...

The JS7 - Profiles hold settings that are specific for a user account and that are controlled by the user. 

• Profiles include a number of categories such as Preferences, Permissions etc.
• The profile Profile includes settings used for digitally signing objects such as workflows for JS7 - Deployment of Scheduling Objects.
• The underlying security requirements are explained with in the JS7 - Secure Deployment of Scheduling Objects article.

The JS7 - Security Architecture suggests to operate that the JOC Cockpit in is operated with one of the following security levels:

• Security Level Low
  • Inventory objects are automatically signed with the private key Private Key that is stored with the root account.
  • Signing is automatically applied when performing the Deploy operation.
  • The Profile page for Signature Key Management is available only for the user account only that is specified as the default profile account with in the JS7 - Settings, chapter: JOC Cockpit Settings.
• Security Level Medium
  • Inventory objects are automatically signed with the private key Private Key that is stored with the current user's account.
  • Signing is automatically applied when performing the Deploy operation.
  • The Profile page for Signature Key Management is available individually for any user accounts account holding a Deploy permission, see JS7 - Default Roles and Permissions.
• Security Level High
  • Inventory objects are signed outside of JOC Cockpit.
  • As a consequence no A Profile page for Signature Key Management is not available.

The article is intended for a security-aware audience that is technically familiar with digital key management. JS7 supports both X.509 and PGP certificates, the following explanations descriptions are focused on the use of X.509 certificatesCertificates.

Profile Page

The Profile page is accessible from the user menu of an account in the upper right upper hand corner of any JOC Cockpit view:

...

The Profile page offers a number of sub-views. The following section explains describes the Signature Key Management sub-view.

...

The Signature Key Management sub-view offers allows configuration of the following settings:

Image Removed

CA Certificate

Users have the option to 

• use a CA-signed certificate
  • created by the JS7 - Certificate Authority available with JOC Cockpit,
  • created by their own or by a trusted 3rd-party Certificate Authority,
• use a self-signed certificate.

Use of CA certificates includes that 

• the CA Certificate is required to verify the user account's private key and certificate for digital signing when performing deployments.
  • This includes to check that the user account's certificate is signed with the given CA Certificate or a later CA Intermediate Certificate.
  • This includes to check expiration dates of certificates.
  • Depending on the fact if the JS7 Certificate Authority or if an external Certificate Authority is used the respective CA Certificate has to be added to the user account's Profile.
• for an X.509 CA Certificate (Root CA Certificate or Intermediate CA Certificate) the certificate's subject is displayed.

Operations for CA Certificates include to

• view the CA Certificate by use of the Image Removed icon,
• update the CA Certificate by use of the Image Removed icon,
• import the CA Certificate by use of the Image Removed icon.

View CA Certificate

...

Image Added

Image Removed

Update CA Certificate

...

Image Removed

Import CA Certificate

...

Image Removed

Keys and Certificates

User accounts have to be equipped with a private key Private Key and certificate Certificate issued for digital signing in order to deploy scheduling objects to Controllers and Agents:

• If the a user's certificate Certificate is signed by a Certificate Authority then it is sufficient to rollout the CA Certificate to the Controller and Agent instances to which the user should be entitled to deploy scheduling object such as workflows.
• if the If a user's certificate Certificate is self-signed issued then the user's certificate Certificate has to be rolled out to Controller to the Controller and Agent instances to which the user should be entitled to perform deployments.

Users have options about the issuer of private keys Private Keys and certificatesCertificates:

• Use of the built-in JS7 Certificate Authority
  • The JOC Cockpit offers to sign provides the option of digitally signing a user account's public key for digital signing from its built-in CA, see JS7 - Certificate Authority
  • In a single operation users Users can generate a privatePrivate/public key pair and make Public Key pair and make the JS7 Certificate Authority sign their public key to a certificatePublic Key to a Certificate in a single operation.
• Use of an external Certificate Authority
  
  • If an external CA should is to be consulted used then users have to create a Certificate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) outside of the JOC Cockpit and make their external CA sign this request. The resulting certificate can be added to the user's Profile in JOC Cockpit. For details see JS7 - How to create X.509 Signing Certificates.
• If users do not operate a CA or do not dispose of certificates then they can continue to use the default private key Private Key and certificate Certificate that ship with the JOC Cockpit.
  • In this situation by default only the root account only can be used to deploy scheduling objects such as workflows which suggests to operate operating the JOC Cockpit for Security Level Low as the root account's key Private Key and certificate Certificate will be used for signing deployments by any users user accounts.
  • For a The Security Level Medium each means that each user account has to be equipped with a private key Private Key and certificateCertificate.

Operations for the user account's private key Private Key and certificate Certificate include to:

• view viewing the private key and certificate by use of the Private Key and Certificate using the icon,update
• updating the private key and certificate by use of Private Key and Certificate using the  icon,import the private key by use of
• importing the Private Key using the  icon,
• generate the private key by use of generating the Private Key using the  icon.

View Key and Certificate

The user account's private key Private Key and certificate Certificate for digital signing is displayed like this:

...

Update Key and Certificate

A user account's private key Private Key and certificate Certificate can be created by an external CA and can be updated by pasting from the clipboard like this:

...

Import Key

A user account's private key Private Key can be created by an external CA externally and can be imported from a file like this:

Consider Note that an X.509 certificate Certificate matching the user account's private key Private Key has to be signed by a CA and has to be added by use of the using the Update Key and Certificate operation as explained above.

Generate Key

A user account's private key Private Key and optionally the certificate Certificate can be generated like this:

...

• When choosing Key Algorithm PGP or RSA then a private key only is createdonly a Private Key will be created.

  • Note

  • Consider that an X.509 certificate Certificate matching the user account's public key Public Key is signed by an external CA and has to be added by use of the using the Update Key and Certificate operation as explained above.

• When choosing Key Algorithm ECDSA then a private key Private Key is created and a CA-signed certificate Certificate is created if the JS7 Certificate Authority is in use.

...