XML Web Services & Security

Handy writes "Web Services (SOAP, .net, WSDL ^? , UDDI ^? ) create an even greater need for robust security. Exposed interfaces and fragmented administration coupled with a need for app-level security points to a greater need for a centralized managed security services model."

Comments

FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF

[newt_sd]

Not only is this article not saying a single new thing about web application security, the site at the end of the link only has 4 articles on it. This smells of advertising for a new site? Now I am not one to wear a tinfoil hat but I smell a conspiracy going on with news that isn't really news!!

Re:FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF

[Target Drone]

This smells of advertising for a new site?

You may be on to something. I tried doing a search on Google for "Westbridge Technology" (the people who wrote the article) to find out more about them. I only got 2 hits with and a sponsored link to the Westbridge Technology home page. Westbridge Technology must be very new for the page to not show up in Google yet.

A whois search also reveals that xwss.org and westbridgetech.com belong to the same people.

And to top it all off Westbridge sells an XML message server. Just what you need to implement all the good stuff talked about in the article.

Conflict of Interest?

[floppy ears]

The drive to get business advantage from XML Web Services will cause turbulent times for IT managers. To successfully navigate these new issues, managers must change their mind set from "fragmented security systems focused on using network perimeter to shield closed business systems" to "consistent managed security systems focused on managing application level security for inherently distributed business systems".

This article was written by Kerry Champion, president and Andy Yang, Senior Director of Product Management at Westbridge Technology, Inc., a provider of security and reliability infrastructure software for XML Web Services networks.
I'm not saying I disagree with their conclusion, but you always have to be suspicious when somebody comes out with an article that concludes that to be successful you have to use their product/service or something like it.

SOAP Security Issues

[smallpaul]

Here is my take. And here is Bruce Schneier's..

SOAP = firewall bypass

[irritating environme]

I fail to see why SOAP exists except to bypass firewalls, since firewalls exist to restrict what calls/ports/protocols can be made in TCPIP. What will happen in two years will be a "firewall" system for SOAP calls, followed two years later by a new protocol to bypass that security layer, billed in an exciting acronym. Repeat ad infinitum.

You mean, like LDAP?

[GOD_ALMIGHTY]

It amazes me how much directory services are overlooked, even for this one simple use.
LDAP is made for doing centralized management. Be it user management or even configuration of services, it's built into every system and OpenLDAP is seriously robust. Just take the 10 minutes or whatever to figure out how to use LDAP and familiarize yourself with the most widely used schemas.

Using LDAP schemas is like going to create a user table in a database and having the table definition laid out for you. Also all applications should be able to follow the structure. Voila, portable services for applications.

Please, go familiarize yourself with LDAP. Not to mention SASL (RFC 2222) is meant as a system independent way of handling authentication and authorization. OpenLDAP, Cyrus IMAP and a number of other server apps handle SASL quite well, not to mention it's included in most distros.
IIRC, the Java Authentication and Authorization APIs also deal with SASL quite well.

The solutions to most of the problems that come up with 'Web Services' (a limited tool being forced on everything) have been solved by a simple trip to the IETF's RFC repository. Now you just need to use a language and environment that has libraries built for the RFC's. C or Java are your best bets, Perl comes in next, but I've found the libraries to be in various states of working, not something I'd bet my next project on.