Web Dynpro ABAP Security Guide

Security Issues When Developing Web Dynpro Applications

• Data Security in Web Applications

• Permissibility of Database Changes

• Security of View Context Data

• Security Notes for FileUpload UI Elements

• Security for UI Element Events

  In an SSR client only those events can be triggered by a JavaScript attack that can also be triggered by a user interaction. The UI element associated with each event arriving on the server is checked to ensure it is visible and enabled. Certain events are also restricted by the attribute readOnly of the UI element when it is executed. In such cases this is also checked.

• Security of URL Parameters

  An application can define its own URL parameters. The content of these parameters should be checked by the application to avoid any attacks occurring this way. URL Parameters provided by Web Dynpro are automatically checked by the Web Dynpro runtime.

User Management

• Logging on to Web Applications

  To access a Web application, AS ABAP uses the HTTP framework from the Internet Communication Manager (ICF), which provides functions for Logging On to AS ABAP.

  Caution

  Refer in particular to Activating and Deactivating Services. For security reasons, the only services that should be active in the HTTP service tree are those services that you really need. If, however, you activate nodes at a higher level, this means that the whole part of the service tree below this level is completely open and is therefore not secure if an anonymous user is defined, for example.

  A simple procedure is available for developing and configuring the system Logon with Web applications. The security functions are integrated in this procedure.

• Authorizations

  General authorization checks for services and application are available in the ICF.

  More information: Authorizations).

  If required, special authorization checks for Web Dynpro Applications are made by the respective application.

  An authorization check is only offered by Web Dynpro for personalization purposes. This checks the administration authorization for personalizing UI elements.

• Application Logoff Page

  You can use your own logoff page for your Web Dynpro application: Application Logoff Page

Web Applications Without Domain Relaxing

Before SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SP6 a Web Dynpro application could not be run isolated in an environment (for instance, in SAP NetWeaver Portal), since it always relaxed the domain in its environment. However, for applications where security is critical this opens up a gateway for attack. Attackers could run their own application in a different IFrame, relax their domain too, and access sensitive data from the original application.

To ensure this does not happen, application parameter WDPROTECTEDAPPLICATION can be set for an application on the server, regardless of whether the application relaxes its domain or not.

The standard setting is where the domain remains relaxed. The parameter is used to deactivate this standard setting for applications where security is critical.

Check for which of your applications security is critical and set the indicator in the Web Dynpro application accordingly. To do this select the Web Dynpro application in SE80 and go to the tab page Parameters. Using F4 help on the parameter you can select the entry WDPROTECTEDAPPLICATION and set its value to X.

Web Dynpro Console

If the parameter sap-wd-ssrconsole=true is set to true, the Web Dynpro console is displayed. This contains various information, such as the build number of the rendering, the version in use and other information to support error handling. No data can be input.

Application Error Pages

You can suppress the standard error page generated by the ICF and define your own error page instead: Application Error Page

Security Risk List

A white list infrastructure in the HTTP framework fends off XSS attacks: Security Risk List

The white list is also relevant for the Web Dynpro ABAP portal integration; for a WDA view, the portal stylesheet URL is passed to Web Dynpro ABAP by means of the URL parameter. You must therefore enter the URL of the portal into the white list if using the portal integration.

For security reasons, a white list is required to use the UI elements AcfExecute and AcfUpDownload. You can find further information in the documentation of these two UI elements and in the Implementation Guide (IMG) the in the system.

URL Generation

See URL Generation in an AS-ABAP - Web Dispatcher Configuration

Security for Portal Integration

For security reasons, we recommend that you use SAP logon tickets or X.509 certificates for portal integration. Other logon procedures are not fully supported.

For more information, see Read Access Logging.

Notes

Relevant SAP Notes