Securing Systems With the Solaris Security Toolkit Software

The Solaris Security Toolkit software, informally known as the JumpStart Architecture and Security Scripts (JASS) toolkit, provides an automated, extensible, and scalable mechanism to build and maintain secure Solaris OS systems. Using the Solaris Security Toolkit software, you can harden and audit the security of systems.

Following are terms used in this guide that are important to understand:

• Hardening – Modifying Solaris OS configurations to improve a system’s security.
• Auditing – Determining if a system’s configuration is in compliance with a predefined security profile.

• Scoring – Counting the number of failures uncovered during an audit run. If no failures (of any kind) are found, then the resulting score is 0. The Solaris Security Toolkit increments the score (also known as a vulnerability value) by 1 whenever a failure is detected.

There are two modes of installing Solaris Security Toolkit software, which are described briefly in the latter part of this section:

• JumpStart Mode
• Stand-alone Mode

Regardless of how a system is installed, you can use the Solaris Security Toolkit software to harden and minimize your systems. Then periodically use the Solaris Security Toolkit software to audit whether the security profile of secured systems has been accidently or maliciously modified.

JumpStart Mode

System installation and configuration should be as automated as possible (ideally, 100 percent). This includes OS installation and configuration, network configuration, user accounts, applications, and hardening. One technology available to automate Solaris OS installations is JumpStart software. The JumpStart software provides a mechanism to install systems over a network, with little or no human intervention required. The Solaris Security Toolkit software provides a framework and scripts to implement and automate most of the tasks associated with hardening Solaris OS systems in JumpStart software-based installations. To obtain the JumpStart Enterprise Toolkit (JET), which facilitates JumpStart-based installations and includes modules to support hardening with the Solaris Security Toolkit, go to the Sun Software Download site at:

http://www.sun.com/download/

For more information about JumpStart technology, refer to the Sun BluePrints book JumpStart Technology: Effective Use in the Solaris Operating Environment.

Stand-alone Mode

In addition, the Solaris Security Toolkit software has a stand-alone mode. This mode provides the ability to perform all the same hardening functionality as in JumpStart mode, but on deployed systems. In either mode, the security modifications made can, and should, be customized to match security requirements for your system.

Regardless of how a system is installed, you can use the Solaris Security Toolkit software to harden your systems. Then periodically use the Solaris Security Toolkit software to audit whether the configuration of secured systems have been accidently or maliciously modified.