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The MQ Appliance messaging server must authenticate all endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

An XCCDF Rule

Description

<VulnDiscussion>Device authentication requires unique identification and authentication that may be defined by type, by specific device, or by a combination of type and device. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger safeguards to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk. Device authentication is performed when the messaging server is providing web services capabilities and data protection requirements mandate the need to establish the identity of the connecting device before the connection is established. The most common way devices (endpoints) may connect an MQ Appliance MQ queue manager is as an MQ client. In order to ensure unique identification of network-connected devices, mutual authentication using CA-signed TLS certificates must be configured. Note: Following are the cipher specs available for MQ: https://ibm.biz/BdrJGp</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>

ID
SV-89589r1_rule
Severity
High
References
Updated



Remediation - Manual Procedure

1. Prepare the key repository on each endpoint client.
2. Request a CA-signed certificate for each client. You might use different CAs for the two endpoints.
3. Add the Certificate Authority certificate to the key repository for each client. If the endpoints are using different Certificate Authorities then the CA certificate for each Certificate Authority must be added to both key repositories.
4. Add the CA-signed certificate to the key repository for each endpoint.

On the MQ Appliance queue manager, define a server-connection channel by issuing a command as in the following example: