These days, I am preparing documentation for an event I will be holding on 1 October concerning security on IBM i systems.
One of the things that still amazes me about the use of IBM i systems is the huge number of customers who still use unencrypted protocols, such as unencrypted telnet, unencrypted FTP, and unencrypted host servers. This is often based on a perception of limited knowledge in the field of security, especially regarding certificates, which often leaves people
In today’s article, we will look at one of the leading tools in the field of system security, namely OpenSSL. It is a cross-platform tool, which means it can run on any machine, from IBM i to AIX, from Linux to MacOS and, yes, even on Windows.
Mastering this tool and its many integrated features is crucial for anyone who has to manage certificates or secure connections in general. In fact, this tool enables the generation of new certificates, but also the testing of connections (you can test the parameters negotiated in a secure connection) and the analysis of current certificates.
I would be lying if I said I remembered all the options needed for the various functions… which is why I wrote a bash script that you can download so you can easily call them up from the menu without having to remember the various options and their parameters!
File was uploaded as a TXT file, but you can change extension, is a bash file… even if you know, in *X operative systems extension is not required. You can also upload this file to your system (IBM i, AIX, Linux etc) and it will works fine if you have bash installed.
And you, have you ever used OpenSSL?
Andrea