WebSphere MQ switch profiles must be properly defined to the appropriate ADMIN class.

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
high	V-225630	SRG-OS-000080	ZWMQ0051	SV-225630r1146218_rule	2025-09-28	7

Description
WebSphere MQ resources allow for the control of administrator functions, connections, commands, queues, processes, and namelists. Some resources provide the ability to disable or bypass security checking. Failure to properly protect WebSphere MQ resources may result in unauthorized access. This exposure could compromise the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of system services, applications, and customer data.

Description

WebSphere MQ resources allow for the control of administrator functions, connections, commands, queues, processes, and namelists. Some resources provide the ability to disable or bypass security checking. Failure to properly protect WebSphere MQ resources may result in unauthorized access. This exposure could compromise the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of system services, applications, and customer data.

ℹ️ Check
Refer to the following report produced by the z/OS Data Collection: - MQSRPT(ssid). Automated Analysis requires Additional Analysis. Refer to the following report produced by the z/OS Data Collection: - PDI(ZWMQ0051). Note: ssid is the queue manager name (a.k.a., subsystem identifier). Review the Security switches identified in response to the DISPLAY SECURITY command in each ssid report(s). If all of the following switches specify ON, this is not a finding. SUBSYSTEM CONNECTION COMMAND CONTEXT ALTERNATE USER PROCESS NAMELIST QUEUE TOPIC COMMAND RESOURCES If SUBSYSTEM specifies OFF, this is a finding with a severity of Category I. If any of the other above switches specify OFF (other than the exception mentioned below), this is a finding and downgrade the severity to a Category II. If COMMAND RESOURCE Security switch specifies OFF, this is not a finding. Note: At the discretion of the ISSO, COMMAND RESOURCE Security switch may specify OFF by defining ssid.NO.CMD.RESC.CHECKS in the MQADMIN (or MXADMIN if SCYCASE is set to MIXED) resource class.

ℹ️ Check

Refer to the following report produced by the z/OS Data Collection: - MQSRPT(ssid). Automated Analysis requires Additional Analysis. Refer to the following report produced by the z/OS Data Collection: - PDI(ZWMQ0051). Note: ssid is the queue manager name (a.k.a., subsystem identifier). Review the Security switches identified in response to the DISPLAY SECURITY command in each ssid report(s). If all of the following switches specify ON, this is not a finding. SUBSYSTEM CONNECTION COMMAND CONTEXT ALTERNATE USER PROCESS NAMELIST QUEUE TOPIC COMMAND RESOURCES If SUBSYSTEM specifies OFF, this is a finding with a severity of Category I. If any of the other above switches specify OFF (other than the exception mentioned below), this is a finding and downgrade the severity to a Category II. If COMMAND RESOURCE Security switch specifies OFF, this is not a finding. Note: At the discretion of the ISSO, COMMAND RESOURCE Security switch may specify OFF by defining ssid.NO.CMD.RESC.CHECKS in the MQADMIN (or MXADMIN if SCYCASE is set to MIXED) resource class.

✔️ Fix
Switch profiles are special WebSphere MQ profiles that are used to turn on/off security checking for a type of resource. Due to the security exposure this creates, no profiles with the first two qualifiers of ssid.NO will be defined to the MQADMIN or MXADMIN class, with one exception. Due to the fact that (1) all sensitive WebSphere MQ commands are restricted to queue managers, channel initiators, and designated systems personnel, and (2) no command resource checking is performed on DISPLAY commands, at the discretion of the ISSO a ssid.NO.CMD.RESC.CHECKS switch profile may be defined to the MQADMIN or MXADMIN class. Identify if any switch profile permissions exist using the sample TSS command: TSS WHOHAS MQADMIN(ssid.NO.) Use the "TSS REVOKE(acid) MQADMIN(<SwitchProfileName>)" to remove the profile. An additional refresh to an active WebSphere MQ queue manager may be required. A sample is shown below using the value QMD1 as the queue manager name. From the Console: >QMD1 REFRESH SECURITY(*)

✔️ Fix

Switch profiles are special WebSphere MQ profiles that are used to turn on/off security checking for a type of resource. Due to the security exposure this creates, no profiles with the first two qualifiers of ssid.NO will be defined to the MQADMIN or MXADMIN class, with one exception. Due to the fact that (1) all sensitive WebSphere MQ commands are restricted to queue managers, channel initiators, and designated systems personnel, and (2) no command resource checking is performed on DISPLAY commands, at the discretion of the ISSO a ssid.NO.CMD.RESC.CHECKS switch profile may be defined to the MQADMIN or MXADMIN class. Identify if any switch profile permissions exist using the sample TSS command: TSS WHOHAS MQADMIN(ssid.NO.) Use the "TSS REVOKE(acid) MQADMIN(<SwitchProfileName>)" to remove the profile. An additional refresh to an active WebSphere MQ queue manager may be required. A sample is shown below using the value QMD1 as the queue manager name. From the Console: >QMD1 REFRESH SECURITY(*)