Setting Database Access
Each database needs to be secured individually. Many system databases do not need to be accessible through the Web. You may want to allow anonymous access to some system databases, or you may require authentication. Depending on the application, some databases you design may allow anonymous Web access, Web authentication access, and Notes access. The following sections discuss setting database access.
Controlling Web Authentication
Web authentication was discussed in the previous section “Planning Application Security Based on Web Authentication.” When a person accesses a database from the Web, that person is unknown to the system and is regarded as Anonymous. Unless Anonymous is specifically designated in the Access Control List (ACL), he or she receives Default access.
When Web users enter a database, designers can force Web Authentication by adding Anonymous to the ACL, set to No Access. Another way to force Web authentication is to not allow TCP anonymous access through the server. You can set these configurations in the Server document or (if Web Site documents are enabled) on the Configuration tab of the Web Site document. When either of these configurations are set, Web users accessing the database are forced to authenticate. If they are not explicitly listed, they receive Default access.
Using SSL
As discussed earlier in this chapter, SSL is not always needed for every database on the server. Databases that contain information such as home pages, company information, and product catalogs may not need the added security of a SSL connection. On the other hand, an Order database requesting credit card information should have the added security of SSL. Domino enables you to set individual databases to require a SSL connection for access. To do so, you first must enable SSL on the Server; then you set the Require SSL Connections property for the individual database. To set the Database Properties, follow these steps:
1. | Open the Database Properties box. |
2. | |
3. | In the Web Access section, check Require SSL Connection. |
4. | Close the Properties dialog box to save your changes. |
Using Anonymous Access
Controlling Anonymous access to your applications is a simple matter of adding the word Anonymous to the ACL (Access Control List) and assigning the desired access level. By doing this, Web users do not have to authenticate when accessing the database.
Using Maximum Internet Name and Password
On the Advanced tab of the ACL is a field called Maximum Internet name and password. You can use the Maximum Internet name and password access setting to limit Web users' access. If a Web user authenticates and is explicitly listed in the ACL with Designer access and Maximum Internet name and password is set to Author, that user will receive only Author access. At the same time, if users are listed with Author access but the Maximum field is set to Editor, they receive only Author access. The Maximum Internet name and password field does not increase user access; it can only restrict it.
By default the Maximum Internet name and password field is set to Editor. If your Administrator has enabled Web users to authenticate with SSL Client certificates, then the Maximum Internet name and password setting does not apply to them. These users are granted whatever access is applied to them in the ACL.
Using Roles
Roles are created and assigned in a database's ACL. Roles are used to refine or control access based on the role name instead of an individual user's name—not unlike groups. Roles can be assigned and used effectively with Notes clients as well as Web clients to control access to design elements or functions. One of two @Functions can be used to identify which roles a user has (and can be used on both clients). These @Functions are listed here: