Layer Seven Security

Explore Service Level Reporting in SolMan 7.2

Layer Seven on February 27, 2017

Service Level Reporting (SLR) in SAP Solution Manager performs regular checks against key performance indicators using information available from the EarlyWatch Alert (EWA), Business Warehouse (BW) and the Computer Center Management System (CCMS). The checks can be for single systems or systems grouped into solutions. Reports run automatically on a weekly or monthly schedule but can also be triggered manually for on-demand reporting. SLRs can be displayed in HTML or Microsoft Word. SAP Solution Manger automatically distributes SLRs by email to recipients maintained in distribution lists.

Security-related metrics stored in internal or external BW systems can be read by SLR to create dynamic, detailed and user friendly vulnerability reports. This includes areas such as settings for profile parameters, access control lists in gateway security files, trusted RFC connections or destinations with stored logon credentials, unlocked standard users and standard users with default passwords, active ICF services, filter settings in the security audit log, missing security notes, and users with critical authorizations, profiles or transactions. For HANA systems, it includes database parameters, audit policies, the SYSTEM user, and users with critical SQL privileges. For Java systems, it includes properties for the UME and the invoker servlet. Furthermore, since event data from monitored systems is stored in BW and CCMS, SLR can also report on metrics for events in audit logs including the security audit log and syslog. The latter is particularly relevant for HANA systems which can write logs to operating system files.

SLRs are created and customized in the area for SAP Engagement and Service Delivery in the Fiori Launchpad.

Variants need to be maintained for each report including relevant systems, solutions, data sources, metrics, thresholds and schedule (weekly or monthly).

Once activated, the reports are executed by a regular automated job and accessed through the tile for Service Level Reports.

Comments can be included in SLRs before the reports are automatically distributed by email. SLRs include details of each vulnerability check, risk ratings, and links to relevant SAP Notes and documentation at the SAP Help Portal. Reports also include a gap assessment against compliance frameworks such NIST, PCI-DSS and IT-SOX. SLRs are archived by Solution Manager for trend analysis.

SAP Security Notes, January 2017

Zarah on February 7, 2017

Note 2407862 deals with a highly dangerous buffer overflow vulnerability in Sybase Software Asset Management (SySAM) that scores almost 10/10 using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System.  SySAM performs license management for products such as ASE, ESP, PowerDesigner and the Replication Server.

The vulnerability arises from the Flexera Flexnet Publisher software bundled in SySAM. The third party software is bundled in products provided not only by Sybase, but vendors such as Intel, Cisco, HP, Adobe, RSA and Siemens.

Flexnet Publisher is vulnerable to a stack buffer overflow vulnerability that could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely and without authentication. Since the code could provoke a crash in the Vendor Daemon which performs license control in software products, it could lead to a denial of service in SySAM and products that rely on SySAM. This explains the extremely high CVSS score of the vulnerability.

According to Flexera, a patch for the vulnerability was made available to vendors in November 2015. It is not clear if this included SAP. The vulnerability was published in the NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD) shortly thereafter in February 2016.  Despite the criticality of the vulnerability, a correction for SySAM was only made available in January 2017. Customers are advised to download and install SySAM 2.4 to apply the correction.

Note 2389042 deals with a similar denial of service vulnerability in SAP Single Sign-On (SSO) which could interrupt the availability of SAP services for users. The SSO Authentication Library should be patched to the latest patch level specified in the Note.

Note 2407696 removes support for the DES encryption algorithm used to secure configuration data in SAP Online Banking 8.3. SAP recommends using stronger algorithms supported by Online Banking including AES and 3DES. Note that AES is more efficient in software implementations than 3DES since 3DES was designed for hardware implementations.