DAFTools Security

Overview

DAFTools offer several security features designed to be used on a server hosting several DAF databases. The purpose of DAFTools security features is to protect each database from administrators responsible for other databases. If these security methods are not used it is easy for an ASP developer to explore and manage users of any DAF users list.

DAFTools Security features are built around:

• a DAFTools Administrator: when logged, all DAFTools methods will be granted
• four Security Levels used to grant or deny access to DAFTools methods and properties.

DAFTools and NT permissions

For a text user list, the NT account used by DAFTools methods to access the user file is the web user. Therefore, if the ASP script using DAFTools methods is not password protected it will be the IIS default user (IUSR_XXXXXX). If the directory is protected, the (mapped) NT user will be used.

In other words, if the ASP script using DAFTools methods is not password protected NT permission for the ASP script should be "IUSR_XXXXX | Read, Write."

DAFTools Administrator
(= main administration mode)

When the DAFTools Administrator is logged with main administration mode all DAFTools methods are usable with any DAF databases.

The DAFTools Administrator is managed with several DAFTools Main object methods:

Remarks:

• When DAFTools default administrator has not been changed it is systematically logged for each DAFTools object created.
• Default DAFTools Administrator is "admin" with password "" (empty string).
• Only one DAFTools Administrator can be defined.
• The logged state of the DAFTools Administrator is saved in ASP session variables. In consequence a logged administrator will stay active as long as the session lives, or until MainAdminLogOff method is called.

ASP scripts available:

• SetMainPassword.asp

This script will change the Administrator login and password.

• AdminLogin.asp

This script will login the DAFTools Administrator.

DAFTools Security Levels
(= database administration mode)

Four security levels are defined: Level0, Level1, Level2, Level3. Depending on which level is logged DAFTools methods will be usable or forbidden. Level0 gives the minimum rights and Level3 the maximum.

The DAFTools Security Levels are managed with several DAFTools Main object methods:

Remarks:

• A password is attached to each Security Level (no login is used).
• All security levels passwords are a DAF Databases properties, in consequence, they must be defined for each database.
• Default password is "" (empty string).

ASP scripts available:

• SetLevelPassword.asp

This script can be used to set passwords for each Security Level.

Error messages

When DAFTools denies access to a method or a property the reported error message is:

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Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a0046' 

Permission denied 

/ibill/daftools30/dbtest.asp, line 31 

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Security Levels for all DAFTools properties and methods