "security": {
      "credential-stores": [{
        "name": "credentials",
        "path": "credentials.pfx",
        "clear-text-credential": {
          "clear-text": "secret1234!"
        }
      }],
      "security-realms": [{
        "name": "default",
        "ldap-realm": {
          "name": "ldap",
          "url": "ldap://my-ldap-server:10389",
          "principal": "uid=admin,ou=People,dc=infinispan,dc=org",
          "credential-reference": {
            "store": "credentials",
            "alias": "ldappassword"
          }
        }
      }]
    }
  }
}

YAML

server:
  security:
    credentialStores:
      - name: credentials
        path: credentials.pfx
        clearTextCredential:
          clearText: "secret1234!"
    securityRealms:
      - name: "default"
        ldapRealm:
          name: ldap
          url: 'ldap://my-ldap-server:10389'
          principal: 'uid=admin,ou=People,dc=infinispan,dc=org'
          credentialReference:
            store: credentials
            alias: ldappassword

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