Sun Java Enterprise System 2005Q1 Technical Note

The Sun Java Enterprise System 2005Q1 Technical Note: Avoiding ACI Problems with Outlook Connector describes how to configure Access Control Instructions (ACIs) for Sun Java™ System Directory Server 5 2005Q1 to enable Sun Java™ System Connector for Microsoft Outlook 7 2005Q1 to perform corporate directory lookups.

Technical Note Revision History

Table 1 Revision History
Date	Description of Changes
April 5, 2005	Initial release of this technical note.

Avoiding ACI Problems with Outlook Connector

Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook provides the ability to browse a corporate directory for a particular user’s email address, as well as for calendar information. The Outlook client browses the corporate directory by using its own internal LDAP browser. You define the configuration for the Microsoft LDAP browser in the Outlook Connector Deployment tool.

Once the Outlook Connector has been successfully deployed to end users, they will quickly find that the default setting of the Directory Server does not show all the necessary information needed for a corporate directory. Missing information includes postal address and telephone numbers. This information is filtered by the Access Control Instructions (ACIs) in the directory’s Organization Tree. ACIs are instructions that grant or deny permissions to entries in the directory.

Authentication to Directory Server for corporate directory lookups is accomplished in two ways: anonymous or authenticated. Anonymous authentication enables any user to authenticate (LDAP BIND) to the directory without having to provide identification, that is, without having to use a Distinguished Name (DN) and password. By default, the Directory Server, when configured for Sun Java™ System Communications Services products, does not allow anonymous authentication. The default is for DN/password authentication, for obvious security reasons.

Should you want to allow anonymous access to the corporate Directory Server, create the following ACI (as the Directory Administrator):

# ldapmodify -D "cn=Directory manager"

dn: dc=red,dc=siroe,dc=com

changetype: modify

add: aci

aci: (targetattr != "userPassword") (version 3.0;acl "Anonymous access"; allow (read,compare,search)(userdn = "ldap:///anyone");)

In the above rule, you would replace dn: dc=red,dc=sirore,dc=com with your own information. This ACI rule enables anyone to access users’ LDAP attributes. The only attribute that is blocked is userPassword, by using the targetattr != “userPassword” rule.

Misused ACI Rules

In many environments, you do not want to grant anonymous access. You must pay attention to the potential security risks involved. For example, the following ACI rules cause a potential security problem by exposing user passwords.

When you implement the above ACI, users’ passwords are now visible. This is confirmed by running the following ldapsearch command:

# ldapsearch -b ou=people,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata -D "uid=jhawk,ou=people,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata" -w demo "cn=naomi*" |

moreuid=nhawkins,ou=People,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata

uid=nhawkins

iplanet-am-modifiable-by=cn=Top-level Admin Role,o=ugdata

givenName=Naomi

mail=naomi.hawkins@red.siroe.com

mailUserStatus=active

sn=Hawkins

cn=Naomi Hawkins

icsStatus=Active

mailHost=par.red.siroe.com

inetUserStatus=Active

userPassword={SSHA}0qCnUCKtNK94ndKmEMlPp8i1Z/SKMAhapz3ZPA==

sunUCDefaultApplication=addressbook

sunUCTheme=uwc

<< remainder of output deleted >>

The highlighted text is the userPassword attribute that you do not want to expose.

Limiting Attributes Expected by the Outlook LDAP Browser

In addition to limiting security risks, you can use ACIs to limit the XML for Portal transmitted back to the Outlook Connector client.

The following ACI rule prevents delivery of the user password and also limits attributes expected by the Outlook LDAP Browser. You set the access rights in the Directory Server console:

aci:(targetattr = "initials || cn || mail || display-name || displayName || sn || co || o || givenName || objectClass || uid || mailnickname || title || company || physicalDeliveryOfficeName || telephoneNumber") (targetfilter = (objectClass=icscalendaruser)) (version 3.0;acl "Allow Calendar users to read and search other users - product=ics,class=admin,num=3,version=1";allow (read,search)(userdn = "ldap:///uid=*,ou=People,o=red.siroe.com, o=ugdata");)

The targetattr indicates the list of attributes that can be returned. All other attributes are blocked. The targetfilter requires that the returned entries must have objectclass=icscalendaruser assigned.

The following ldapsearch command confirms two things: first, the userpassword attribute is no longer visible to end users; second, the returned LDAP attributes are limited to only the attributes expected by Outlook’s LDAP Browser.

# ldapsearch -b ou=people,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata -D

"uid=jhawk,ou=people,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata" -w demo "cn=naomi*" | more

uid=nhawkins,ou=People,o=red.siroe.com,o=ugdata

uid=nhawkins

givenName=Naomi

mail=naomi.hawkins@red.siroe.com

sn=Hawkins

cn=Naomi Hawkins

objectClass=userpresenceprofile

objectClass=sunucpreferences

objectClass=iplanet-am-user-service

objectClass=iplanet-am-managed-person

objectClass=top

objectClass=icscalendaruser

objectClass=organizationalperson

objectClass=inetadmin

objectClass=person

objectClass=inetuser

objectClass=sunssoadapterperson

objectClass=inetlocalmailrecipient

objectClass=iplanetpreferences

objectClass=ipuser

objectClass=inetorgperson

objectClass=sunportaldesktopperson

objectClass=inetsubscriber

objectClass=inetmailuser

Sun Java™ Enterprise System Technical Note: Avoiding ACI Problems with Outlook Connector

2005Q1

Technical Note Revision History

Avoiding ACI Problems with Outlook Connector

Misused ACI Rules

Limiting Attributes Expected by the Outlook LDAP Browser

Further Reading

Known Issues and Limitations

How to Report Problems and Provide Feedback

Sun Welcomes Your Comments

Additional Sun Resources