Who is doing what in your SAP system?

People who are using a SAP system all known the term transaction code. SAP data is restricted using role based access controls. Users that get access to the SAP system via a Graphical User interface (I include portal-like functionality just to keep it simple) and the restriction of SAP table data for the users is managed by the assigned authorizations of this user.  If users want to have access to functionality in the SAP system, the transaction code is the front door to get access to this functionality.

STAD data

SAP systems keep track of the transaction codes that were started by the users. This data is stored in the so called STAD data. STAD data can be used for monitoring, analyzing, auditing and maintaining the security concept. When analyzing the access restrictions to SAP functionalities and Segregation of Duty conflicts, STAD data can be used to answer questions like:

·         Who has performed a certain critical functionality? And When?

·         If a user has a critical Segregation of Duties conflict, did he actually perform this conflict?

Also for maintaining and monitoring the security concept the STAD data can be very helpful. It will give the overview of the functionality (transaction codes) that a user did use. This information can be used doing Reverse Business Engineering to decide which functionality the user does and does not need.

SAP systems only stores a limited period of STAD data. The number of days/weeks/months that the data is stored can be managed in the SAP system itself. The larger the period of the STAD data is defined, the more storing capacity the server needs. To downsize this capacity it is possible to make regular downloads of the STAD data and store this somewhere else. If this download is extended to the same database every time, you can have a large period of STAD data which is very valuable information.

Example of download STAD data

STAD data can be extracted from the SAP server(s) using the CSI Xtractor for example. This tool uses a Remote Function Call connection from the computer to the SAP server and the user logs on with his own SAP logon credentials (figure 1).

Figure 1 – Logon with user-id and password to make RFC connection to SAP system

After selecting the period, the tool makes the downloads and you have a STAD database with all the STAD data from the SAP system (in this example I have created the database in Microsoft Access).

Figure 2  - example of used transactions per user

Figure 3 – Example of transactions being used

This downloaded STAD data can be used by own reports/analysis. It is also possible to included this database and data in detailed SAP security analyse tools like CSI Authorization Auditor to analyze which transactions in a certain role were used by the user (figure 4) and of SOD conflicts were executed by the user (figure 5)

Figure 4 – Example of transactions being used in CSI Authorization Auditor

Figure 5 – Example of SOD conflict with Executed (STAD) information
(C) Meta Hoetjes 2014 
CSI Authorization Auditor and CSI Role Build and Manage are registered trademarks by CSI Tools bvba
www.csi-tools.com

Fine tuning your GRC filter set with Custom transactions

Sometimes it is necessary to create new (custom) transactions in the SAP systems. These customized transactions should always be taken into account when doing an audit/analysis on the authorizations concept.How to identify the authorization checks for these custom transactions?

Not all custom transactions will be very critical (hopefully). But how to make sure you are including the critical ones in your analysis? First, have a look at the custom transactions that are existing. In the table TSTC, all available transactions are stored.

1.Via Se16 -> TSTC

2.Custom transactions will begin with the letter Y or Z.

2.       Search on the y* and z* transactions

3.You get the overview of all existing custom transactions

Not all custom transactions are critical, but the critical ones should be included in your analysis.

You can have a look at the name of the custom transaction via table TSTCT, but even custom transactions with harmless names can be critical. So you have to go through every custom transaction to see what it really is.

Once you have your list of critical transactions you want to include these in your rule set for auditing. But how to check if authorizations checks are included into the custom transaction? Normally a transaction can be secured by either having the authorization check included in the report itself, or by calling another transaction. How to check if the custom transaction has authorizations check(s):

-          Transactions that are secured via Call transactions and/or authority checks

1.       Via SE93 Enter the custom transaction and click button Display (example below is for transaction FD01)

2.       Double click on the program

3.       This will show the program (ABAP code). Open the Find option

4.       Enter auth and search the main program

5.       This will give you the AUTHORITY CHECKS as result.

Hint: Double click on the line to see the details of the statement

6.       Should you not find any results, it is possible that the transaction will call another transaction and it will inherit the authorization checks from the called transaction. Check for “transaction” instead of “auth”

7.       When the custom transaction calls another transaction, double click on the transaction

8.       Repeat steps 3-7 to find the authorization checks for this new transaction.

 Report RSABAPSC

-          There is a report in SAP that shows the AUTHORITY CHECKS statements in the program code of a (custom) transaction. How to search if the ABAP program has “AUTHORITY CHECK” statement implemented using this report

1.       VIA SA38 -> report RSABAPSC

2.       This program will trace the AUTHORITY-CHECK command that are defined in the program (ABAP code) of the custom transaction and will include the search in underlying sub programs. The recurrence level can be specified, “5” is de default value.

In the example below I did a search on the AUTHORITY-CHECK values for the(not custom) transaction F110.

Parameter transactions

Some custom transactions will be used to maintain a certain table and will be defined as a parameter transaction. In this case, the authorization check on the table authorization group must be implemented  (object S_TABU_LIN). How to check this?

1. Via SE93 enter the transaction and the result will look like

2. When the custom transaction code is a parameter transaction, the authorization group for table should be  added. Scroll down and copy the view name.

3. Search which table authorization groups are assigned to the view

Transaction SE11. Enter the view name and click the button display

4. The related tables for this view are shown in the sheet tables/ join conditions

5. Via Utilities -> Assign authorization group you can see the assigned table authorization groups for this view

The table TDDAT gives the relations between tables and table authorization groups.
(C) Meta Hoetjes 2014 
CSI Authorization Auditor and CSI Role Build and Manage are registered trademarks by CSI Tools bvba
www.csi-tools.com