This section provides best practice guidelines and recommended procedures to assist you in optimizing the security of your MCP environment.
Modifying an Existing Configuration for Higher Security
To modify the configuration of an existing system to run at a higher level of security, follow the procedure under “Configuring a High-Security System” in Initial Security Configuration Best Practices, with the following additional guidelines:
-
Identify all existing programs and libraries that might have security significance. This category might include the following items:
-
All programs marked privileged with the MP (Mark Program) system command and including the commands options PU, SECADMIN, TASKING, EXECUTABLE, and granulated privileges
-
All compilers
-
All DMALGOL programs
-
All TADS-capable programs
You can use the FILEDATA utility to obtain the names of files in these categories. For more information, see Security Uses of the FILEDATA Utility.
-
-
Verify the trustworthiness—that is, the origination, validity, accuracy, and so on—of each of the items named in step 1. If you cannot verify the trustworthiness of a program, remove that program.
-
Update SYSTEM/USERDATAFILE. Assign access privileges with care and check every usercode entry for appropriate access privileges. Keep in mind that there might be valid usercodes unknown to you. In many cases, it might be simpler to create a new USERDATAFILE and build it from scratch than to update an existing USERDATAFILE.
-
Update the Transaction Server configuration file. Assign Transaction Server access privileges with care. Access to the COMS Utility should be tightly controlled. As with the USERDATAFILE, it might be simpler and safer to create a new Transaction Server configuration file than to update an existing one.
