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Set HSM Policies (Password Authentication)

Set any of the alterable policies that are to apply to the HSM.

Note:  Capability vs Policy Interaction
Capabilities identify the purchased features of the product and are set at time of manufacture. Policies represent the HSM Admin’s enabling (or restriction) of those features.

1.Type the hsm showPolicies command, to display the current policy set for the HSM.

[myluna] lunash:>hsm showPolicies
HSM Label: myhsm
Serial #:    700022
Firmware:    6.21.0.
The following capabilities describe this HSM, and cannot be altered 
except via firmware or capability updates.

 

Description					Value
============					=====
Enable PIN-based authentication  		Allowed   
Enable PED-based authentication  		Disallowed   
Performance level  				15   
Enable domestic mechanisms & key sizes  	Allowed   
Enable masking  				Allowed   
Enable cloning  				Allowed 
Enable special cloning certificate  		Disallowed   
Enable full (non-backup) functionality  	Allowed   
Enable ECC mechanisms   			Allowed   
Enable non-FIPS algorithms    			Allowed   
Enable SO reset of partition PIN  		Allowed   
Enable network replication  			Allowed   
Enable Korean Algorithms   			Disallowed   
FIPS evaluated  				Disallowed   
Manufacturing Token  				Disallowed   
Enable Remote Authentication  			Allowed   
Enable forcing user PIN change  		Allowed   
Enable portable masking key  			Allowed   
Enable partition groups  			Disallowed 
Enable Remote PED usage  			Disallowed 
Enable external storage of MTK split  		Disallowed   
HSM non-volatile storage space  		2097152   
Enable HA mode CGX  				Disallowed    
Enable Acceleration  				Allowed   
Enable unmasking   				Disallowed   
 
The following policies are set due to current configuration of 
this HSM and cannot be altered directly by the user.
 
Description                Value   
PIN-based authentication   True   
 
The following policies describe the current configuration of 
this HSM and may by changed by the HSM Administrator.
Changing policies marked "destructive" will zeroize (erase 
completely) the entire HSM.
 
Description 					Value Code Destructive
=========== 					===== ==== =========== 
Allow masking 				On 	6 	Yes 
Allow cloning 				On 	7 	Yes 
Allow non-FIPS algorithms 			On 	12 	Yes 
SO can reset partition PIN 			On 	15 	Yes 
Allow network replication 			On 	16 	No 
Allow Remote Authentication 			On 	20 	Yes 
Force user PIN change after set/reset 	Off 	21 	No 
Allow off-board storage 			On 	22 	Yes 
Allow acceleration 				On 	29 	Yes 
Allow unmasking 				On 	30 	Yes 

 

Command Result : 0 (Success)
[myluna] lunash:>

 

According to the above example, the fixed capabilities require that this HSM be protected with HSM Password Authentication, meaning that the PED and PED Keys are not used for authentication, and instead values are typed from a keyboard.

The alterable policies have numeric codes. You can alter a policy with the hsm changePolicy command, giving the code for the policy that is to change, followed by the new value.

Note:  The FIPS 140-2 standard mandates a set of security factors that specify a restricted suite of cryptographic algorithms. 

The SafeNet HSM is designed to the standard, but can permit activation of additional non-FIPS-validated algorithms if your application requires them.   

The example listing above indicates that non-validated algorithms have been activated. The HSM is just as safe and secure as it is with the additional algorithms switched off. The only difference is that an auditor would not validate your configuration unless the set of available algorithms is restricted to the approved subset.

2.In order to change HSM policies, the HSM SO must first login.
lunash:> hsm login


(If you are not logged in, the above command logs you in, prompting for the HSM Admin password. If you are already logged in, the HSM tells you so, with an error message, that you can ignore.)

3.If you need to modify a policy setting to comply with your operational requirements, type:
lunash:> hsm changePolicy -policy <policyCode> -value <policyValue>


As an example, change code 15 from a value of 1 (On) to 0 (Off).

Example – Change of HSM Policy

lunash:> hsm changePolicy -policy 15 -value 0

That command assigns a value of zero (0) to the policy for “HSM Admin can reset partition PIN”, turning it off.

Refer to the Reference section for a description of all and their meanings.

If you have been following the instructions on this page as part of setting up a new HSM system, then the next step is to create virtual HSMs or HSM Partitions on the HSM that you just configured.  Prepare to Create a Legacy Partition (Password Authenticated)