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<concept id="GUID-3B6E25F7-C1A8-461F-97F7-421DB559BC98" xml:lang="en"><title>Process identification</title><prolog><metadata><keywords/></metadata></prolog><conbody>
<p>Sometimes it is useful for security reasons to obtain more information
about server or application processes, and identify an application
and even its vendor uniquely.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>To verify an application's identity, use <codeph><xref href="jar:GUID-35228542-8C95-4849-A73F-2B4F082F0C44.jar!/sdk/doc_source/reference/reference-cpp/Application_Architecture/RApaLsSessionClass.html" format="application/java-archive">RApaLsSession</xref></codeph> to retrieve the application's
name and  <i>Unique Identifier</i> UID, and compare them against known
information.</p><p>For more information, see <xref href="GUID-EA05F9B6-52C7-4BD9-8B9A-4BA3456E70B5.dita">UID</xref>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Use the <codeph><xref href="jar:GUID-35228542-8C95-4849-A73F-2B4F082F0C44.jar!/sdk/doc_source/reference/reference-cpp/Application_Architecture/TApaTaskListClass.html" format="application/java-archive">TApaTaskList</xref></codeph> class to get a list of currently
running applications.</p><p>In the platform security architecture
there are two different identifiers for applications: Secure Identifier
(SID) and Vendor Identifier  (VID).</p></li>
</ul>
<p><b id="GUID-EEC50FC0-46D5-4ED7-AD95-67430D5EC652">Secure Identifier
(SID)</b></p>
<p>Every executable has its own <i>Secure Identifier</i> (SID),
which is used to identify the running process launched from the executable.
It can also be used to determine which private directory a process
can access. SID is stored in the executable binary, so it has the
same security as any executable code. The SID value is not relevant
for <codeph>dll</codeph>.</p>
<p>SID values are requested from the <xref href="http://www.symbiansigned.com" scope="external">Symbian Signed</xref> web site.
The <xref href="GUID-1293DE8C-E803-4ADF-9FA8-862519337331.dita">Software
Installer</xref> ensures that no two applications have the same SID
value on a particular target device.</p>
<p>To retrieve the SID of a process, use the <codeph><xref href="jar:GUID-35228542-8C95-4849-A73F-2B4F082F0C44.jar!/sdk/doc_source/reference/reference-cpp/Kernel_Architecture_2/RProcessClass.html#%3a%3aRProcess%3a%3aSecureId%28%29const" format="application/java-archive">RProcess::SecureId()</xref></codeph> method . During inter
process communication, use the <codeph><xref href="jar:GUID-35228542-8C95-4849-A73F-2B4F082F0C44.jar!/sdk/doc_source/reference/reference-cpp/Kernel_Architecture_2/TSecurityPolicyClass.html" format="application/java-archive">TSecurityPolicy</xref></codeph> class to specify a security
policy consisting of both <xref href="GUID-6971B0A2-F79B-4E05-8AF3-BB1FC1932A22.dita">capability</xref> and SID checks.</p>
<p>For information on how to define the SID in the <codeph>mmp</codeph> file, see <codeph>secureid</codeph>. If SID is not specified in
the <codeph>mmp</codeph> file, the value of UID3 is used as the SID.</p>
<p><b id="GUID-EEC50FC0-46D5-4ED7-AD95-67430D5EC654">Vendor Identifier
(VID)</b></p>
<p>In addition to SID, signed applications have a <i>Vendor Identifier</i> (VID) which can be used to identify the source of the application.
Applications from one vendor usually share a common VID, but the vendor
may have different VIDs for different product families. VIDs can also
be used to group servers and clients into logical groups providing
services to each other.</p>
<p>Note that the VID cannot be reused for any other entity. For
example, the Nokia VID (<codeph>0x101FB657</codeph>) is property of
Nokia.</p>
<p>For information on how to define the VID in the <codeph>mmp</codeph> file, see <codeph>vendorid</codeph>.</p>
<section id="GUID-09668673-7926-453D-BD33-9894F5631C90"><title>Secure
inter process communication</title>
<p>Authentication can be done in different ways. The server can
decide to request (or not to request) capabilities from the client.
The client's options are more limited, the server is usually authenticated
by name. The <codeph>ProtServ</codeph> <xref href="GUID-6971B0A2-F79B-4E05-8AF3-BB1FC1932A22.dita">capability</xref> allows the server to insert an "!" in front of its name, indicating
that the server can be trusted. Nameless servers are also possible,
but no client can connect to them without a handle to the server.
The server can also authenticate the client with SID and VID.</p>
<p>Every server should define the following security policies:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Which capabilities are required by the calling application</p>
</li>
<li><p>Which SID and VID are required by the calling application</p>
</li>
<li><p>What actions are possible or must be done with the
information provided:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Can input data be trusted?</p></li>
<li><p>Is user acceptance needed for this operation?</p>
</li>
<li><p>Can this server act as a proxy towards other components?</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</section>
</conbody></concept>