Category Archives: IBM i Security
Not many people realize that IBM i lets you define your own ad-hoc or application-defined special authorities. That’s not real surprising considering that neither the name of the mechanism nor the documentation says anything about special authorities.
Hey everyone! Starting this month I’m going to be writing a monthly article for IBM Systems Magazine’s EXTRA online newsletter. Check out the March installment — Howdy, Partner! The Role of Application Developers in IT Security — for a look … Continue reading
You are a long-time IBM i (AS/400, iSeries, IBM System i, etc.) programmer and you understand the details of how the system checks authority, don’t you? I bet you don’t! It’s the authority of the JOB that really matters. Why … Continue reading
In a previous post on this topic, I discussed how to calculate the cost of a security-related project and how to compare different solutions for a given security-related project or issue. I asserted that there are three different aspects that … Continue reading
It’s a simple fact. Good security doesn’t just happen. You need to have a very specific set of knowledge to effectively secure your information assets. The knowledge you need falls into five discrete categories: policies, data, people, systems, and events.
CAUTION: RANT ALERT On Wednesday, November 19, Admiral Michael Walters, the head of the NSA made a very disturbing announcement. He said that China and one or two other countries have the capability to launch a cyber attack that could … Continue reading
I didn’t come up with the idea for a managed single sign-on (SSO) service. A customer did. When Botz & Associates started security consulting, only infrequently would companies request help implementing SSO. I always wondered why more companies weren’t using … Continue reading
Whenever I see a web site or hear a commercial touting how my personal information is secure because “we use encryption,” I just have to chuckle. I guarantee you that Target did — and does — encrypt your personal information … Continue reading
A hot debate over the inherent security benefits of open source software — or lack thereof — has been raging (again) since the “heartbleed” bug came to light last spring. So…..from a security expert’s point of view (yes, mine!), is … Continue reading
Patrick Townsend and I had a chance to catch up at COMMON earlier this year. I was psyched to learn that Townsend Security is now offering Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for the IBM i. When we started talking about … Continue reading