Security Architecture
Security Architecture
This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release. There are separate mechanisms used to authenticate and authorize Issue Tracking application users, and to control access to the Exchange store.
For information about configuring the Issue Tracking application security features, see Setting User Permissions.
User Security
The Issue Tracking application security features for users ensure that only authorized users have access to the Web application, and control which Issue Tracking application pages they can access.
Important User security settings are at the discretion of the person who installs and configures the Issue Tracking application. As installed, the Issue Tracking application sets no user authentication or access control. Anyone who can access the Issue Tracking application Web site has access to all features. To prevent unauthorized access, the authentication method should be set, and anonymous access should be disabled.
During installation of the Issue Tracking application, Setup creates the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) virtual directory, and sets the authentication method to "None". Microsoft® Visual Studio® .NET creates a Web service configuration file, named Web.config, when you open the Issue Tracking application project. Among other settings, this file sets the virtual directory authentication method. To implement user security, this setting should be changed to use "Windows" authentication. Change the setting in the Web.config file, and in the Services and Applications area of the Microsoft Windows® server operating systems Computer Management console. For information about changing this setting, see Setting User Permissions.
Access to the Issue Tracking application Web Forms is controlled by setting Windows server access control lists (ACLs) on the items. During security setup, the administrator disables security property inheritance on the virtual directory, and restricts access to the WFAdmin.aspx file. By restricting access to the WFAdmin.aspx file to administrators and the ITA Managers group, only users in those groups will have access to the page. When someone who is not in those groups tries to access the page, a standard Windows authentication dialog box appears. This gives the user the opportunity to provide appropriate credentials to access that area, in case they know the password but are logged into an account that is not in any of the appropriate groups.
Exchange Store Security
The Issue Tracking application security features for the Exchange store hold the credentials necessary to access the Exchange store, and keep that information hidden.
Because a single set of logon credentials enables complete read/write permissions to the Exchange store, those credentials should never be stored as plain text in any file. Doing so would create an inherent security flaw that would allow anyone who gains access to that file to control data in the Exchange store.
To reduce the likelihood that the Exchange store logon credentials can be accessed, the Issue Tracking application retains the credentials only in memory. While this helps to keep the credentials secure, it also requires the application administrator to enter those credentials each time the application starts.
If a user accesses the Issue Tracking application without entering the credentials for Exchange store access, the user cannot perform any normal functions. If the user is a member of the ITA Managers group, then they can access the Web Form and enter the credentials for accessing the Exchange store. After proper logon credentials have been entered, the application will allow normal access to users and administrators.
If the application is removed from memory, for example when the computer is shut down or when the IIS virtual server stops, the credentials are discarded from memory. The credentials must then be re-entered before either Exchange store data can be accessed or other application pages can be viewed.
The Issue Tracking application passes the Exchange store credentials in each Distributed Authoring and Versioning (DAV) call to the Exchange store.
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Build: June 2007 (2007.618.1)
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