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org.identityconnectors.common.security
Class GuardedString

java.lang.Object
org.identityconnectors.common.security.GuardedString

public final class GuardedString

extends java.lang.Object

Secure string implementation that solves the problems associated with keeping passwords as java.lang.String. That is, anything represented as a String is kept in memory as a clear text password and stays in memory at least until it is garbage collected.

The GuardedString class alleviates this problem by storing the characters in memory in an encrypted form. The encryption key will be a randomly-generated key.

In their serialized form, GuardedString will be encrypted using a known default key. This is to provide a minimum level of protection regardless of the transport. For communications with the Remote Connector Framework it is recommended that deployments enable SSL for true encryption.

Applications may also wish to persist GuardedStrings. In the case of Identity Manager, it should convert GuardedStrings to EncryptedData so that they can be stored and managed using the Manage Encryption features of Identity Manager. Other applications may wish to serialize APIConfiguration as a whole. These applications are responsible for encrypting the APIConfiguration blob for an additional layer of security (beyond the basic default key encryption provided by GuardedString).

Nested Class Summary

static interface

GuardedString.Accessor Callback interface for those times that it is necessary to access the clear text of the secure string.

Constructor Summary

GuardedString()
Creates an empty secure string

GuardedString(char[] clearChars)
Initialized the GuardedString from the given clear characters.

Method Summary

void	access(GuardedString.Accessor accessor) Provides access to the clear-text value of the string in a controlled fashion.
void	appendChar(char c) Appends a single clear-text character to the secure string.
GuardedString	copy() Create a copy of the string.
void	dispose() Clears the in-memory representation of the string.
boolean	equals(java.lang.Object o)
int	hashCode()
boolean	isReadOnly() Returns true iff this string has been marked read-only
void	makeReadOnly() Mark this string as read-only.
boolean	verifyBase64SHA1Hash(java.lang.String hash) Verifies that this base-64 encoded SHA1 hash of this string matches the given value.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

GuardedString

public GuardedString()

Creates an empty secure string

GuardedString

public GuardedString(char[] clearChars)

Initialized the GuardedString from the given clear characters. Caller is responsible for zeroing out the array of characters after the call.

Parameters:

clearChars - The clear-text characters

Method Detail

access

public void access(GuardedString.Accessor accessor)

Provides access to the clear-text value of the string in a controlled fashion. The clear-text characters will only be available for the duration of the call and automatically zeroed out following the call.

NOTE: Callers are encouraged to use verifyBase64SHA1Hash(String) where possible if the intended use is merely to verify the contents of the string match an expected hash value.

Parameters:

accessor - Accessor callback.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

appendChar

public void appendChar(char c)

Appends a single clear-text character to the secure string. The in-memory data will be decrypted, the character will be appended, and then it will be re-encrypted.

Parameters:

c - The character to append.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string is read-only

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

dispose

public void dispose()

Clears the in-memory representation of the string.

isReadOnly

public boolean isReadOnly()

Returns true iff this string has been marked read-only

Returns:

true iff this string has been marked read-only

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

makeReadOnly

public void makeReadOnly()

Mark this string as read-only.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

copy

public GuardedString copy()

Create a copy of the string. If this instance is read-only, the copy will not be read-only.

Returns:

A copy of the string.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

verifyBase64SHA1Hash

public boolean verifyBase64SHA1Hash(java.lang.String hash)

Verifies that this base-64 encoded SHA1 hash of this string matches the given value.

Parameters:

hash - The hash to verify against.

Returns:

True if the hash matches the given parameter.

Throws:

java.lang.IllegalStateException - If the string has been disposed

equals

public boolean equals(java.lang.Object o)

Overrides:

equals in class java.lang.Object

hashCode

public int hashCode()

Overrides:

hashCode in class java.lang.Object

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