I've made a Java applet and I self signed it before, but due to security changes in recent Java updates, self signing no longer gives the applet the necessary permissions.
I need the applet to be able to read the local file system to use images and to be able to connect to a MYSQL database.
The applet used to work with the database when I self signed it, but not anymore.
In addition, many unknown users will be using the applet, so I won't have control over their machines.
Where can I get my applet professionally signed and if possible, is there another way to self sign that will make the applet work?
Purchase a certificate from any reputable certificate authority. Use that to sign your code. List of CAs
Or, some companies also do this: Sign the jars themselves, but pre-populate the JDK trust store with your (self created) CA cert. If you have control over the JRE that is installed on all user machines, you can place your certificate in JRE/lib/security/cacerts so that is trusted ahead of time.
update: This page (Java Control Panel Documentation) describes what type of signature is required for various client side security level settings:
As long as the applet 'phones home' to the DB & this demo. of the JNLP API file services1 works for the problem machines you should be set to go for a Plug-In 2 JRE (1.6.0_10+) JRE. And if the client has less than that, they should seriously look to update. The Deployment Toolkit Script can assist with that.
It is relevant in that:
It uses a self signed certificate
It allows a sand-boxed app. to read/write to the local file system.
An applet launched using JWS has access to the API.
This should only be considered a work-around. The correct way to solve the problem is to heed the advice offered to get a certified code certificate. Oracle seems to be heading towards making it so that unsigned or self-signed code will not just be sand-boxed, but entirely forbidden (& that is for the best).
As an aside re. DB access: For the protection of the DB. The applet should be forced to go through a 'public interface' (via the site that hosts the applet). Do not give the applet direct access to the DB. Otherwise hackers also have direct DB access.
Related
For my education I often have to program math exercises for our site, which will be used in schools.
I had to port a .swf file to java applet, mainly because the .swf ran really slow.
The game/excercise worked fine in both Eclipse and my localhost, but when we put it on the site it always got blocked by Java.
I have read that you need a certificate, but that self signed certificates dont work.
I have tried to do it (Not sure if I was succesful), and the applet was still blocked.
What am I supposed to do to make it work?
Why don't you try Java Web Start instead of applets?
You chan check it at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/applet-migration-139512.html
From https://www.java.com/en/download/help/java_blocked.xml
Java has further enhanced security to make the user system less
vulnerable to external exploits. Starting with Java 7 Update 51, Java
does not allow users to run applications that are not signed
(unsigned), self-signed (not signed by trusted authority) or that are
missing permission attributes.
So, from Java 7 Update 51, users cannot run unsigned application (without a certificate), self-signed application (applications signed with a certificate that doesn't come from trusted authority), or applications missing Permission Attribute.
As the documentation says about self signed applications,
Applications of this type present the highest level of risk because
publisher is not identified and the application may be granted access
to personal data on your computer.
Also, as stated in the documentation, if you can still use self signed applications you need to add it to the exception site list,
As a workaround, you can use the Exception Site list feature to run
the applications blocked by security settings. Adding the URL of the
blocked application to the Exception Site list allows it to run with
some warnings.
I know a real Java Applet on a Website should be officially signed to work properly and have full access. I just want to test the functionality of a java applet on my localhost without buying a certificate. So the question to me is can a self signed Java Applet have full permissions if executed on the localhost?
Yes, but it might involve changing the security settings of the Java plug-in and the browser.
First i would like to say that the .jar does not contain any malicious software or code. It's not harmfull, everything is fine. I signed my .jar and I'm trying to load it into my website using this code:
<applet width="765" height="503" code="Loader.java" archive="HolyDivinity718V1.1.jar" name="Holy Divinity"></applet></p>
But when i run it i get this error:
Application Blocked. Click for details. Your security settings have blocked a self-signed application from running.
The client is a webclient of a game that I'm running. What's the reason that it's getting blocked?
Since recently all self signed java applets are blocked. You can do one of the following things:
Buy and sign your applet with an official certificate
Decrease your security slider to medium
Use the exception site list
Sign your app with a self signed certificate and add your certificate to the java trust store
My client wants to use an applet to do drag and drop file transfers from the browser. We have everything working for the most part, but the .java.policy file granting the applet file system access needs to be uploaded to every client in order for the applet to have permission to read/write to the file system.
My technical counterpart at the client has just done some research and wants me to look into the java deployment toolkit (a js library that takes care of deployment instead of using html tags). He wants me to see if I can configure the applet to use a policy file requested from a URL. I haven't been able to find how to do this, which is what I expected, since I think it would be a terrible security risk.
The trouble is that they need to be able to grant the applet read/write file system access, but I feel that requesting a policy file from a URL is a bad idea and I need help explaining why.
So that's my question: is requesting a .java.policy file from a URL even possible? If so, isn't that a terrible security risk?
So that's my question: is requesting a .java.policy file from a URL even possible?
Yes it is, but not in any way that is practical. The thing is:
The policy file needs to be in a certain location on the local file system, in order to work.
Any Java app. or applet would need trust to place it there, or even find out where the right location is.
A Java app. needs extended permissions to be able to import the policy file to where it will have an affect.
If a Java app. has the permissions to insert the policy file, it is already trusted.
If so, isn't that a terrible security risk?
Yes, it would be.
If this applet needs trust, digitally sign it.
Addendum
See Java 7 Update 21 Security Improvements in Detail for more info. on the ever tightening Java security environment.
It is apparently planned to have a future JRE default to maximum security. That would mean that by default, only classes in a Jar, digitally signed by a certificate issued by a Certification Authority (e.g. Comodo $180/year, Thawte $300/year) would ever run. Everything else would be rejected.
I would like to develop an own API for Android that will request "Signature" protection level and will be accessible for 'my" applications.
Idea is following:
"install" my own certificate into system certificates storage
sign "trusted" application with my own certificate
As a result during request from any application to my API system will check if this application is signed with an appropriate certificate. If my sertificate is installed into Android everything should be fine.
I'm going to prototype that approach, but if there is something obvious that can prevent me from doing that - please let me know.
The question:
how to install own certificate into system certificates storage (assuming we will build Android ourselves and can modify system (in a reasonable borders))?
Thank you very much.
P.S. I'm not very familiar with Java/Android development, so please don't mind if you see something strange.
UPDATE:
As I wrote in a comment to zeetoobiker's answer, If I sign my API with my own certificate then it will be accessible for all my applications (signed by my certificate), but it won't have any system permissions. And I don't want all my 'customers' to navigate to the "realmb.com/droidCert/" web site. Instead I want manufacturer to add my certificate into an OS, now I'm working on making a proof of concept.
I don't think you need to install the certificate.
From the permission docs for signature:
A permission that the system grants only if the requesting application is signed with the same certificate as the application that declared the permission. If the certificates match, the system automatically grants the permission without notifying the user or asking for the user's explicit approval.
This means that it's the certificate you use to sign the apps that matter (not any installed certificates) - if you sign App 1 and App 2 with the same certificate then it will have permission. If App 3 which is signed with a different certificate attempts to access the API then it will get a no permission exception.
According to the docs (I have to admit I've not done it although I'm looking at for some of my apps) it should work on vanilla Android without any necessary customisations / access to the device / root.
If you really need to install the root certificate, this may help but I don't think you do for your stated aim.