Global security

In Chapter 1, during the installation process of WebSphere Application Server, we opted not to turn on global security and thus we did not have to supply a password to log in to the Administrative console. We logged in using the username wasadmin and we were not prompted for a password. The truth of the matter is that we could have actually used any name as the console was not authenticating us at all. To protect our WAS from unauthorized access, we need to turn on global security.

Note

It is important to secure the administration of WebSphere even if the applications being installed are not using security. It is paramount to ensure we have control of our WebSphere environments. The larger your team is the more important this becomes. In time, other people in your organization will get to know the URLs of your WebSphere servers and if they are not secured you do not really know who is making changes without your approval. Securing the console stops inadvertent access and can...