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Securing
This section describes security features, including execution control lists, IDs, and TLS.
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.
Adding cross-certificates to the Domino® Directory or Contacts
You can use several methods to obtain an HCL Notes® or Internet cross-certificate.
Examples of cross-certification
There are several different ways to cross-certify with another server or individual.

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.
  - Certificates
    A certificate is a unique digital signature that identifies a user or server. Server and user IDs contain one or more HCL Notes® certificates. In addition, user IDs may contain one or more Internet certificates that identify users when they use TLS to connect to an Internet server or send a signed S/MIME mail message.
  - Notes clients and two-factor authentication
    HCL Notes client authentication with a Notes ID provides built-in, automatic, two-factor authentication.
  - Password-protection for Notes® and Domino® IDs
    To ensure the security of the Domino® system, password-protect all Notes® and Domino IDs -- certifier, server, and user. When you password-protect an ID, a key that is derived from the password encrypts the data on the ID. Then, when you attempt to access mail, open a server-based database, or examine ID file information, you are prompted to enter a password.
  - The password quality scale
    When creating passwords for user, server, or certifier IDs, you need to understand the criteria by which Domino® measures password strength and security. Domino measures this criteria according to the level assigned on its password quality scale. The scale assigns a minimum level of quality to the password on an ID file. Domino bases the password quality on the number and variety of characters in the password.
  - Verifying user passwords during authentication
    You can enable password verification so that a Notes® user can authenticate with a server only after providing the correct password that is associated with the user ID.
  - Setting up password verification
    You can enable password verification through the use of a security policy settings document, which allows you to enable this feature for multiple users, or you can enable password verification on an individual basis through the Domino® Directory.
  - Custom password policies
    Information protection and data privacy laws include specific requirements for the selection of secure passwords for identity verification. To help users comply with these laws, HCL Domino® includes the ability to implement password restrictions on a policy basis. Administrators can enforce password requirements that will fit almost any set of corporate or government security requirements.
  - Assigning multiple passwords to server and certifier IDs
    To assign multiple passwords to server and certifier IDs, all of the administrators whose passwords will be assigned to the ID must be present. Then, during the procedure of assigning multiple passwords, each administrator completes a series of steps.
  - Using Notes® Shared Login to suppress password prompts
    Notes® Shared Login (NSL) allows users to start Notes without having to provide Notes passwords. Instead, they only need to log in to Microsoft™ Windows™ using their Windows passwords.
  - Using Nomad Shared Login to suppress password prompts
    Starting in HCL Domino 12.0.2, HCL Nomad Shared Login allows Nomad Web users to authenticate with Domino servers without having to provide Notes® ID file passwords after initial setup. This feature is enabled by default for Nomad deployments starting with Nomad 1.0.8.
  - Using Notes Shared Login to secure server ID files
    Starting with HCL Domino 12.0.1, you can secure the server ID files of Domino servers on Windows using the Notes Shared Login (NSL) functionality.
  - Notes® ID vault
    The ID vault is an optional, server-based database that holds protected copies of Notes® user IDs. An ID vault allows administrators and users to easily manage Notes user IDs. Users are assigned to a vault through policy configuration, and copies of user IDs are uploaded to a vault automatically once the policy has taken effect.
  - ID recovery
    Use of the ID vault for ID recovery is strongly recommended. However, the ID recovery feature described in this topic is still supported.
  - Public key security
    Every Notes® user ID and Domino® server ID has a unique public key for the Notes certificate. The public key is stored in an ID file and in the Person or Server document for that ID in the Domino Directory. Notes and Domino use the public key to authenticate users and servers, verify digital signatures, and encrypt messages and databases. A Notes user ID can also have a unique public key for an Internet certificate.
  - User and server key rollover
    Key rollover is the process used to update the set of Notes® public and private keys that is stored in user and server ID files. Periodically, this set of keys may need to be replaced -- as a precaution against undetected compromise of the private key; as a remedy to recover from a known compromise of the private key; or to increase security by updating to a larger key.
  - Certificate authority key rollover
    HCL Domino® administrators can assign a new set of public and private keys to a Domino certificate authority (CA). These keys are used to certify the keys of OUs, servers, and users in that organization. The process of assigning news keys is known as key rollover.
  - Using cross-certificates to access servers and send secure S/MIME messages
    Domino® uses both Notes® and Internet cross-certificates. Notes cross-certificates allow users in different hierarchically-certified organizations to access servers and to receive signed mail messages. Internet cross-certificates allow users to receive signed mail messages and send encrypted mail messages.
  - Adding cross-certificates to the Domino® Directory or Contacts
    You can use several methods to obtain an HCL Notes® or Internet cross-certificate.
    - Examples of cross-certification
      There are several different ways to cross-certify with another server or individual.
    - Adding a Notes® or Internet cross-certificate on demand
      When users access a server or receive a signed message, they can accept an HCL Notes® or Internet cross-certificate from another organization. HCL Domino® adds the cross-certificate to the user's Contacts. Then the next time the user tries to access the server, the user can authenticate the server with that cross-certificate. Similarly, the user can use the cross-certificate to verify signed messages from the organization that was cross certified.
    - Adding a Notes® cross-certificate by phone
      Two organizations can add an HCL Notes® cross-certificate to user, server, and certifier IDs by providing the name and public key of the IDs to be cross-certified over the phone. For cross-certification to work, these steps must be carried out twice, with each organization alternately requesting cross-certification.
    - Adding a Notes® cross-certificate for IDs by postal service
      Organizations that cannot communicate through HCL Notes® mail can use these steps to add a Notes cross-certificate for user, server, and certifier IDs. For cross-certification to work, these steps must be carried out twice, with each organization alternately requesting cross-certification. You cannot use these procedures to create an Internet cross-certificate.
    - Adding a Notes® cross-certificate for IDs by Notes® mail
      If you can route mail to the organization that will cross-certify a user, server, or certifier ID, you can use HCL Notes® mail to add a Notes cross-certificate. For cross-certification to work, these steps must be carried out twice, with each organization alternately requesting cross-certification. You cannot use these procedures to create an Internet cross-certificate.
    - Creating a cross-certificate from a user's Person document
      You can create an HCL Notes® and/or Internet cross-certificate from a certificate stored in a user's Person document.
    - Creating a cross-certificate from a Notes® certifier
      You can create an HCL Notes® cross-certificate in the HCL Domino® Directory from a Notes certifier. You can then push the cross-certificate to Notes user contacts.
    - Displaying cross-certificates
      You can view the types of cross-certificates available. Certificates whose type cannot be determined are listed as Unknown.
- 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.
- Using Domino as an OIDC provider
  The Domino HTTP task can act as an OIDC identity provider. This feature allows administrators to leverage their existing Domino HTTP authentication experience -- including passkeys, TOTP, custom domcfg login forms, and external identity providers -- to authenticate end users with applications, servers, and services that support OIDC.
- 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.

Examples of cross-certification

There are several different ways to cross-certify with another server or individual.

To authenticate with all servers in another organization

This example describes what the Renovations company and the ABC company do to allow all users and servers in both organizations to authenticate.

The Renovations organization certifier (/Renovations) obtains a cross-certificate for the ABC organization certifier (/ABC) and stores it in the Renovations Domino® Directory.
The ABC organization certifier (/ABC) obtains a cross-certificate for the Renovations organization certifier (/Renovations) and stores it in ABC's Domino® Directory.

To authenticate with a specific server in another organization

The Renovations company wants to let Seascape users who have the hierarchical certification AppDevelopment/Seascape to access their customer support server, CSSUPPORT/East/Renovations.

The Renovations organizational unit certifier (/East/Renovations) has a cross-certificate for the Seascape organizational unit certifier (/AppDevelopment/Seascape) and stores it in the Renovations Domino® Directory.
The Seascape organizational unit certifier (/AppDevelopment/Seascape) has a cross-certificate for the Renovations organizational unit certifier (/East/Renovations) and stores it in Seascape's Domino® Directory.

This cross-certification enables Kelly Jones/AppDevelopment/Seascape and Jonathan Moutal/AppDevelopment/Seascape to authenticate with the server CSSUPPORT/East/Renovations. However, it does not allow these users to authenticate with the Renovations server Mail-W/West/Renovations.

To send signed S/MIME messages

Alan Jones has an Internet certificate issued from the Renovations CA, and Dave Lawson has an Internet certificate issued from the ABC CA. If Alan wants to send Dave an encrypted S/MIME message and Dave wants to send Alan an encrypted S/MIME message:

Alan has a trusted cross-certificate for ABC and stores it in his Contacts.
Dave has a trusted cross-certificate for Renovations and stores it in his Contacts.

Both Dave and Alan can now also send encrypted S/MIME messages to each other.