Nanoteq has unveiled further plans for security enhancements to IBM`s MQSeries systems, specifically for MQSeries Integrator (MQSI) v2.0. MQ Armour is a hardware-based security solution for messaging environments based on IBM`s MQSeries. Nanoteq is an IBM ISV (Independent Software Vendor) partner.
The enhancements are to be rolled out over the next six months, and are evolving through an association with the MQSI development team at IBM`s Hursley Laboratories in the United Kingdom.
"The first enhancement, derived from Nanoteq`s already successful MQ Armour is, providing strong encryption and authentication of messages to secure channels between MQSeries Queue Servers and MQSI hubs. These security services are provided via exits in MQSeries itself," says Jyri H"am"al"ainen, Nanoteq`s MQ Armour product marketing manager.
The second enhancement adds security to the Publish-Subscribe environment. An Encryption and Signing Node will provide security for published messages. According to Pierre-Andr'e van Leeuwen, systems engineer for MQ Armour, this feature is important in the electronic publishing environment, where messages might have to be replicated for thousands of subscribers. Encrypting and signing the same message thousands of times on an MQ channel could cause the system to experience capacity problems.
Clearly, the security architecture for the Publish-Subscribe environment must take this scenario into account. The MQ Armour architecture is being enhanced to include a so-called MQSI Security Node, to provide once-only encryption and signing of mass-published messages, along with encryption and signing of individual messages.
A third enhancement involves adding cryptographic authentication and encryption to the MQSI authorisation service. This development will augment IBM`s installable authorisation service, due for release later this year. This will ensure that content based authorisation built into MQSI is more secure. Also, to provide full protection against abuse by administrators or super-users, the enhanced service will override the native operating system`s access control since all access to the service will be controlled by MQ Armour.
"Strong cryptographic enhancement for authorisation services is a growing requirement in secure message brokering. Due to its flexible architecture, MQ Armour is perfectly suited to take on such tasks. In short, e-business without strong security is not e-business. With a combination of MQSI, MQSeries and MQ Armour we`re talking real e-business", adds H"am"al"ainen.
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