javax.security.sasl

Class Sasl

public class Sasl extends Object

A static class for creating SASL clients and servers.

This class defines the policy of how to locate, load, and instantiate SASL clients and servers.

For example, an application or library gets a SASL client instance by doing something like:

SaslClient sc =
      Sasl.createSaslClient(mechanisms, authorizationID, protocol,
                            serverName, props, callbackHandler);
 

It can then proceed to use the instance to create an authenticated connection.

Similarly, a server gets a SASL server instance by using code that looks as follows:

SaslServer ss =
      Sasl.createSaslServer(mechanism, protocol, serverName, props,
                            callbackHandler);
 

Since: 1.5

Field Summary
static StringMAX_BUFFER

The name of a property that specifies the maximum size of the receive buffer in bytes of {@link SaslClient}/{@link SaslServer}.

static StringPOLICY_FORWARD_SECRECY
The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that implement forward secrecy between sessions are required.
static StringPOLICY_NOACTIVE

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to active (non-dictionary) attacks are not permitted.

static StringPOLICY_NOANONYMOUS

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that accept anonymous login are not permitted.

static StringPOLICY_NODICTIONARY

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to passive dictionary attacks are not permitted.

static StringPOLICY_NOPLAINTEXT

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to simple plain passive attacks (e.g., "PLAIN") are not permitted.

static StringPOLICY_PASS_CREDENTIALS
The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that pass client credentials are required.
static StringQOP

The name of a property that specifies the quality-of-protection to use.

static StringRAW_SEND_SIZE

The name of a property that specifies the maximum size of the raw send buffer in bytes of {@link SaslClient}/{@link SaslServer}.

static StringREUSE

The name of a property that specifies whether to reuse previously authenticated session information.

static StringSERVER_AUTH

The name of a property that specifies whether the server must authenticate to the client.

static StringSTRENGTH

The name of a property that specifies the cipher strength to use.

Method Summary
static SaslClientcreateSaslClient(String[] mechanisms, String authorizationID, String protocol, String serverName, Map<String,?> props, CallbackHandler cbh)
Creates a {@link SaslClient} for the specified mechanism.
static SaslServercreateSaslServer(String mechanism, String protocol, String serverName, Map<String,?> props, CallbackHandler cbh)
Creates a {@link SaslServer} for the specified mechanism.
static Enumeration<SaslClientFactory>getSaslClientFactories()
Gets an enumeration of known factories for producing a {@link SaslClient} instance.
static Enumeration<SaslServerFactory>getSaslServerFactories()
Gets an enumeration of known factories for producing a {@link SaslServer} instance.

Field Detail

MAX_BUFFER

public static final String MAX_BUFFER

The name of a property that specifies the maximum size of the receive buffer in bytes of {@link SaslClient}/{@link SaslServer}. The property contains the string representation of an integer.

If this property is absent, the default size is defined by the mechanism.

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.maxbuffer".

POLICY_FORWARD_SECRECY

public static final String POLICY_FORWARD_SECRECY
The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that implement forward secrecy between sessions are required. Forward secrecy means that breaking into one session will not automatically provide information for breaking into future sessions. The property contains "true" if mechanisms that implement forward secrecy between sessions are required; "false" if such mechanisms are not required. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.forward".

POLICY_NOACTIVE

public static final String POLICY_NOACTIVE

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to active (non-dictionary) attacks are not permitted. The property contains "true" if mechanisms susceptible to active attacks are not permitted; "false" if such mechanisms are permitted. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.noactive".

POLICY_NOANONYMOUS

public static final String POLICY_NOANONYMOUS

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that accept anonymous login are not permitted. The property contains "true" if mechanisms that accept anonymous login are not permitted; "false" if such mechanisms are permitted. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.noanonymous".

POLICY_NODICTIONARY

public static final String POLICY_NODICTIONARY

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to passive dictionary attacks are not permitted. The property contains "true" if mechanisms susceptible to dictionary attacks are not permitted; "false" if such mechanisms are permitted. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.nodictionary".

POLICY_NOPLAINTEXT

public static final String POLICY_NOPLAINTEXT

The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms susceptible to simple plain passive attacks (e.g., "PLAIN") are not permitted. The property contains "true" if such mechanisms are not permitted; "false" if such mechanisms are permitted. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.noplaintext".

POLICY_PASS_CREDENTIALS

public static final String POLICY_PASS_CREDENTIALS
The name of a property that specifies whether mechanisms that pass client credentials are required. The property contains "true" if mechanisms that pass client credentials are required; "false" if such mechanisms are not required. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.policy.credentials".

QOP

public static final String QOP

The name of a property that specifies the quality-of-protection to use. The property contains a comma-separated, ordered list of quality-of- protection values that the client or server is willing to support. A qop value is one of:

The order of the list specifies the preference order of the client or server.

If this property is absent, the default qop is "auth".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.qop".

RAW_SEND_SIZE

public static final String RAW_SEND_SIZE

The name of a property that specifies the maximum size of the raw send buffer in bytes of {@link SaslClient}/{@link SaslServer}. The property contains the string representation of an integer. The value of this property is negotiated between the client and server during the authentication exchange.

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.rawsendsize".

REUSE

public static final String REUSE

The name of a property that specifies whether to reuse previously authenticated session information. The property contains "true" if the mechanism implementation may attempt to reuse previously authenticated session information; it contains "false" if the implementation must not reuse previously authenticated session information. A setting of "true" serves only as a hint; it does not necessarily entail actual reuse because reuse might not be possible due to a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, lack of mechanism support for reuse, expiration of reusable information, and the peer's refusal to support reuse. The property's default value is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.reuse". Note that all other parameters and properties required to create a SASL client/server instance must be provided regardless of whether this property has been supplied. That is, you cannot supply any less information in anticipation of reuse. Mechanism implementations that support reuse might allow customization of its implementation for factors such as cache size, timeouts, and criteria for reuseability. Such customizations are implementation-dependent.

SERVER_AUTH

public static final String SERVER_AUTH

The name of a property that specifies whether the server must authenticate to the client. The property contains "true" if the server must authenticate the to client; "false" otherwise. The default is "false".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.server.authentication".

STRENGTH

public static final String STRENGTH

The name of a property that specifies the cipher strength to use. The property contains a comma-separated, ordered list of cipher strength values that the client or server is willing to support. A strength value is one of:

The order of the list specifies the preference order of the client or server. An implementation should allow configuration of the meaning of these values. An application may use the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) with JCE-aware mechanisms to control the selection of cipher suites that match the strength values.

If this property is absent, the default strength is "high,medium,low".

The value of this constant is "javax.security.sasl.strength".

Method Detail

createSaslClient

public static SaslClient createSaslClient(String[] mechanisms, String authorizationID, String protocol, String serverName, Map<String,?> props, CallbackHandler cbh)
Creates a {@link SaslClient} for the specified mechanism.

This method uses the JCA Security Provider Framework, described in the "Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference", for locating and selecting a {@link SaslClient} implementation.

First, it obtains an ordered list of {@link SaslClientFactory} instances from the registered security providers for the "SaslClientFactory" service and the specified mechanism. It then invokes createSaslClient() on each factory instance on the list until one produces a non-null {@link SaslClient} instance. It returns the non-null {@link SaslClient} instance, or null if the search fails to produce a non-null {@link SaslClient} instance.

A security provider for SaslClientFactory registers with the JCA Security Provider Framework keys of the form:

    SaslClientFactory.mechanism_name
 

and values that are class names of implementations of {@link SaslClientFactory}.

For example, a provider that contains a factory class, com.wiz.sasl.digest.ClientFactory, that supports the "DIGEST-MD5" mechanism would register the following entry with the JCA:

    SaslClientFactory.DIGEST-MD5     com.wiz.sasl.digest.ClientFactory
 

See the "Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference" for information about how to install and configure security service providers.

Parameters: mechanisms the non-null list of mechanism names to try. Each is the IANA-registered name of a SASL mechanism. (e.g. "GSSAPI", "CRAM-MD5"). authorizationID the possibly null protocol-dependent identification to be used for authorization. If null or empty, the server derives an authorization ID from the client's authentication credentials. When the SASL authentication completes successfully, the specified entity is granted access. protocol the non-null string name of the protocol for which the authentication is being performed (e.g. "ldap"). serverName the non-null fully-qualified host name of the server to authenticate to. props the possibly null set of properties used to select the SASL mechanism and to configure the authentication exchange of the selected mechanism. For example, if props contains the {@link Sasl#POLICY_NOPLAINTEXT} property with the value "true", then the selected SASL mechanism must not be susceptible to simple plain passive attacks. In addition to the standard properties declared in this class, other, possibly mechanism-specific, properties can be included. Properties not relevant to the selected mechanism are ignored. cbh the possibly null callback handler to used by the SASL mechanisms to get further information from the application/library to complete the authentication. For example, a SASL mechanism might require the authentication ID, password and realm from the caller. The authentication ID is requested by using a {@link javax.security.auth.callback.NameCallback}. The password is requested by using a {@link javax.security.auth.callback.PasswordCallback}. The realm is requested by using a {@link RealmChoiceCallback} if there is a list of realms to choose from, and by using a {@link RealmCallback} if the realm must be entered.

Returns: a possibly null {@link SaslClient} created using the parameters supplied. If null, the method could not find a {@link SaslClientFactory} that will produce one.

Throws: SaslException if a {@link SaslClient} cannot be created because of an error.

createSaslServer

public static SaslServer createSaslServer(String mechanism, String protocol, String serverName, Map<String,?> props, CallbackHandler cbh)
Creates a {@link SaslServer} for the specified mechanism.

This method uses the JCA Security Provider Framework, described in the "Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference", for locating and selecting a SaslServer implementation.

First, it obtains an ordered list of {@link SaslServerFactory} instances from the registered security providers for the "SaslServerFactory" service and the specified mechanism. It then invokes createSaslServer() on each factory instance on the list until one produces a non-null {@link SaslServer} instance. It returns the non-null {@link SaslServer} instance, or null if the search fails to produce a non-null {@link SaslServer} instance.

A security provider for {@link SaslServerFactory} registers with the JCA Security Provider Framework keys of the form:

    SaslServerFactory.mechanism_name
 

and values that are class names of implementations of {@link SaslServerFactory}.

For example, a provider that contains a factory class, com.wiz.sasl.digest.ServerFactory, that supports the "DIGEST-MD5" mechanism would register the following entry with the JCA:

    SaslServerFactory.DIGEST-MD5     com.wiz.sasl.digest.ServerFactory
 

See the "Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference" for information about how to install and configure security service providers.

Parameters: mechanism the non-null mechanism name. It must be an IANA-registered name of a SASL mechanism. (e.g. "GSSAPI", "CRAM-MD5"). protocol the non-null string name of the protocol for which the authentication is being performed (e.g. "ldap"). serverName the non-null fully qualified host name of the server. props the possibly null set of properties used to select the SASL mechanism and to configure the authentication exchange of the selected mechanism. For example, if props contains the {@link Sasl#POLICY_NOPLAINTEXT} property with the value "true", then the selected SASL mechanism must not be susceptible to simple plain passive attacks. In addition to the standard properties declared in this class, other, possibly mechanism-specific, properties can be included. Properties not relevant to the selected mechanism are ignored. cbh the possibly null callback handler to used by the SASL mechanisms to get further information from the application/library to complete the authentication. For example, a SASL mechanism might require the authentication ID, password and realm from the caller. The authentication ID is requested by using a {@link javax.security.auth.callback.NameCallback}. The password is requested by using a {@link javax.security.auth.callback.PasswordCallback}. The realm is requested by using a {@link RealmChoiceCallback} if there is a list of realms to choose from, and by using a {@link RealmCallback} if the realm must be entered.

Returns: a possibly null {@link SaslServer} created using the parameters supplied. If null, the method cannot find a {@link SaslServerFactory} instance that will produce one.

Throws: SaslException if a {@link SaslServer} instance cannot be created because of an error.

getSaslClientFactories

public static Enumeration<SaslClientFactory> getSaslClientFactories()
Gets an enumeration of known factories for producing a {@link SaslClient} instance. This method uses the same sources for locating factories as createSaslClient().

Returns: a non-null {@link Enumeration} of known factories for producing a {@link SaslClient} instance.

See Also: (String[],String,String,String,Map,CallbackHandler)

getSaslServerFactories

public static Enumeration<SaslServerFactory> getSaslServerFactories()
Gets an enumeration of known factories for producing a {@link SaslServer} instance. This method uses the same sources for locating factories as createSaslServer().

Returns: a non-null {@link Enumeration} of known factories for producing a {@link SaslServer} instance.

See Also: createSaslServer