Weak parameter transactions in SAP


Hi there.

Weak parameter transactions

In this article, we’ll take a look at a potential weakness that is often considered minor and thus underrated – but might still be used to lever out important security measures: parameter transactions.
They basically execute another tcode… along with pre-defined screen input – the “parameters”.

For example, the transaction code SM30_PRGN_CUST is a shortcut to SM30 for the maintenance view PRGN_CUST:
When you call it, SM30 is executed and table PRGN_CUST is opened in maintenance mode. Since the option “Skip initial screen” is enabled, it jumps directly into the table maintenance view itself – if it was disabled, one would be able to override the given screen options in the SM30 Dynpro… including the table name! That’s the point where the weakness starts.

Now let’s select some more parameter transactions from table TSTCP.
They start with either “/*” or “/N” — the first one skips the called tcode’s initial screen, the latter one doesn’t.
Below you can find the selection options for all SE38 parameter transactions:

Selection for table TSTCP

Now let’s have a look at the lines marked red and green in our result:

Table TSTCP: Result

The first one – SE38L – is unsafe, because the “/N” indicates that the SE38 selection screen is just filled out – but the report name can be overridden easily.

This means that SE38L is equivalent to SE38 ❗

Well… for SE38L, -M, -N this might not be a big surprise, but what about RBDCPCLR? … I never would have guessed!

Transaction SE38L

The second sample – SE38N – calls SE38 and executes report RDELALOG immediately: nothing to see here, move along.

Lessons learned

  • When you limit access to a transaction, always keep in mind that insecure parameter transactions might represent a backdoor.
  • Customer parameter transactions should always use the “Skip initial screen” option.

See you soon!

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Mass user creation in the Java UME


Welcome (back)!

User and authorization administration in the Java stack is a pain in the neck – that’s a fact! The identity management tools are inferior as compared to the ABAP stack, but nevertheless, there are ways to make your life a bit easier…

Mass user maintenance in the UME

When it comes to mass user creation/modification in the Java UME (database only, no ABAP- or LDAP-data source), no tool like SU10 exists and many admins choose the hard way of creating users one by one… but wait… the “Identity Management” screen has an “Import” button:

Java UME User Import

Standard Format for UME imports

The screen behind that “Import” button provides not much more than a text field, which needs to be populated with user master data in the correct format (btw.: the amount of importable data is limited to 1 MiB).
The import format is documented here, but SAP provides no easy solution to create data in that format.
This is – you probably guessed it – the point, where my solution comes in.

Generally speaking, the “Standard Format” – as SAP calls it – is similar to the format of many .ini files and thus quite simple.
It can be used to create and modify users, groups, and roles — for users, a typical import record looks like this:

[User]
uid=dberlin
password=trustno1
first_name=Daniel
last_name=Berlin
email_address=
role=Administrator;SAP_SLD_ADMINISTRATOR;

Squeeze mass user data into the Standard Format

For this task, I’ve prepared a very simple Excel file for you… download it here:

Microsoft Excel file
(click to download)
Java UME user import: Excel sample

You can insert the user name, first and last name, password and up to three roles for up to 100 users into column A-G.
The formula in column H generates the expected format from the input data.

When finished, simply mark the cells in column H starting from line 2 (i.e. without the header).

Unfortunately, Excel is a very smart tool 😕 and automagically inserts quotation marks around the copied cells.
You need to remove these quote signs manually from the copied data…
Alternatively, you can also copy the clipboard’s contents into an empty Word document, then copy everything again – that way the quotes are removed, too.

Afterward, paste the data into the text area on the Import screen of the Identity Management; then click “Upload”.

Java UME user import: Upload textarea

The protocol on the next screen contains information about the import result.

Java UME user import: Protocol

See you then!

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Authorization trace with comfort function: STAUTHTRACE


Hey everybody.

Recently I wrote an article for a magazine published by the German-language SAP users’ group (DSAG).
In this post, I’d like to share an English translation with you (the original German version used to be available here: http://blaupause.dsag.de/berechtigungstrace-mit-komfort-funktion).

Here we go:

Authorization trace with comfort function:
STAUTHTRACE

One of the numerous new features of Enhancement Package 6 is the authorization trace via transaction STAUTHTRACE. In principle, it works like the system trace ST01, but is limited to authorization checks. This makes it a valuable tool for authorization admins and provides comfortable functions.

So far, it was necessary to start an authorization trace on all application servers of a system separately, unless the relevant server was known beforehand. Transaction STAUTHTRACE simplifies this and allows starting a trace on one or more servers in a single step:

Start STAUTHTRACE (system-wide)


Without an explicit selection, the system-wide trace is automatically started on all available servers:

STAUTHTRACE is running on all servers


The evaluation section in the lower half of the screen offers detailed options to analyze the result and is much advanced in comparison to ST01.
In a system-wide trace, the selection of the application server in the topmost section is also taken into account.

STAUTHTRACE evaluation options


The option “Evaluate Extended Passport” is extremely handy, as it enriches the trace result with data from the system’s kernel statistics (transaction STAD).
This additional information is helpful when it comes to RFC calls from other systems and consists of the following fields:

  • “Initial Component” — the calling system, instance and client
  • “Action Type” — e.g. a batch job run or a transaction call
  • “Initial Action” — e.g. the name of the job or transaction code

The result is finally displayed in a nice, filterable ALV grid and not in that ugly ST01 list view.

Additionally, it is possible to dive into each line and jump to the affected user, the authorization object and its documentation as well as the line in the source code that triggered the authorization check. Simply double-click in the list or use the menu:

Further options in STAUTHTRACE result

How to use the trace result in PFCG

The result of an authorization trace can be used in PFCG directly now – no matter, whether it comes from STAUTHTRACE or the traditional ST01.

This can be achieved in two ways:

  • Maintenance via the role menu

The “Import from Trace” option in a role’s “Menu” tab allows importing the called applications from the trace: Transactions (S_TCODE), External- or Web-Services (S_SERVICE) and RFC Function Modules (S_RFC).

Import STAUTHTRACE result in role menu

Unfortunately, if you import a transaction call, only the tcode is adopted from the trace – the other values that are checked during transaction start and execution are ignored; instead, the suggested values from SU24 are used.

  • Maintenance of authorization values

In the role’s authorization data maintenance screen, the new button “Trace” can be used to import the values that were checked from the result into the role.

Trace button in PFCG authorization data screen

In the below example, the role already contains the object S_USER_GRP – but no values yet. The actual check in this case used 02 for the field ACTVT and the user group (CLASS) was “SUPER” – these values can easily be imported from the trace data with some clicks.

Import STAUTHTRACE result in role authorization data

Bottom line
💡 The new trace functionality of EhP 6 is a great feature for the analysis of authorization needs and problems – a neat enhancement of the existing toolbox!

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