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Securing
This section describes security features, including execution control lists, IDs, and TLS.
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 Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to configure federated-identity authentication
Federated identity is a means of achieving single sign-on, providing user convenience and helping to reduce administrative cost. In Domino® and Notes®, federated identity for user authentication uses the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) standard from OASIS.
Preparing for SAML authentication
Complete the steps in this section before you configure SAML authentication in Domino
Creating and replicating the IdP Catalog
Create the IdP Catalog (idpcat.nsf) and replicate it to any servers participating in SAML federated authentication. If you will enable Web, Notes, or Nomad federated login, also replicate it to the ID vault server.

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.
- 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.
  - Name-and-password authentication for Internet/intranet clients
    Name-and-password authentication, also known as basic password authentication, uses a basic challenge/response protocol to ask users for their names and passwords and then verifies the accuracy of the passwords by checking them against a secure hash of the password stored in Person documents in the Domino® Directory.
  - Passkey authentication
    Learn how to enable passkey authentication on a Domino server or internet site for improved security.
  - Time-based one-time password (TOTP) authentication
    When users log on to a Domino Web server, you can require that they provide time-based one-time passwords in addition to their user names and passwords.
  - Multi-server session-based authentication (single sign-on)
    Multi-server session-based authentication, also known as single sign-on (SSO), allows Web users to log in once to a Domino® or WebSphere® server, and then access any other Domino or WebSphere servers in the same DNS domain that are enabled for single sign-on (SSO) without having to log in again.
  - Using Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to configure federated-identity authentication
    Federated identity is a means of achieving single sign-on, providing user convenience and helping to reduce administrative cost. In Domino® and Notes®, federated identity for user authentication uses the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) standard from OASIS.
    - Preparing for SAML authentication
      Complete the steps in this section before you configure SAML authentication in Domino
      - Preparing your identity provider
        Before you configure SAML federated identity authentication for Domino, prepare your identity provider (IdP).
      - Completing Domino prerequisites for SAML
        Complete the following Domino configuration that is required by SAML.
      - Importing and cross-certifying the IdP Internet certificate
        When configuring Notes clients for federated login using SAML, the clients must trust the certificate used by the Identity Provider (IdP). Import the IdP TLS certificate into the Domino directory and cross-certify it.
      - Creating and replicating the IdP Catalog
        Create the IdP Catalog (idpcat.nsf) and replicate it to any servers participating in SAML federated authentication. If you will enable Web, Notes, or Nomad federated login, also replicate it to the ID vault server.
      - Exporting a metadata .xml file from your IdP
        Export a metadata .xml file from your identity provider (IdP). This file contains information about the IdP that enables Domino to accept SAML assertions from it.
    - Configuring basic SAML authentication for Web servers
      Basic SAML authentication for Web servers allows browser clients to access the Domino Web server by authenticating with SAML. Complete the following tasks to enable basic SAML authentication for Web servers.
    - Configuring ID vault servers for Notes or Web federated SAML login
      Complete the steps in this section if you want to use Web federated login or Notes federated login. After enabled, iNotes users and Notes client users, respectively, access the Notes ID file in the ID vault without being prompted for the password. If your IdP is ADFS, you can also configure Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) so that iNotes users or Notes clients users aren't prompted for the IdP name and password.
    - Enabling Web federated login
      Enable Web federated login to allow iNotes users to perform secure operations such as signing and decrypting messages without being prompted for a Notes ID password.
    - Enabling Notes federated login
      Enable Notes federated login to allow Notes clients users to start Notes and perform secure operations without being prompted for a Notes ID password.
    - Nomad federated login
      Nomad federated login avoids users being prompted for their HCL Notes ID passwords when they set up the HCL Nomad for web browsers client. Instead, they are prompted only for credentials from a SAML identity provider (IdP) that is accessed through the Nomad server (SafeLinx); the users don't need to enter their Notes ID passwords.
    - Enabling IWA (ADFS only)
      When Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) is used, users on Windows clients are not prompted for the ADFS login name and password when they access servers on the corporate intranet. IWA is available for basic SAML authentication, Notes federated login, and Web federated login.
    - Generating a certificate to encrypt SAML assertions
      This is an optional configuration for Identity Providers that require encrypted assertions. Your organization may require SAML assertions to be encrypted if assertions include attributes that contain sensitive personal data, for example, social security numbers. Domino® encrypts entire SAML assertions; partial encryption of specific attributes is not available. The assertions are both signed and encrypted. Domino does not support signing only.
    - Cautioning client users about SAML and logout
      Domino® and Notes® do not support a single logout feature, so if you configure SAML in your organization, make sure that your users employ safety methods at their desktops to prevent physical access to Notes and Domino resources.
  - Using OpenID Connect (OIDC) to configure federated-identity authentication
    Federated identity is a means of achieving single sign-on, providing user convenience and helping reduce administrative cost. One way that client applications can authenticate users is by using an OpenID Connect (OIDC) provider.
- 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.

Creating and replicating the IdP Catalog

Create the IdP Catalog (idpcat.nsf) and replicate it to any servers participating in SAML federated authentication. If you will enable Web, Notes, or Nomad federated login, also replicate it to the ID vault server.

About this task

Note the requirements for the IdP Catalog:

You must use the file name idpcat.nsf and put the catalog in the data directory.
Do not enable document locking on the catalog.

Procedure

From the Domino® Administrator client, create the IdP Catalog application (idpcat.nsf), using the template with the file name idpcat.ntf.

CAUTION: If your server is running on UNIX™ or IBM® i, make sure the file name is all lower-case.
Use a restrictive access control list (ACL). Assign access only to the Domino® ID vault server and to Domino® SAML administrator(s) who are trusted to manage security.
Replicate the IdP Catalog to the other servers that participate in SAML authentication. These servers are automatically given access to the IdP Catalog, regardless whether they have access through the ACL.