Introduction

• The JS7 - Identity Services offer integration with HashiCorp® Vault authentication server.
• The Vault Identity Service integration is available from JOC Cockpit:
  • This requires HashiCorp® Vault to be downloaded, installed and operated by the user. Vault is not a built-in identity service and does not ship with JS7.
  • JS7 implements a REST client for use with HashiCorp® Vault 1.7.0 and newer.

Identity Service Types

The following integration levels are available from identity service types that can be used with Vault:

Explanation:

• Service Type: VAULT
  • Management of user accounts and passwords is performed with the Vault Server.
  • In addition, an automated mapping of policies - assigned a user account in Vault - to JOC Cockpit roles takes place.
  • JOC Cockpit does not know any user accounts, passwords an role assignments as this information is managed with Vault only.
• Service Type: VAULT-JOC
  • Management of user accounts and passwords is performed with the Vault Server.
  • The assignment of roles to user accounts is performed with JOC Cockpit and is stored with the JS7 database.
  • JOC Cockpit knows user accounts and role assignments. JOC Cockpit does not know passwords as this information is managed with Vault only
• Service Type: VAULT-JOC-ACTIVE
  • Management of user accounts and passwords is performed with JOC Cockpit. JOC Cockpit forwards user accounts and passwords to the Vault Server. JOC Cockpit stores users accounts (not: passwords) in the JS7 database.
  • The assignment of roles to user accounts is performed with JOC Cockpit and is stored with the JS7 database.
  • JOC Cockpit knows user accounts and role assignments. JOC Cockpit temporarily knows passwords until this information is forwarded to Vault.

Vault Authentication Methods

JS7 supports the following authentication methods with Vault:

• Username & Password
• LDAP
  • It is not required to use Vault to connect to an LDAP Directory Service as there is a built-in JS7 - LDAP Identity Service for this purpose.
  • This authentication method can be used with the VAULT identity service type only.

JS7 does not support cloud based authentication methods with Vault as such methods are typically used for engineering and administration roles with cloud services that are not related to an application such as JS7.

Vault Server Configuration

Application Role

If the VAULT-JOC-ACTIVE identity service type is used then an Application Role has to be created and a token has to be generated with Vault that is added to the JOC Cockpit configuration of the Vault identity service.

Tokens created for the Application Role have to include Vault permissions to manage user accounts if the Username & Password authentication method is used

Authentication Methods

Username & Password

• The authentication method has to be added to Vault.
  • The path of the authentication method has to be added to the JOC Cockpit identity service configuration.
• If the VAULT identity service type is used then
  • user accounts are managed exclusively with Vault,
  • policies have to be set up in Vault with names that exactly match the names of roles in JOC Cockpit.
    • a user account will be assigned the roles matching policy names when performing a login to JOC Cockpit.
    • it is not required to add specific permissions to policies with Vault.
• If the VAULT-JOC identity service type is used then
  • user accounts are managed with Vault.
  • user accounts are added to JOC Cockpit to allow assignment of roles:
    • user accounts in Vault an JOC Cockpit have to match as otherwise the user account is not assigned a role.
    • no passwords are managed by JOC Cockpit.
• If the VAULT-JOC-ACTIVE identity service type is used then
  • user accounts are managed with JOC Cockpit and are stored with Vault.
  • user accounts are assigned roles with JOC Cockpit.

LDAP

• It is not required to use Vault to connect to an LDAP Directory Service as there is a built-in JS7 - LDAP Identity Service for this purpose.
• The authentication method has to be added to Vault.
  • The path of the Authentication Method has to be added to the JOC Cockpit Identity Service configuration.
• The VAULT Identity Service Type has to be used that implies that
  • user accounts are managed with Vault.
  • user accounts are added to JOC Cockpit to allow assignment of roles:
    • user accounts in Vault an JOC Cockpit have to match as otherwise the user account is not assigned a role.
    • no passwords are managed by JOC Cockpit.

Identity Service Configuration

JOC Cockpit offers the Manage Identity Services view from the user menu of an administrative account for configuration of Identity Services:

Add Identity Service

To add an Identity Service use the button Add Identity Service from the above list of Identity Services:

Explanation:

• The Identity Service Name is a unique identifier that can be freely chosen.
• The Identity Service Type can be selected as available from the above matrix.
• The Ordering specifies the sequence in which a login is performed with available Identity Services.
• The Required attribute specifies if login with the respective Identity Service is required to be successful, for example if a number of Identity Services are triggered on login of a user account.

Vault Identity Service Settings

Having added a Vault Identity Service it is required to add settings for the Vault connection from the Identity Service's action menu item Manage Settings.

For use of the HashiCorp® Vault Identity Service

• the Vault product has to be installed and has to be accessible for JOC Cockpit,
• the following settings have to be specified: 
  
  

Explanation:

• Vault URL: the base URL for which the Vault REST API is available.
• Vault Authentication Method Path: the path specifies the Vault Authentication Method to be used, see chapter Authentication Methods.
• Vault Truststore Path:  Should the Vault Server be configured for HTTPS connections then the indicated truststore has to include an X.509 certificate specified for the extended key usage of Server Authentication.
  • The truststore can include a self-signed certificate or a CA-signed certificate. Typically the Root CA certificate is used as otherwise the complete certificate chain involved in signing the Server Authentication certificate has to be available with the truststore.
  • If the Vault Server is operated for HTTPS connections and this setting is not specified then JOC Cockpit will use the truststore that is configured with the JETTY_BASE/resources/joc/joc.properties configuration file.
• Vault Truststore Password: Should the Vault Server be configured for HTTPS connections and the indicated truststore be protected by a password then the password has to be specified.
• Vault Truststore Type: Should the Vault Server be configured for HTTPS connections then the type of the indicated truststore has to be specified being either PKCS12 or JKS.
• Vault Application Token: The application token setting is available only if the VAULT-JOC-ACTIVE service type is used.
  • JOC Cockpit requires this token in order to manage users with Vault, the token has to be created with Vault, see above chapter Application Role. This token allows JOC Cockpit to access the Vault REST API to manage user accounts.
  • This token is not used for login of users.