[QPID-4013] Windows Broker SSL is more difficult to use than necessary and possibly less secure than possible

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 0.14, 0.16, 0.17
• Fix Version/s: 0.17
• Component/s: C++ Broker

Environment

Windows

• Assignee: Andrew Stitcher
• Reporter: Andrew Stitcher
• Created: 21/May/12 22:03
• Updated: 29/Jul/13 19:05
• Resolved: 21/May/12 22:23

Description

The current Windows Broker SSL code always uses the LocalMachine certificate store opened read/write. This has a number of drawbacks:

• Opening read/write means that the broker has to run as administrator to use the certificates in the store. The broker only reads from the store so this is actually unnecessary.

• Forcing use of LocalMachine for the certificates means that they are readable by every user on the machine which might be a security issue. As it would allow any process on the machine to impersonate the qpid broker.