Application Express and the Content Security Policy
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.7
Application Express copies (if defined) the Content Security Policy (CSP) name (pyContentSecurityPolicyName) from the built-on application in a new application. It also sets the CSP mode (pyContentSecurityPolicyMode) to report. The values appear in the Content Security area on the application rule's Integration & Security tab.
When checking an application in the DCO Compatibility tool, a warning appears if the CSP name is missing.
Password hashing using SHA-256/SHA-512
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.7
Password hashing using the SHA-256 and SHA-512 hash functions is available for use during the the Pega 7 authentication process with operator, ruleset, and update lock passwords. The SHA-256/SHA-512 hash functions join the previously available MD5 and SHA-1 hash functions.
Using SHA-256/SHA-512 hashing when creating or upgrading a password hash results in increased complexity of the hash, making it extremely difficult and time-consuming to determine hashed password values stored in a database.
Note that once you have updated your system to Pega 7.1.7 and have applied password hashing using the SHA-256/SHA-512 hash functions, reverting back to a previous version of Pega 7 is not advised as this causes hashed passwords using SHA-256/SHA-512 to fail.
See About password hashing for more information.
SAML single sign-on is easier to configure
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
Implementing SAML single sign-on (SSO) login authentication in your application is now less complex. You can now configure most requirements that used custom activities or Java code in previous releases from the Authentication services form.
For more information, see Creating an authentication service.
Configure role dependencies to grant access rights
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
You can configure role dependencies in a role to grant access rights, which are inherited from the role. Role dependencies are relationships between roles that mirror an organization hierarchy or a more complex relationship among groups of operators, roles, or functional areas. Use role dependencies to simplify role configuration, minimize the number of roles needed by an access group, and minimize the number of privileges that you have to manually define for roles in your application.
For more information, see Access Role rules, Access Role form – Using the Role tab.
Improved operator security
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
To improve security, Pega® Platform now requires the following:
- During deployment, you must configure a password for [email protected].
- The administrator must enable new out-of-the-box operators.
- The administrator and new Pega-supplied operators must change their passwords after the first login.
These requirements replace the optional secured mode in earlier versions of Pega Platform.
Multifactor authentication now supports SMS
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
Multifactor authentication now supports short message service (SMS) as well as email. Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) is supported as a provider.
For more information, see Security policies settings.
Operator provisioning is supported by SAML and OpenID Connect authentication services
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
When you use SAML and OpenID authentication services, operators can be automatically provisioned without the need to write custom activities. Users can now be authenticated and provisioned from authentication providers that adhere to the OpenID Connect specification, such as Auth0, NetIQ, and Google.
For more information, see Configuring operator provisioning for a SAML SSO authentication service and Configuring operator provisioning for an OpenID Connect authentication service.
Support for OpenID Connect authentication
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
Pega® Platform now supports authentication services that use OpenID Connect, an emerging standard for government and enterprise cloud environments. This standard facilitates interoperability among identity management solutions and authentication through authentication providers that adhere to the OpenID Connect specification, including Auth0, NetIQ, and social media sites such as Google.
For more information, see Configuring an OpenID Connect authentication service.
New access control policy for encrypting properties
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
With attribute-based attribute control, you can now encrypt property values in the database, clipboard, logs, and search indexes for any property type. If no policy obfuscates an encrypted property, its value is visible in UI controls and reports.
For more information, see Creating an access control policy.
New privilege required to access the Search landing page
Valid from Pega Version 7.4
After upgrading to Pega® Platform 7.4, users who do not have the pxAccessSearchLP privilege cannot access the Search landing page. The pxAccessSearchLP privilege is automatically assigned to the SysAdm4 role. If you have other roles that require access to the Search landing page, you must add the pxAccessSearchLP privilege to those roles.
For more information about assigning privileges to roles, see User privilege authorization. (Link to: basics/v6portal/landingpages/accessmanager/customizeprivilegestab.htm)