1. Security Developer’s Guide
  2. General Security
  3. Permissions in the JDK

Permissions in the JDK

A permission represents access to a system resource. In order for a resource access to be allowed for an applet (or an application running with a security manager), the corresponding permission must be explicitly granted to the code attempting the access.

A permission typically has a name (often referred to as a "target name") and, in some cases, a comma-separated list of one or more actions. For example, the following code creates a FilePermission object representing read access to the file named abc in the /tmp directory: 

perm = new java.io.FilePermission("/tmp/abc", "read");

Here, the target name is "/tmp/abc" and the action string is "read".

Important:

The above statement creates a permission object. A permission object represents, but does not grant access to, a system resource. Permission objects are constructed and assigned ("granted") to code based on the policy in effect. When a permission object is assigned to some code, that code is granted the permission to access the system resource specified in the permission object, in the specified manner. A permission object may also be constructed by the current security manager when making access decisions. In this case, the (target) permission object is created based on the requested access, and checked against the permission objects granted to and held by the code making the request.

The policy for a Java application environment is represented by a Policy object. In the "JavaPolicy" Policy implementation, the policy can be specified within one or more policy configuration files. The policy file(s) specify what permissions are allowed for code from specified code sources. The following is a sample policy file entry that grants code from the /home/sysadmin directory read access to the file /tmp/abc: 

grant codeBase "file:/home/sysadmin/" {
    permission java.io.FilePermission "/tmp/abc", "read";
};

To know more about policy file locations and granting permissions in policy files, see Default Policy Implementation and Policy File Syntax.

Technically, whenever a resource access is attempted, all code traversed by the execution thread up to that point must have permission for that resource access, unless some code on the thread has been marked as "privileged." See Appendix A: API for Privileged Blocks.

Permission Descriptions and Risks

The following is a list of all built-in JDK permission types. The class summary for each permission type discusses the risks of granting each permission.

Note:

See Appendix A: FilePermission Path Name Canonicalization Disabled By Default for important information about a change in how FilePermission path names are canonicalized.

Methods and the Permissions They Require

The following table is a list of methods that require permissions, which SecurityManager method they call, and which permission is checked by the default implementation of that SecurityManager method.

Note:

This list is not complete; other methods exist that require permissions. See the Java SE and JDK API Specification for additional information on methods that throw SecurityException and the permissions that are required.

In the default SecurityManager method implementations, a call to a method in the Method column can only be successful if the permission specified in the corresponding entry in the SecurityManager Method column is allowed by the policy currently in effect. For example, consider the following table row:

Method SecurityManager Method Called Permission 
java.awt.Toolkit
  public final EventQueue
    getSystemEventQueue()
 checkPermission java.awt.AWTPermission "accessEventQueue";

This table row specifies that a call to the getSystemEventQueue method in the java.awt.Toolkit class results in a call to the checkPermission SecurityManager method, which can only be successful if the following permission is granted to code on the call stack: 

java.awt.AWTPermission "accessEventQueue";

The table rows have the following format, where the runtime value of foo replaces the string {foo} in the permission name.

Method SecurityManager Method Called Permission 
some.package.class
  public static void someMethod(String foo);
 checkXXX SomePermission "{foo}";

As an example, here is one table entry:

Method SecurityManager Method Called Permission 
java.io.FileInputStream
  FileInputStream(String name)
 checkRead(String) java.io.FilePermission "{name}", "read";

If the FileInputStream method (in this case, a constructor) is called with "/test/MyTestFile" as the name argument, as in 

FileInputStream("/test/MyTestFile");

then in order for the call to succeed, the following permission must be set in the current policy, allowing read access to the file "/test/MyTestFile": 

java.io.FilePermission "/test/MyTestFile", "read";

More specifically, the permission must either be explicitly set, as above, or implied by another permission, such as the following:

java.io.FilePermission "/test/*", "read";

which allows read access to any files in the "/test" directory.

In some cases, a term in braces is not exactly the same as the name of a specific method argument but is meant to represent the relevant value. Here is an example:

Method SecurityManager Method Called Permission
java.net.DatagramSocket public synchronized void receive(DatagramPacket p); checkAccept({host}, {port}) java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}", "accept";

Here, the appropriate host and port values are calculated by the receive method and passed to checkAccept.

In most cases, just the name of the SecurityManager method called is listed. Where the method is one of multiple methods of the same name, the argument types are also listed, for example for checkRead(String) and checkRead(FileDescriptor). In other cases where arguments may be relevant, they are also listed.

The following table is ordered by package name; the methods in classes in the java.awt package are listed first, followed by methods in classes in the java.beans package, and so on:

Table 1-6 Methods and the Permissions

Method SecurityManager Method Permission 
java.awt.Graphics2d
  public abstract void
    setComposite(Composite comp)
checkPermission java.awt.AWTPermission "readDisplayPixels" if this Graphics2D context is drawing to a Component on the display screen and the Composite is a custom object rather than an instance of the AlphaComposite class. Note: The setComposite method is actually abstract and thus can't invoke security checks. Each actual implementation of the method should call the java.lang.SecurityManager checkPermission method with a java.awt.AWTPermission("readDisplayPixels") permission under the conditions noted. 
java.awt.Robot
  public Robot()
  public Robot(GraphicsDevice screen)
checkPermission java.awt.AWTPermission "createRobot" 
java.awt.Toolkit
  public void addAWTEventListener(
    AWTEventListener listener,
    long eventMask)
  public void removeAWTEventListener(
    AWTEventListener listener)
checkPermission java.awt.AWTPermission "listenToAllAWTEvents" 
java.awt.Toolkit
  public abstract PrintJob getPrintJob(
    Frame frame, String jobtitle,
    Properties props)
checkPrintJobAccess

java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob"

Note: The getPrintJob method is actually abstract and thus can't invoke security checks. Each actual implementation of the method should call the java.lang.SecurityManager checkPrintJobAccess method, which is successful only if the java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob" permission is currently allowed. 

java.awt.Toolkit
  public abstract Clipboard
    getSystemClipboard()
checkPermission

java.awt.AWTPermission "accessClipboard"

Note: The getSystemClipboard method is actually abstract and thus can't invoke security checks. Each actual implementation of the method should call the checkPermission method, which is successful only if the java.awt.AWTPermission "accessClipboard" permission is currently allowed. 

java.awt.Toolkit
  public final EventQueue
    getSystemEventQueue()
checkPermission java.awt.AWTPermission "accessEventQueue" 
java.awt.Window Window()
checkPermission If java.awt.AWTPermission "showWindowWithoutWarningBanner" is set, the window will be displayed without a banner warning that the window was created by an applet. It it's not set, such a banner will be displayed. 
java.beans.Beans
  public static void setDesignTime(
    boolean isDesignTime)
  public static void setGuiAvailable(
    boolean isGuiAvailable)

java.beans.Introspector
  public static synchronized void
    setBeanInfoSearchPath(String path[])

java.beans.PropertyEditorManager
  public static void registerEditor(
    Class targetType,
    Class editorClass)
  public static synchronized void
    setEditorSearchPath(String path[])
checkPropertiesAccess java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read,write" 
java.io.File
  public boolean delete()
  public void deleteOnExit()
checkDelete(String) java.io.FilePermission "{name}", "delete" 
java.io.FileInputStream
  FileInputStream(FileDescriptor fdObj)
checkRead(FileDescriptor) java.lang.RuntimePermission "readFileDescriptor" 
java.io.FileInputStream
  FileInputStream(String name)
  FileInputStream(File file)

java.io.File
  public boolean exists()
  public boolean canRead()
  public boolean isFile()
  public boolean isDirectory()
  public boolean isHidden()
  public long lastModified()
  public long length()
  public String[] list()
  public String[] list(
    FilenameFilter filter)
  public File[] listFiles()
  public File[] listFiles(
    FilenameFilter filter)
  public File[] listFiles(
    FileFilter filter)

java.io.RandomAccessFile
  RandomAccessFile(String name, String mode)
  RandomAccessFile(File file, String mode)

(where mode is "r" in both RandomAccessFile constructurs)

checkRead(String) java.io.FilePermission "{name}", "read" 
java.io.FileOutputStream
  FileOutputStream(FileDescriptor fdObj)
checkWrite(FileDescriptor) java.lang.RuntimePermission "writeFileDescriptor" 

java.io.FileOutputStream
  FileOutputStream(File file)
  FileOutputStream(String name)
  FileOutputStream(
    String name,
    boolean append)

java.io.File
  public boolean canWrite()
  public boolean createNewFile()
  public static File createTempFile(
    String prefix, String suffix)
  public static File createTempFile(
    String prefix,
    String suffix,
    File directory)
  public boolean mkdir()
  public boolean mkdirs()
  public boolean renameTo(File dest)
  public boolean setLastModified(long time)
  public boolean setReadOnly()
checkWrite(String) java.io.FilePermission "{name}", "write" 
java.io.ObjectInputStream
  protected final boolean
    enableResolveObject(boolean enable);

java.io.ObjectOutputStream
  protected final boolean
    enableReplaceObject(boolean enable)
checkPermission java.io.SerializablePermission "enableSubstitution" 
java.io.ObjectInputStream
  protected ObjectInputStream()

java.io.ObjectOutputStream
  protected ObjectOutputStream()
checkPermission java.io.SerializablePermission "enableSubclassImplementation" 
java.io.RandomAccessFile
  RandomAccessFile(String name, String mode)

(where mode is "rw")

 checkRead(String) and checkWrite(String) java.io.FilePermission "{name}", "read,write" 
java.lang.Class
  public static Class forName(
    String name,
    boolean initialize,
    ClassLoader loader)
checkPermission If loader is null, and the caller's class loader is not null, then java.lang.RuntimePermission("getClassLoader") 
java.lang.Class
  public ClassLoader getClassLoader()
checkPermission If the caller's class loader is null, or is the same as or an ancestor of the class loader for the class whose class loader is being requested, no permission is needed. Otherwise, java.lang.RuntimePermission "getClassLoader" is required. 
java.lang.Class
  public Class[] getDeclaredClasses()
  public Field[] getDeclaredFields()
  public Method[] getDeclaredMethods()
  public Constructor[]
    getDeclaredConstructors()
  public Field getDeclaredField(
    String name)
  public Method getDeclaredMethod(...)
  public Constructor
    getDeclaredConstructor(...)
checkMemberAccess(this, Member.DECLARED) and, if this class is in a package, checkPackageAccess({pkgName}) Default checkMemberAccess does not require any permissions if "this" class's class loader is the same as that of the caller. Otherwise, it requires java.lang.RuntimePermission "accessDeclaredMembers". If this class is in a package, java.lang.RuntimePermission "accessClassInPackage.{pkgName}" is also required. 
java.lang.Class
  public Class[] getClasses()
  public Field[] getFields()
  public Method[] getMethods()
  public Constructor[] getConstructors()
  public Field getField(String name)
  public Method getMethod(...)
  public Constructor getConstructor(...)
checkMemberAccess(this, Member.PUBLIC) and, if class is in a package, checkPackageAccess({pkgName}) Default checkMemberAccess does not require any permissions when the access type is Member.PUBLIC. If this class is in a package, java.lang.RuntimePermission "accessClassInPackage.{pkgName}" is required. 
java.lang.Class
  public ProtectionDomain
    getProtectionDomain()
checkPermission java.lang.RuntimePermission "getProtectionDomain" 
java.lang.ClassLoader
  ClassLoader()
  ClassLoader(ClassLoader parent)
checkCreateClassLoader java.lang.RuntimePermission "createClassLoader" 
java.lang.ClassLoader
  public static ClassLoader
    getSystemClassLoader()
  public ClassLoader getParent()
checkPermission If the caller's class loader is null, or is the same as or an ancestor of the class loader for the class whose class loader is being requested, no permission is needed. Otherwise, java.lang.RuntimePermission "getClassLoader" is required. 

java.lang.Runtime
  public Process exec(String command)
  public Process exec(
    String command,
    String envp[])
  public Process exec(String cmdarray[])
  public Process exec(
    String cmdarray[],
    String envp[])
checkExec java.io.FilePermission "{command}", "execute" 
java.lang.Runtime
  public void exit(int status)
  public static void
    runFinalizersOnExit(boolean value)

java.lang.System
  public static void exit(int status)
  public static void
    runFinalizersOnExit(boolean value)
checkExit(status) where status is 0 for runFinalizersOnExit java.lang.RuntimePermission "exitVM.{status}" 

java.lang.Runtime
  public void addShutdownHook(Thread hook)
  public boolean removeShutdownHook(Thread hook)
checkPermission java.lang.RuntimePermission "shutdownHooks" 
java.lang.Runtime
  public void load(String lib)
  public void loadLibrary(String lib)

java.lang.System
  public static void load(String filename)
  public static void loadLibrary(
    String libname)
checkLink({libName}) where {libName} is the lib, filename or libname argument java.lang.RuntimePermission "loadLibrary.{libName}"

java.lang.SecurityManager methods

checkPermission See Table 1-7. 
java.lang.System
  public static Properties
    getProperties()
  public static void
    setProperties(Properties props)
checkPropertiesAccess java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read,write" 
java.lang.System
  public static String
    getProperty(String key)
  public static String
    getProperty(String key, String def)
checkPropertyAccess java.util.PropertyPermission "{key}", "read" 
java.lang.System
  public static void setIn(InputStream in)
  public static void setOut(PrintStream out)
  public static void setErr(PrintStream err)
checkPermission java.lang.RuntimePermission "setIO" 
java.lang.System
  public static String
    setProperty(String key, String value)
checkPermission java.util.PropertyPermission "{key}", "write" 
java.lang.System
  public static synchronized void
    setSecurityManager(SecurityManager s)
checkPermission java.lang.RuntimePermission "setSecurityManager" 
java.lang.Thread
  public ClassLoader getContextClassLoader()
checkPermission If the caller's class loader is null, or is the same as or an ancestor of the context class loader for the thread whose context class loader is being requested, no permission is needed. Otherwise, java.lang.RuntimePermission "getClassLoader" is required. 
java.lang.Thread
  public void setContextClassLoader(
    ClassLoader cl)
checkPermission java.lang.RuntimePermission "setContextClassLoader" 
java.lang.Thread
  public final void checkAccess()
  public void interrupt()
  public final void suspend()
  public final void resume()
  public final void setPriority(
    int newPriority)
  public final void setName(
    String name)
  public final void setDaemon(
    boolean on)
checkAccess(this) java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread" 
java.lang.Thread
  public static int
    enumerate(Thread tarray[])
checkAccess({threadGroup}) java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup" 
java.lang.Thread
  public final void stop()
checkAccess(this). Also checkPermission if the current thread is trying to stop a thread other than itself. java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread". .

Also java.lang.RuntimePermission "stopThread" if the current thread is trying to stop a thread other than itself. 

java.lang.Thread
  public final synchronized void
    stop(Throwable obj)
checkAccess(this). Also checkPermission if the current thread is trying to stop a thread other than itself or obj is not an instance of ThreadDeath. java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread".

Also java.lang.RuntimePermission "stopThread" if the current thread is trying to stop a thread other than itself or obj is not an instance of ThreadDeath. 

java.lang.Thread
  Thread()
  Thread(Runnable target)
  Thread(String name)
  Thread(Runnable target, String name)

java.lang.ThreadGroup
  ThreadGroup(String name)
  ThreadGroup(
    ThreadGroup parent,
    String name)
checkAccess({parentThreadGroup}) java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup" 
java.lang.Thread
  Thread(ThreadGroup group, ...)

java.lang.ThreadGroup
  public final void checkAccess()
  public int enumerate(Thread list[])
  public int enumerate(
    Thread list[],
    boolean recurse)
  public int enumerate(ThreadGroup list[])
  public int enumerate(
    ThreadGroup list[],
    boolean recurse)
  public final ThreadGroup getParent()
  public final void setDaemon(
    boolean daemon)
  public final void setMaxPriority(int pri)
  public final void suspend()
  public final void resume()
  public final void destroy()
checkAccess(this) for ThreadGroup methods, or checkAccess(group) for Thread methods java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup" 
java.lang.ThreadGroup
  public final void interrupt()
checkAccess(this) Requires java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup". Also requires java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread", since the java.lang.Thread interrupt() method is called for each thread in the thread group and in all of its subgroups. See the Thread interrupt() method. 
java.lang.ThreadGroup
  public final void stop()
checkAccess(this) Requires java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup". Also requires java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread" and possibly java.lang.RuntimePermission "stopThread", since the java.lang.Thread stop() method is called for each thread in the thread group and in all of its subgroups. See the Thread stop() method. 
java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject
  public static void setAccessible(...)
  public void setAccessible(...)
checkPermission java.lang.reflect.ReflectPermission "suppressAccessChecks" 
java.net.Authenticator
  public static PasswordAuthentication
    requestPasswordAuthentication(
      InetAddress addr,
      int port,
      String protocol,
      String prompt,
      String scheme)
checkPermission java.net.NetPermission "requestPasswordAuthentication" 
java.net.Authenticator
  public static void
    setDefault(Authenticator a)
checkPermission java.net.NetPermission "setDefaultAuthenticator" 
java.net.MulticastSocket
  public void
    joinGroup(InetAddress mcastaddr)
  public void
    leaveGroup(InetAddress mcastaddr)
checkMulticast(InetAddress) java.net.SocketPermission( mcastaddr.getHostAddress(), "accept,connect") 
java.net.DatagramSocket
  public void send(DatagramPacket p)
checkMulticast(p.getAddress()) or checkConnect( p.getAddress().getHostAddress(), p.getPort()) 
if (p.getAddress().isMulticastAddress()) {
  java.net.SocketPermission(
    (p.getAddress()).getHostAddress(),
    "accept,connect")
} else {
  port = p.getPort();
  host = p.getAddress().getHostAddress();
  if (port == -1)
    java.net.SocketPermission "{host}","resolve";
  else
    java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}","connect";
}
 
java.net.MulticastSocket
  public synchronized void
    send(DatagramPacket p, byte ttl)
checkMulticast(p.getAddress(), ttl) or checkConnect( p.getAddress().getHostAddress(), p.getPort()) 
if (p.getAddress().isMulticastAddress()) {
  java.net.SocketPermission(
    (p.getAddress()).getHostAddress(),
    "accept,connect")
} else {
  port = p.getPort();
  host = p.getAddress().getHostAddress();
  if (port == -1)
    java.net.SocketPermission "{host}","resolve";
  else
    java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}","connect"
}
 
java.net.InetAddress
  public String getHostName()
  public static InetAddress[]
    getAllByName(String host)
  public static InetAddress getLocalHost()

java.net.DatagramSocket
  public InetAddress getLocalAddress()
checkConnect({host}, -1) java.net.SocketPermission "{host}", "resolve" 
java.net.ServerSocket
  ServerSocket(...)

java.net.DatagramSocket
  DatagramSocket(...)

java.net.MulticastSocket
  MulticastSocket(...)
checkListen({port}) java.net.SocketPermission "localhost:{port}","listen"; 
java.net.ServerSocket
  public Socket accept()
  protected final void implAccept(Socket s)
checkAccept({host}, {port}) java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}", "accept" 
java.net.ServerSocket
  public static synchronized void
    setSocketFactory(...)

java.net.Socket
  public static synchronized void
    setSocketImplFactory(...)

java.net.URL
  public static synchronized void
    setURLStreamHandlerFactory(...)

java.net.URLConnection
  public static synchronized void
    setContentHandlerFactory(...)
  public static void
    setFileNameMap(FileNameMap map)

java.net.HttpURLConnection
  public static void
    setFollowRedirects(boolean set)

java.rmi.activation.ActivationGroup
  public static synchronized
    ActivationGroup createGroup(...)
  public static synchronized void
    setSystem(ActivationSystem system)

java.rmi.server.RMISocketFactory
  public synchronized static void
    setSocketFactory(...)
checkSetFactory java.lang.RuntimePermission "setFactory" 
java.net.Socket
  Socket(...)
checkConnect({host}, {port}) java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}", "connect" 
java.net.DatagramSocket
  public synchronized void
    receive(DatagramPacket p)
checkAccept({host}, {port}) java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}", "accept" 
java.net.URL URL(...)
checkPermission java.net.NetPermission "specifyStreamHandler" 
java.net.URLClassLoader
  URLClassLoader(...)
checkCreateClassLoader java.lang.RuntimePermission "createClassLoader" 
java.security.AccessControlContext
  public AccessControlContext(
    AccessControlContext acc,
    DomainCombiner combiner)
  public DomainCombiner getDomainCombiner()
checkPermission java.security.SecurityPermission "createAccessControlContext" 
java.security.Identity
  public void addCertificate(...)
checkSecurityAccess("addIdentityCertificate") java.security.SecurityPermission "addIdentityCertificate" 
java.security.Identity
  public void removeCertificate(...)
checkSecurityAccess("removeIdentityCertificate") java.security.SecurityPermission "removeIdentityCertificate" 
java.security.Identity
  public void setInfo(String info)
checkSecurityAccess("setIdentityInfo") java.security.SecurityPermission "setIdentityInfo" 
java.security.Identity
  public void setPublicKey(PublicKey key)
checkSecurityAccess("setIdentityPublicKey") java.security.SecurityPermission "setIdentityPublicKey" 
java.security.Identity
  public String toString(...)
checkSecurityAccess("printIdentity") java.security.SecurityPermission "printIdentity" 
java.security.IdentityScope
  protected static void setSystemScope()
checkSecurityAccess("setSystemScope") java.security.SecurityPermission "setSystemScope" 
java.security.Permission
  public void checkGuard(Object object)
checkPermission(this) This Permission object is the permission checked. 
java.security.Policy
  public static Policy getPolicy()
checkPermission java.security.SecurityPermission "getPolicy" 
java.security.Policy
  public static void
    setPolicy(Policy policy)
checkPermission java.security.SecurityPermission "setPolicy" 
java.security.Policy
  public static Policy
    getInstance(
      String type,
      SpiParameter params)
    getInstance(
      String type,
      SpiParameter params,
      String provider)
    getInstance(
      String type,
      SpiParameter params,
      Provider provider)
checkPermission java.security.SecurityPermission "createPolicy.{type}" 
java.security.Provider
  public synchronized void clear()
checkSecurityAccess("clearProviderProperties."+{name}) java.security.SecurityPermission "clearProviderProperties.{name}" where name is the provider name. 
java.security.Provider
  public synchronized Object
    put(Object key, Object value)
checkSecurityAccess("putProviderProperty."+{name}) java.security.SecurityPermission "putProviderProperty.{name}" where name is the provider name. 
java.security.Provider
  public synchronized Object
    remove(Object key)
checkSecurityAccess("removeProviderProperty."+{name}) java.security.SecurityPermission "removeProviderProperty.{name}" where name is the provider name. 
java.security.SecureClassLoader
  SecureClassLoader(...)
checkCreateClassLoader java.lang.RuntimePermission "createClassLoader" 
java.security.Security
  public static void getProperty(String key)
checkPermission java.security.SecurityPermission "getProperty.{key}" 
java.security.Security
  public static int
    addProvider(Provider provider)
  public static int
    insertProviderAt(
      Provider provider,
      int position);
checkSecurityAccess("insertProvider."+provider.getName()) java.security.SecurityPermission "insertProvider.{name}" 
java.security.Security
  public static void
    removeProvider(String name)
checkSecurityAccess("removeProvider."+name) java.security.SecurityPermission "removeProvider.{name}" 

java.security.Security
  public static void
    setProperty(String key, String datum)
checkSecurityAccess("setProperty."+key) java.security.SecurityPermission "setProperty.{key}" 
java.security.Signer
  public PrivateKey getPrivateKey()
checkSecurityAccess("getSignerPrivateKey") java.security.SecurityPermission "getSignerPrivateKey" 
java.security.Signer
  public final void
    setKeyPair(KeyPair pair)
checkSecurityAccess("setSignerKeypair") java.security.SecurityPermission "setSignerKeypair" 
java.sql.DriverManager
  public static synchronized void
    setLogWriter(PrintWriter out)
checkPermission java.sql.SQLPermission "setLog" 
java.sql.DriverManager
  public static synchronized void
    setLogStream(PrintWriter out)
checkPermission java.sql.SQLPermission "setLog" 
java.util.Locale
  public static synchronized void
    setDefault(Locale newLocale)
checkPermission java.util.PropertyPermission "user.language","write" 
java.util.zip.ZipFile
  ZipFile(String name)
checkRead java.io.FilePermission "{name}","read" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public static Subject getSubject(
    final AccessControlContext acc)
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "getSubject" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public void setReadOnly()
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "setReadOnly" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public static Object doAs(
    final Subject subject,
    final PrivilegedAction action)
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "doAs" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public static Object doAs(
    final Subject subject,
    final PrivilegedExceptionAction action)
    throws
      java.security.PrivilegedActionException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "doAs" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public static Object doAsPrivileged(
    final Subject subject,
    final PrivilegedAction action,
    final AccessControlContext acc)
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "doAsPrivileged" 
javax.security.auth.Subject
  public static Object doAsPrivileged(
    final Subject subject,
    final PrivilegedExceptionAction action,
    final AccessControlContext acc)
      throws
        java.security.PrivilegedActionException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "doAsPrivileged" 
javax.security.auth.SubjectDomainCombiner
  public Subject getSubject()
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "getSubjectFromDomainCombiner" 

javax.security.auth.SubjectDomainCombiner
  public Subject getSubject()
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "getSubjectFromDomainCombiner" 

javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext
  public LoginContext(String name)
    throws LoginException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "createLoginContext.{name}" 
javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext
  public LoginContext(
    String name,
    Subject subject)
    throws LoginException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "createLoginContext.{name}" 
javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext
  public LoginContext(
    String name,
    CallbackHandler callbackHandler)
    throws LoginException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "createLoginContext.{name}" 
javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext
  public LoginContext(
    String name,
    Subject subject,
    CallbackHandler callbackHandler)
    throws LoginException
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "createLoginContext.{name}" 
javax.security.auth.login.Configuration
  public static Configuration
    getConfiguration()
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "getLoginConfiguration" 
javax.security.auth.login.Configuration
  public static void setConfiguration(
    Configuration configuration)
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "setLoginConfiguration" 
javax.security.auth.login.Configuration
    public static void refresh()
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "refreshLoginConfiguration" 
javax.security.auth.login.Configuration
  public static Configuration
    getInstance(
      String type,
      SpiParameter params)
    getInstance(
      String type,
      SpiParameter params,
      String provider)
    getInstance(String type,
      SpiParameter params,
      Provider provider)
checkPermission javax.security.auth.AuthPermission "createLoginConfiguration.{type}"

java.lang.SecurityManager Method Permission Checks

The following table shows which permissions are checked by the default implementations of the java.lang.SecurityManager methods.

Each of the specified check methods calls the SecurityManager checkPermission method with the specified permission, except for the checkConnect and checkRead methods that take a context argument. Those methods expect the context to be an AccessControlContext and they call the context's checkPermission method with the specified permission.

Table 1-7 java.lang.SecurityManager Methods and Permissions

Method Permission 
public void checkAccept(String host, int port);
 
java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}", "accept";
 
public void checkAccess(Thread t);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThread";
 
public void checkAccess(ThreadGroup g);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "modifyThreadGroup";
 
public void checkAwtEventQueueAccess();

Note:

This method is deprecated; use instead public void checkPermission(Permission perm);
 
java.awt.AWTPermission "accessEventQueue";
 
public void checkConnect(String host, int port);
 
if (port == -1) 
  java.net.SocketPermission "{host}","resolve";
else
  java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}","connect";
 
public void checkConnect(
  String host,
  int port,
  Object context);
 
if (port == -1)
  java.net.SocketPermission "{host}","resolve";
else
  java.net.SocketPermission "{host}:{port}","connect";
 
public void checkCreateClassLoader();
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "createClassLoader";
 
public void checkDelete(String file);
 
java.io.FilePermission "{file}", "delete";
 
public void checkExec(String cmd);

if cmd is an absolute path: 

  java.io.FilePermission "{cmd}", "execute";

else 

  java.io.FilePermission "<<ALL_FILES>>", "execute";
 
public void checkExit(int status);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "exitVM.{status}";
 
public void checkLink(String lib);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "loadLibrary.{lib}";
 
public void checkListen(int port);
 
java.net.SocketPermission "localhost:{port}","listen";
 
public void checkMemberAccess(Class clazz, int which);

Note:

This method is deprecated; use instead public void checkPermission(Permission perm); 
if (which != Member.PUBLIC) {
  if (currentClassLoader() != clazz.getClassLoader()) {
    checkPermission(
      new java.lang.RuntimePermission(
        "accessDeclaredMembers"));
  }
}

public void checkMulticast(InetAddress maddr);
 
java.net.SocketPermission(
  maddr.getHostAddress(),"accept,connect");
 
public void checkMulticast(InetAddress maddr, byte ttl);

Note:

This method is deprecated; use instead public void checkPermission(Permission perm); 
java.net.SocketPermission(
  maddr.getHostAddress(),"accept,connect");
 
public void checkPackageAccess(String pkg);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "accessClassInPackage.{pkg}";
 
public void checkPackageDefinition(String pkg);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "defineClassInPackage.{pkg}";
 
public void checkPrintJobAccess();
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob";
 
public void checkPropertiesAccess();
 
java.util.PropertyPermission "*", "read,write";
 
public void checkPropertyAccess(String key);
 
java.util.PropertyPermission "{key}", "read,write";
 
public void checkRead(FileDescriptor fd);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "readFileDescriptor";
 
public void checkRead(String file);
 
java.io.FilePermission "{file}", "read";
 
public void checkRead(String file, Object context);
 
java.io.FilePermission "{file}", "read";
 
public void checkSecurityAccess(String target);
 
java.security.SecurityPermission "{target}";
 
public void checkSetFactory();
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "setFactory";
 
public void checkSystemClipboardAccess();

Note:

This method is deprecated; use instead public void checkPermission(Permission perm);
 
java.awt.AWTPermission "accessClipboard";
 
public boolean checkTopLevelWindow(Object window);

Note:

This method is deprecated; use instead public void checkPermission(Permission perm);
 
java.awt.AWTPermission "showWindowWithoutWarningBanner";
 
public void checkWrite(FileDescriptor fd);
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "writeFileDescriptor";
 
public void checkWrite(String file);
 
java.io.FilePermission "{file}", "write";
 
public SecurityManager();
 
java.lang.RuntimePermission "createSecurityManager";

JDK Supported Permissions

The following permissions are not standard but the JDK supports them; you may need to grant them in policy files.

Default Policy Implementation and Policy File Syntax

The policy for a Java programming language application environment (specifying which permissions are available for code from various sources, and executing as various principals) is represented by a Policy object. More specifically, it is represented by a Policy subclass providing an implementation of the abstract methods in the Policy class (which is in the java.security package).

The source location for the policy information utilized by the Policy object is up to the Policy implementation. The Policy reference implementation obtains its information from static policy configuration files.

The rest of this document pertains to the Policy reference implementation and the syntax that must be used in policy files it reads:

Default Policy Implementation

In the Policy reference implementation, the policy can be specified within one or more policy configuration files. The configuration file(s) specify what permissions are allowed for code from a specified code source, and executed by a specified principal. Each configuration file must be encoded in UTF-8.

There is by default a single system-wide policy file, and a single (optional) user policy file. By default, permissions required by JDK modules that are loaded by the platform class loader or its ancestors are always granted.

The Policy reference implementation is initialized the first time its getPermissions method is called, or whenever its refresh method is called. Initialization involves parsing the policy configuration file(s) (see Policy File Syntax), and then populating the Policy object.

Default Policy File Locations

There is by default a single system-wide policy file, and a single (optional) user policy file. When the Policy is initialized, the system policy is loaded in first, and then the user policy is added to it. If neither policy is present, a built-in policy is used. This built-in policy is the same as the java.policy file installed with the JDK.

System Policy File Locations

By default, the system policy file is <java-home>/conf/security/java.policy.

The system policy file is meant to grant system-wide code permissions. The java.policy file installed with the JDK allows anyone to listen on dynamic ports, and allows any code to read certain "standard" properties that are not security-sensitive, such as the os.name and file.separator properties.

User Policy File Location

By default, the user policy file is <user-home>/.java.policy.

Policy File Location and Format

Policy file locations are specified in the security properties file <java-home>/conf/security/java.security.

The policy file locations are specified as the values of properties whose names are of the following form:

policy.url.n

Here, n is a number. You specify each such property value in a line of the following form: 

policy.url.n=URL

Here, URL is a URL specification. For example, the default system and user policy files are defined in the security properties file as: 

policy.url.1=file:${java.home}/conf/security/java.policy
policy.url.2=file:${user.home}/.java.policy

(See Property Expansion in Policy Files for information about specifying property values via a special syntax, such as specifying the java.home property value via ${java.home}.)

You can actually specify a number of URLs (including ones of the form "http://"), and all the designated policy files will get loaded. You can also comment out or change the second one to disable reading the default user policy file.

The algorithm starts at policy.url.1, and keeps incrementing until it does not find a URL. Thus if you have policy.url.1 and policy.url.3, and policy.url.3 will never be read.

Specifying an Additional Policy File at Runtime

It is also possible to specify an additional or a different policy file when invoking execution of an application. This can be done via the -Djava.security.policy command line argument, which sets the value of the java.security.policy property. For example, if you use following command, where someURL is a URL specifying the location of a policy file, then the specified policy file will be loaded in addition to all the policy files that are specified in the security properties file. 

java -Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy=someURL SomeApp

The URL can be any regular URL or simply the name of a policy file in the current directory, as in:

java -Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy=mypolicy SomeApp

The -Djava.security.manager option ensures that the default security manager is installed, and thus the application is subject to policy checks. It is not required if the application SomeApp installs a security manager.

If you use the following command (note the double equals) then just the specified policy file will be used; all the ones indicated in the security properties file will be ignored. 

java -Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy==someURL SomeApp

Note:

The policy file value of the -Djava.security.policy option is ignored if the policy.allowSystemProperty property in the security properties file is set to false. The default is true.

Modifying the Policy Implementation

The Policy reference implementation can be modified by editing the security properties file, which is the java.security file in the conf/security directory of the JDK.

An alternative policy class can be given to replace the Policy reference implementation class, as long as the former is a subclass of the abstract Policy class and implements the getPermissions method (and other methods as necessary).

One of the types of properties you can set in java.security is of the following form: 


    policy.provider=PolicyClassName

PolicyClassName must specify the fully qualified name of the desired Policy implementation class.

The default security properties file entry for this property is the following:


    policy.provider=sun.security.provider.PolicyFile

To customize, you can change the property value to specify another class, as in


    policy.provider=com.mycom.MyPolicy

Policy File Syntax

The policy configuration file(s) for a JDK installation specifies what permissions (which types of system resource accesses) are granted to code from a specified code source, and executed as a specified principal.

For an applet (or an application running under a security manager) to be allowed to perform secured actions (such as reading or writing a file), the applet (or application) must be granted permission for that particular action. In the Policy reference implementation, that permission must be granted by a grant entry in a policy configuration file. See below and the Java Security Architecture Specification for more information. (The only exception is that code always automatically has permission to read files from its same (URL) location, and subdirectories of that location; it does not need explicit permission to do so.)

A policy configuration file essentially contains a list of entries. It may contain a "keystore" entry, and contains zero or more "grant" entries.

Keystore Entry

A keystore is a database of private keys and their associated digital certificates such as X.509 certificate chains authenticating the corresponding public keys. The keytool utility is used to create and administer keystores. The keystore specified in a policy configuration file is used to look up the public keys of the signers specified in the grant entries of the file. A keystore entry must appear in a policy configuration file if any grant entries specify signer aliases, or if any grant entries specify principal aliases.

At this time, there can be only one keystore/keystorePasswordURL entry in the policy file (other entries following the first one are ignored). This entry can appear anywhere outside the file's grant entries. It has the following syntax: 


keystore "some_keystore_url", "keystore_type", "keystore_provider";
keystorePasswordURL "some_password_url";

Here,

some_keystore_url
Specifies the URL location of the keystore.
some_password_url
Specifies the URL location of the keystore password.
keystore_type
Specifies the keystore type.
keystore_provider
Specifies the keystore provider.

Note:

  • The input stream from some_keystore_url is passed to the KeyStore.load method.

  • If NONE is specified as the URL, then a null stream is passed to the KeyStore.load method. NONE should be specified in the URL if the KeyStore is not file-based. For example, if it resides on a hardware token device.

  • The URL is relative to the policy file location. If the policy file is specified in the security properties file as:

        policy.url.1=http://foo.example.com/fum/some.policy

    and that policy file has an entry: 

        keystore ".keystore";

    then the keystore will be loaded from: 

        http://foo.example.com/fum/.keystore

  • The URL can also be absolute.

A keystore type defines the storage and data format of the keystore information, and the algorithms used to protect private keys in the keystore and the integrity of the keystore itself. The default type is "PKCS12". Thus, if the keystore type is "PKCS12", it does not need to be specified in the keystore entry.

Grant Entries

Code being executed is always considered to come from a particular "code source" (represented by an object of type CodeSource). The code source includes not only the location (URL) where the code originated from, but also a reference to the certificate(s) containing the public key(s) corresponding to the private key(s) used to sign the code. Certificates in a code source are referenced by symbolic alias names from the user's keystore. Code is also considered to be executed as a particular principal (represented by an object of type Principal), or group of principals.

Each grant entry includes one or more "permission entries" preceded by optional codeBase, signedBy, and principal name/value pairs that specify which code you want to grant the permissions. The basic format of a grant entry is the following: 


  grant signedBy "signer_names", codeBase "URL",
        principal principal_class_name "principal_name",
        principal principal_class_name "principal_name",
        ... {

      permission permission_class_name "target_name", "action", 
          signedBy "signer_names";
      permission permission_class_name "target_name", "action", 
          signedBy "signer_names";
      ...
  };

All non-italicized items above must appear as is (although case doesn't matter and some are optional, as noted below). Italicized items represent variable values.

A grant entry must begin with the word grant.

The SignedBy, Principal, and CodeBase Fields

The signedBy, codeBase, and principal values are optional, and the order of these fields does not matter.

signedBy Value

A signedBy value indicates the alias for a certificate stored in the keystore. The public key within that certificate is used to verify the digital signature on the code; you grant the permission(s) to code signed by the private key corresponding to the public key in the keystore entry specified by the alias.

The signedBy value can be a comma-separated list of multiple aliases. An example is "Adam,Eve,Charles", which means "signed by Adam and Eve and Charles"; the relationship is AND, not OR. To be more exact, a statement like "Code signed by Adam" means "Code in a class file contained in a JAR which is signed using the private key corresponding to the public key certificate in the keystore whose entry is aliased by Adam".

The signedBy field is optional in that, if it is omitted, it signifies "any signer". It doesn't matter whether the code is signed or not or by whom.

principal Value

A principal value specifies a class_name/principal_name pair which must be present within the executing thread's principal set. The principal set is associated with the executing code by way of a Subject.

The principal_class_name may be set to the wildcard value, *, which allows it to match any Principal class. In addition, the principal_name may also be set to the wildcard value, *, allowing it to match any Principal name. When setting the principal_class_name or principal_name to *, do not surround the * with quotes. Also, if you specify a wildcard principal class, you must also specify a wildcard principal name.

The principal field is optional in that, if it is omitted, it signifies "any principals".

Keystore Alias Replacement

If the principal class_name/principal_name pair is specified as a single quoted string, then it is treated as a keystore alias. The keystore is consulted and queried (via the alias) for an X509 Certificate. If one is found, the principal class_name is automatically treated as javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal, and the principal_name is automatically treated as the subject distinguished name from the certificate. If an X509 Certificate mapping is not found, the entire grant entry is ignored.

codeBase Value

A codeBase value indicates the code source location; you grant the permission(s) to code from that location. An empty codeBase entry signifies "any code"; it doesn't matter where the code originates from.

Note:

A codeBase value is a URL and thus should always utilize slashes (never backslashes) as the directory separator, even when the code source is actually on a Windows system. Thus, if the source location for code on a Windows system is actually C:\somepath\api\, then the policy codeBase entry should look like: 

grant codeBase "file:/C:/somepath/api/" {
    ...
};

The exact meaning of a codeBase value depends on the characters at the end. A codeBase with a trailing "/" matches all class files (not JAR files) in the specified directory. A codeBase with a trailing "/*" matches all files (both class and JAR files) contained in that directory. A codeBase with a trailing "/-" matches all files (both class and JAR files) in the directory and recursively all files in subdirectories contained in that directory. The following table illustrates the different cases:

Table 1-8 How Codebase URLs in Downloaded Code Match Those in Policy Files

Codebase URL of Downloaded Code Codebase URL in Policy File Match?
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/ann Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/ann/ Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/ann/* Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/ann/- Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/appl.jar www.example.com/usr/ann/ No
www.example.com/usr/ann/appl.jar www.example.com/usr/ann/- Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/appl.jar www.example.com/usr/ann/* Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/appl.jar www.example.com/usr/- Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/appl.jar www.example.com/usr/* No
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/- Yes
www.example.com/usr/ann/ www.example.com/usr/* No

If you are using a modular runtime image (see the jlink tool), you can grant permissions to the application and library modules in the image by specifying a jrt URL as the codeBase value in a policy file. See JEP 220: Modular Run-Time Images for more information about jrt URLs.

The following example grants permission to read the foo property to the module com.greetings: 

grant codeBase "jrt:/com.greetings" {
    permission java.util.PropertyPermission "foo", "read";
};
The Permission Entries

A permission entry must begin with the word permission. The word permission_class_name in the template above would actually be a specific permission type, such as java.io.FilePermission or java.lang.RuntimePermission.

The "action" is required for many permission types, such as java.io.FilePermission (where it specifies what type of file access is permitted). It is not required for categories such as java.lang.RuntimePermission where it is not necessary, you either have the permission specified by the "target_name" value following the permission_class_name or you don't.

The signedBy name/value pair for a permission entry is optional. If present, it indicates a signed permission. That is, the permission class itself must be signed by the given alias(es) in order for the permission to be granted. For example, suppose you have the following grant entry: 

  grant {
      permission Foo "foobar", signedBy "FooSoft";
  };

Then this permission of type Foo is granted if the Foo.class permission was placed in a JAR file and the JAR file was signed by the private key corresponding to the public key in the certificate specified by the "FooSoft" alias, or if Foo.class is a system class, since system classes are not subject to policy restrictions.

Items that appear in a permission entry must appear in the specified order (permission, permission_class_name, "target_name", "action", and signedBy "signer_names"). An entry is terminated with a semicolon.

Case is unimportant for the identifiers (permission, signedBy, codeBase, etc.) but is significant for the permission_class_name or for any string that is passed in as a value.

Note:

See Appendix A: FilePermission Path Name Canonicalization Disabled By Default for important information about a change in how FilePermission path names are canonicalized.

File Path Specifications on Windows Systems

When you are specifying a java.io.FilePermission, the "target_name" is a file path. On Windows systems, whenever you directly specify a file path in a string (but not in a codebase URL), you need to include two backslashes for each actual single backslash in the path, as in 

    grant {
        permission java.io.FilePermission "C:\\users\\cathy\\foo.bat", "read";
    };

The reason this is necessary is because the strings are processed by a tokenizer (java.io.StreamTokenizer), which allows "\" to be used as an escape string (for example, "\n" to indicate a new line) and which thus requires two backslashes to indicate a single backslash. After the tokenizer has processed the above file path string, converting double backslashes to single backslashes, the end result is 

    "C:\users\cathy\foo.bat"

Policy File Examples

The following policy configuration file contains two entries:

  // If the code is signed by "Duke", grant it read/write access to all 
  // files in /tmp:
  grant signedBy "Duke" {
      permission java.io.FilePermission "/tmp/*", "read,write";
  };

  // Grant everyone the following permission:
  grant { 
      permission java.util.PropertyPermission "java.vendor", "read";
  };

The following policy configuration file specifies that only code that satisfies the following conditions can call methods in the Security class to add or remove providers or to set Security Properties:

  • The code was loaded from a signed JAR file that is in the "/home/sysadmin/" directory on the local file system.
  • The signature can be verified using the public key referenced by the alias name "sysadmin" in the keystore. 
  grant signedBy "sysadmin", codeBase "file:/home/sysadmin/*" {
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.insertProvider.*";
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.removeProvider.*";
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.setProperty.*";
  };

Either component of the policy entry (or both) may be missing.

The following is a policy configuration file where codeBase is missing: 

  grant signedBy "sysadmin" {
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.insertProvider.*";
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.removeProvider.*";
  };

If this policy is in effect, then code that comes in a JAR file signed by "sysadmin" can add/remove providers, regardless of where the JAR file originated from.

The following is a policy configuration file without a signer:

  grant codeBase "file:/home/sysadmin/-" {
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.insertProvider.*";
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.removeProvider.*";
  };

In this case, code that comes from anywhere in the "home/sysadmin/" directory on the local file system can add/remove providers. The code does not need to be signed.

The following is a policy configuration file where neither codeBase nor signedBy is included: 

  grant {
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.insertProvider.*";
      permission java.security.SecurityPermission "Security.removeProvider.*";
  };

Here, with both code source components missing, any code (regardless of where it originated from, or whether or not it is signed, or who signed it) can add/remove providers.

The following represents a principal-based entry:

  grant principal javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Alice" {
      permission java.io.FilePermission "/home/Alice", "read, write";
  };

This permits any code executing as the X500Principal, "cn=Alice", permission to read and write to "/home/Alice”.

The following represents a principal-based entry with a wildcard value:

  grant principal javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal * {
      permission java.io.FilePermission "/tmp", "read, write";
  };

This permits any code executing as an X500Principal (regardless of the distinguished name), permission to read and write to "/tmp”.

The following example shows a grant statement with both codesource and principal information:

  grant codebase "http://www.games.example.com",
        signedBy "Duke",
        principal javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Alice" {
      permission java.io.FilePermission "/tmp/games", "read, write";
  };

This allows code downloaded from "www.games.example.com", signed by "Duke", and executed by "cn=Alice", permission to read and write into the "/tmp/games" directory.

The following example shows a grant statement with KeyStore alias replacement:

  keystore "http://foo.example.com/blah/.keystore";

  grant principal "alice" {
      permission java.io.FilePermission "/tmp/games", "read, write";
  };

"alice" will be replaced by the following: 

    javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Alice"

This assumes that X.509 certificate associated with the keystore alias, alice, has a subject distinguished name of "cn=Alice". This allows code executed by the X500Principal "cn=Alice" permission to read and write into the "/tmp/games" directory.

Property Expansion in Policy Files

Property expansion is possible in policy files and in the security properties file.

Property expansion is similar to expanding variables in a shell. That is, when a string like

${some.property}

appears in a policy file, or in the security properties file, it will be expanded to the value of the system property. For example, 

permission java.io.FilePermission "${user.home}", "read";

will expand "${user.home}" to use the value of the "user.home" system property. If that property's value is "/home/cathy", then the above is equivalent to 

permission java.io.FilePermission "/home/cathy", "read";

In order to assist in platform-independent policy files, you can also use the special notation of "${/}", which is a shortcut for ${file.separator}". This allows things like 

permission java.io.FilePermission "${user.home}${/}*", "read";

If the value of the "user.home " property is /home/cathy, and you are on Linux or macOS, the above gets converted to: 

permission java.io.FilePermission "/home/cathy/*", "read";

If on the other hand the "user.home" value is C:\users\cathy and you are on a Windows system, the above gets converted to: 

permission java.io.FilePermission "C:\users\cathy\*", "read";

Also, as a special case, if you expand a property in a codebase, such as 

grant codeBase "file:${my.libraries}/api/"

then any file separator characters will be automatically converted to / characters. For example, suppose the value of my.libraries is C:\Users\me\lib. Thus on a Windows system, the above would get converted to 

grant codeBase "file:C:/Users/me/lib/api/"

Thus you don't need to use ${/} in codebase strings (and you shouldn't). Property expansion takes place anywhere a double quoted string is allowed in the policy file. This includes the "signer_names", "URL", "target_name", and "action" fields. Whether or not property expansion is allowed is controlled by the value of the "policy.expandProperties" property in the security properties file. If the value of this property is true (the default), expansion is allowed.

Note:

You can't use nested properties; they will not work. For example, 

"${user.${foo}}"

doesn't work, even if the "foo" property is set to "home". The reason is the property parser doesn't recognize nested properties; it simply looks for the first "${", and then keeps looking until it finds the first "}" and tries to interpret the result (in this case, "${user.$foo}") as a property, but fails if there is no such property.

Note:

If a property can't be expanded in a grant entry, permission entry, or keystore entry, that entry is ignored. For example, if the system property "foo" is not defined and you have: 

grant codeBase "${foo}" {
    permission ...;
    permission ...;
};

then all the permissions in this grant entry are ignored. If you have 

grant {
    permission Foo "${foo}";
    permission Bar "barTarget";
};

then only the "permission Foo..." entry is ignored. And finally, if you have 

keystore "${foo}";

then the keystore entry is ignored.

Windows Systems, File Paths, and Property Expansion

The file path specifications on Windows systems should include two backslashes for each actual single backslash.

As mentioned in File Path Specifications on Windows Systems, on Windows systems, when you directly specify a file path in a string (but not in a codebase URL), you need to include two backslashes for each actual single backslash in the path, as in 

    grant {
        permission java.io.FilePermission "C:\\users\\cathy\\foo.bat", "read";
    };

This is because the strings are processed by a tokenizer (java.io.StreamTokenizer), which allows "\" to be used as an escape string (e.g., "\n" to indicate a new line) and which thus requires two backslashes to indicate a single backslash. After the tokenizer has processed the above file path string, converting double backslashes to single backslashes, the end result is 

    "C:\users\cathy\foo.bat"

Expansion of a property in a string takes place after the tokenizer has processed the string. Thus if you have the string 

    "${user.home}\\foo.bat"

then first the tokenizer processes the string, converting the double backslashes to a single backslash, and the result is 

    "${user.home}\foo.bat"
Then the ${user.home} property is expanded and the end result is 
    "C:\users\cathy\foo.bat"
assuming the "user.home" value is C:\users\cathy. Of course, for platform independence, it would be better if the string was initially specified without any explicit slashes, i.e., using the ${/} property instead, as in 
    "${user.home}${/}foo.bat"

General Expansion in Policy Files

Generalized forms of expansion are also supported in policy files. For example, permission names may contain a string of the following form:

${{protocol:protocol_data}}

If such a string occurs in a permission name, then the value in protocol determines the exact type of expansion that should occur, and protocol_data is used to help perform the expansion. protocol_data may be empty, in which case the above string should simply take the form: 

${{protocol}}

There are two protocols supported in the default policy file implementation:

  1. ${{self}}

    The protocol, self, denotes a replacement of the entire string, ${{self}}, with one or more principal class/name pairs. The exact replacement performed depends upon the contents of the grant clause to which the permission belongs.

    If the grant clause does not contain any principal information, the permission will be ignored (permissions containing ${{self}} in their target names are only valid in the context of a principal-based grant clause). For example, BarPermission will always be ignored in the following grant clause: 

    grant codebase "www.example.com", signedby "duke" {
    permission BarPermission "... ${{self}} ...";
};

    If the grant clause contains principal information, ${{self}} will be replaced with that same principal information. For example, ${{self}} in BarPermission will be replaced with javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Duke" in the following grant clause: 

    grant principal javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Duke" {
    permission BarPermission "... ${{self}} ...";
};

    If there is a comma-separated list of principals in the grant clause, then ${{self}} will be replaced by the same comma-separated list or principals. In the case where both the principal class and name are wildcarded in the grant clause, ${{self}} is replaced with all the principals associated with the Subject in the current AccessControlContext.

    The following example describes a scenario involving both self and Keystore Alias Replacement together: 

    keystore "http://foo.example.com/blah/.keystore";

grant principal "duke" {
    permission BarPermission "... ${{self}} ...";
};

    In the above example, "duke" will first be expanded into javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Duke" assuming the X.509 certificate associated with the KeyStore alias, "duke", has a subject distinguished name of "cn=Duke". Next, ${{self}} will be replaced with the same principal information that was just expanded in the grant clause: javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "cn=Duke".

  2. ${{alias:alias_name}}

    The protocol, alias, denotes a java.security.KeyStore alias substitution. The KeyStore used is the one specified in the Keystore Entry. alias_name represents an alias into the KeyStore. ${{alias:alias_name}} is replaced with javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "DN", where DN represents the subject distinguished name of the certificate belonging to alias_name. For example: 

    keystore "http://foo.example.com/blah/.keystore";

grant codebase "www.example.com" {
    permission BarPermission "... ${{alias:duke}} ...";
};

    In the above example the X.509 certificate associated with the alias, duke, is retrieved from the KeyStore, foo.example.com/blah/.keystore. Assuming duke's certificate specifies "o=dukeOrg, cn=duke" as the subject distinguished name, then ${{alias:duke}} is replaced with javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal "o=dukeOrg, cn=duke".

    The permission entry is ignored under the following error conditions:

    • The keystore entry is unspecified
    • The alias_name is not provided
    • The certificate for alias_name can not be retrieved
    • The certificate retrieved is not an X.509 certificate

Appendix A: FilePermission Path Name Canonicalization Disabled By Default

A canonical path is a path that doesn't contain any links or shortcuts. Performing path name canonicalization in a FilePermission object can negatively affect performance.

Before JDK 9, path names were canonicalized when two FilePermission objects were compared. This allowed a program to access a file using a different name than the name that was granted to a FilePermission object in a policy file, as long as the object pointed to the same file. Because the canonicalization had to access the underlying file system, it could be quite slow.

In JDK 9, path name canonicalization is disabled by default. This means two FilePermission objects aren’t equal to each other if one uses an absolute path and the other uses a relative path, or one uses a symbolic link and the other uses a target, or one uses a Windows long name and the other uses a DOS-style 8.3 name. This is true even if they all point to the same file in the file system.

Therefore, if a path name is granted to a FilePermission object in a policy file, then the program should also access that file using the same path name style. For example, if the path name in the policy file is using a symbolic link, then the program should also use that symbolic link. Accessing the file with the target path name will fail the permission check.

Compatibility Layer

A compatibility layer has been added to ensure that granting a FilePermission object for a relative path will permit applications to access the file with an absolute path (and conversely). This works for the default Policy provider and the Limited doPrivileged calls.

For example, a FilePermission object on a file with a relative path name of "a" no longer implies a FilePermission object on the same file with an absolute path name as "/pwd/a" ("pwd" is the current working directory). Granting code a FilePermission object to read "a" allows that code to also read "/pwd/a" when a Security Manager is enabled.

The compatibility layer doesn’t cover translations between symbolic links and targets, or Windows long names and DOS-style 8.3 names, or any other different name forms that can be canonicalized to the same name.

Customizing Path Name Canonicalization

The system properties in Table 1-9 can be used to customize the FilePermission path name canonicalization. See How to Specify a java.lang.System Property.

Table 1-9 System Properties to Customize Path Name Canonicalization

System Property Default Value Description
jdk.io.permissionsUseCanonicalPath false

The system property can be used to enable or disable path name canonicalization in the FilePermission object.

  • To disable FilePermission path name canonicalization, set jdk.io.permissionsUseCanonicalPath=false.

  • To enable FilePermission path name canonicalization, set jdk.io.permissionsUseCanonicalPath=true.

jdk.security.filePermCompat false

The system property can be used to extend the compatibility layer to support third-party Policy implementations.

  • To disable the system property, set jdk.security.filePermCompat=false.

    The FilePermission for a relative path will permit applications to access the file with an absolute path for the default Policy provider and the Limited doPrivileged method.

  • To extend the compatibility layer to support third-party Policy implementations, set jdk.security.filePermCompat=true.

    The FilePermission for a relative path will permit applications to access the file with an absolute path for the default Policy provider, the Limited doPrivileged method, and for third-party Policy implementations.