The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has a Data Security Standard to which organizations accepting and storing credit card information must adhere. Since the Data Security Standard applies to all systems, one must do some interpretation to determine how the requirements apply to the System i (AS/400 or iSeries). While some specifications are clearly spelled out, such as the password requirements, others are defined by their intent. The Data Security Standard's intent is that the integrity of the data can be assured, that access to the data is restricted, and that the system's security scheme is configured to support this intent.
This is where the interpretation comes in. SkyView Risk Assessor compares your system's security configuration against security best practices for over 100 risk points. These include various i5/OS configuration items such as system values, user profile settings, TCP/IP configuration, guest user profiles, and more. Risk Assessor provides an explanation of the issue to allow you to determine whether the issue requires remediation. If remediation is required, Risk Assessor provides suggestions on how to start the remediation process.
Beyond Risk Assessor's helping you ensure that the system's configuration supports the intent of the Data Security Standard on i5/OS, here are some ways SkyView products address specific Data Security Standard requirements:
- Risk Assessor lists any i5/OS user profiles that have a default password along with the capabilities currently assigned to these profiles. SkyView Policy Minder can check user profile configurations to ensure no profiles have default passwords.
- The Data Security Standard requires "strong access controls." In i5/OS terms, this means that database files containing cardholder data be set to public authority *EXCLUDE. Policy Minder can help you change this setting as well as perform regular compliance checks to ensure the files remain secured appropriately. If users are specifically allowed access, this can also be included in the check.
- The Data Security Standard requires that inactive profiles be removed from the system at least every 90 days. Policy Minder can simplify the discovery and automate the removal of inactive profiles.
- Policy Minder templates can be used to regularly monitor user profile configuration to check the configuration of user profiles, ensuring profiles are created with the correct special authorities, group assignments, initial programs, auditing settings, etc. It can also flag new profiles that have been created, changed, or restored to have *ALLOBJ (security officer) authority. Further, it identifies profiles that are no longer active and should be removed from the system as well as ensures that all users' passwords are changed every 90 days.
- Using the Policy Minder system value category, you can check to ensure that the system's password composition rules are being enforced (must have a minimum length of seven characters, must contain a digit, must be changed every 90 days, can be reused only after four other passwords have been used, and locks the user out after six invalid password attempts). Policy Minder also ensures that i5/OS auditing remains active and is configured properly.
- Risk Assessor specifically addresses the i5/OS requirement for "an annual process that identifies threats and vulnerabilities, resulting in a risk assessment."
- Policy Minder documents the i5/OS implementation of the organization's security policy.
- To provide proof to auditors that you are regularly monitoring your security configuration, Policy Minder generates compliance-check reports. If the item being checked is in compliance, meaning that it meets the requirements of your policy, a one-page summary report is generated stating that the items are in compliance with the policy requirements. If an item is out of compliance, the report contains a detailed description of the discrepancy.
Carol Woodbury is President and co-founder of SkyView Partners, Inc. She is the designer and architect of the SkyView products and has over 17 years in the security industry, 10 of those working as the AS/400 Security Architect and Chief Engineering Manager of Security Technology for IBM. Carol is also the co-author of Experts' Guide to OS/400 and i5/OS Security.
Carol Woodbury is IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor to Kisco Systems, a firm focused on providing IBM i security solutions. Carol has over 30 years’ experience with IBM i security, starting her career as Security Team Leader and Chief Engineering Manager for iSeries Security at IBM in Rochester, MN. Since leaving IBM, she has co-founded two companies: SkyView Partners and DXR Security. Her practical experience and her intimate knowledge of the system combine for a unique viewpoint and experience level that cannot be matched.
Carol is known worldwide as an author and award-winning speaker on security technology, specializing in IBM i security topics. She has written seven books on IBM i security, including her two current books, IBM i Security Administration and Compliance, 3rd Edition and Mastering IBM i Security, A Modern, Step-by-Step Approach. Carol has been named an IBM Champion since 2018 and holds her CISSP and CRISC security certifications.
MC Press books written by Carol Woodbury available now on the MC Press Bookstore.
 |
||
 |
|
IBM i Security Administration and Compliance: Third Edition Don't miss the newest edition by the industry’s #1 IBM i security expert. List Price $71.95 Now On Sale
|
 |
|
Mastering IBM i Security Get the must-have guide by the industry’s #1 security authority. List Price $49.95 Now On Sale
|
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online