Securing
This section describes security features, including execution control lists, IDs, and TLS.
- Overview of Domino security
  Setting up security for your organization is a critical task. Your security infrastructure is critical for protecting your organization's IT resources and assets. As an administrator, you need to give careful consideration to your organization's security requirements before you set up any servers or users. Up-front planning pays off later in minimizing the risks of compromised security.
- Server access for Notes® users, Internet users, and Domino® servers
  To control user and server access to other servers, Domino® uses the settings you specify on the Security tab in the Server document as well as the rules of validation and authentication. If a server validates and authenticates the Notes® user, Internet user, or server, and the settings in the Server document allow access, the user or server is allowed access to the server.
- The database access control list
  Every .NSF database has an access control list (ACL) that specifies the level of access that users and servers have to that database. Although the names of access levels are the same for users and servers, those assigned to users determine the tasks that they can perform in a database, while those assigned to servers determine what information within the database the servers can replicate. Only someone with Manager access can create or modify the ACL.
- Domino® server and Notes® user IDs
  Domino® uses ID files to identify users and to control access to servers. Every Domino server, Notes® certifier, and Notes user must have an ID.
- The execution control list
  You use an execution control list (ECL) to configure workstation data security. An ECL protects user workstations against active content from unknown or suspect sources, and can be configured to limit the action of any active content that does run on workstations.
- Domino® server-based certification authority
  You can set up a Domino® certifier that uses the CA process server task to manage and process certificate requests. The CA process runs as a process on Domino servers that are used to issue certificates. When you set up a Notes® or Internet certifier, you link it to the CA process on the server in order to take advantage of CA process activities. Only one instance of the CA process can run on a server; however, the process can be linked to multiple certifiers.
- TLS security
  Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a security protocol that provides communications privacy and authentication for Domino® server tasks that operate over TCP/IP.
- TLS and S/MIME for clients
  Clients can use a Domino® certificate authority (CA) application or a third-party CA to obtain certificates for secure TLS and S/MIME communication.
- Encryption
  Encryption protects data from unauthorized access.
  - Encryption standards
    HCL Domino® observes a number of encryption standards, in particular, standards that are required or regulated by the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS).
  - Configuring encryption for ID files
    Any ID used with the current HCL Notes® client benefits from the strong security provided by AES encryption.
  - Mail encryption
    Mail encryption protects messages from unauthorized access. Only the body of a mail message is encrypted; the header information such as text in the To, From, and Subject fields is not.
  - Configuring the level of port encryption and authentication
    You can control the level of port encryption and authentication that is used on an HCL Domino® server.
  - Electronic signatures
    Electronic signatures are closely associated with encryption. An electronic signature verifies that the person who originated the data is the author and that no one has tampered with the data. Users can add an electronic signature to mail messages and to fields and sections of documents. A database designer controls whether or not users can sign fields and sections of a database can be signed; individual users can choose to sign mail messages.
- Web-based authentication
  Define and set up authentication methods for web users, for example through basic password authentication, passkeys, time-based one-time password, or single sign-on.
- Using a credential store to store credentials
  A Domino® server can use a credential store application as a secure artifact repository. Examples of secure artifacts include authentication credentials and security keys.
- History of supported key sizes in Notes and Domino
  Understand the RSA key sizes supported by Notes® and Domino® from past releases to the current release.

Encryption standards

HCL Domino® observes a number of encryption standards, in particular, standards that are required or regulated by the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS).

AES algorithm

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is available for use with some encryption features. The AES algorithm is widely used and is approved by Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2.

Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-2)

The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-2) is available for use with some encryption features on Windows™, AIX®, and on Linux™, where SHA-2 is part of the new OpenSSL library that supports the algorithm. SHA-2 is widely used and is approved by Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, to assist in compliance with government mandate NIST 800-131. SHA-2 is currently available to use for X.509 certificate signature verification and S/MIME signed mail, and some areas of Notes/Domino where a password such as the Internet (HTTP) password were previously "hashed." For more information on hashing, see the related topic on electronic signatures.

No Domino® configuration is required to make use of SHA-2. When Notes® client users receive S/MIME messages encrypted using the algorithm, SHA-2 is listed in the Document Encryption and Signing Properties box that a client user can open by clicking the Signature or Encryption icon in the Notes® client status bar.

Tip: It is recommended that the Domino® administrator use RSA-2048 and AES-128 with SHA-2. To do so, set all client user's ID files to use 2048-bit RSA keys, and configure all Person documents with the setting Can decrypt documents using FIPS 140-2 approved algorithms in order to ensure AES-128. For more information, see the related topic on configuring AES encryption: