Tomcat 7 - Secure a folder under webapps folder - security

Question

My web application is 'myweb', within this web app my code refers '123.pdf' under 'files' folder like http://localhost:8080/files/123.pdf
webapps
|
|--myweb
|
|--files
|
|--123.pdf
I want the resource (123.pdf) available only for logged in users, when I try to access directly by pasting (http://localhost:8080/files/123.pdf) in the browser address bar, without logging into the portal, I could access the file.
Basically I want to secure the 'files' folder under 'webapps', so that only authenticated users in portal could access resources under 'files' folder. How can I achieve this?

Answer 1

I found a way to solve this problem. This is what I came up with,
1) Convert 'files' folder to a web application and make files (say pdf) secured by using tomcat's
FORM based authentication
2) After getting authenticated to 'myweb' - here authentication is not tomcat container based, its based on
spring & hibernate -
asynchronously invoke a servlet (PopulateServlet.java) in 'files' web app from '/myweb/customerhomepage.jsp' and set tomcat role username & pwd in 'files' web app session
whenever there is a request to protected pdf under 'files' web app, login.jsp will be invoked - in this jsp populate hidden j_username & j_password fields
from session object which was already populated by PopulateServlet. Using jquery ajax, the html form will be submitted to tomcat
for resource authentication.
'files' web app changes:
Create new role and user name and password
/conf/tomcat-users.xml
<role rolename="tomcat"/>
<user username="tomcat" password="tomcat" roles="tomcat"/>
Create WEB-INF/web.xml
<servlet>
<servlet-name>Populate</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>PopulateServlet</servlet-class>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>Populate</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/Populate</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
<servlet>
<servlet-name>Logout</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>LogOutServlet</servlet-class> <!-- in this servlet, call session.invalidate() -->
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>Logout</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/Logout</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
<security-constraint>
<display-name>Security Constraint</display-name>
<web-resource-collection>
<web-resource-name>Protected Area</web-resource-name>
<url-pattern>/jsp/security/protected/*</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>*.pdf</url-pattern>
<http-method>DELETE</http-method>
<http-method>GET</http-method>
<http-method>POST</http-method>
<http-method>PUT</http-method>
</web-resource-collection>
<auth-constraint>
<role-name>tomcat</role-name>
</auth-constraint>
</security-constraint>
<login-config>
<auth-method>FORM</auth-method>
<realm-name>Form-Based Authentication Area</realm-name>
<form-login-config>
<form-login-page>/jsp/security/protected/login.jsp</form-login-page>
<form-error-page>/jsp/security/protected/error.jsp</form-error-page>
</form-login-config>
</login-config>
<!-- Security roles referenced by this web application -->
<security-role>
<role-name>tomcat</role-name>
</security-role>
Create login.jsp and error.jsp under /files/jsp/security/protected/
login.jsp
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function() {
$("#secure").submit();
});
</script>
...
<form method="POST" action='<%= response.encodeURL("j_security_check") %>' name="secure" id="secure">
<input type="hidden" name="j_username" value='<%=session.getAttribute("j_username")%>' />
<input type="hidden" name="j_password" value='<%=session.getAttribute("j_password")%>' />
</form>
...
PopulateServlet.java
HttpSession session = request.getSession(true);
session.setAttribute("j_username","tomcat");
session.setAttribute("j_password","tomcat");
'myweb' web app changes:
customerhomepage.jsp
$.get('/files/Populate?ts='+new Date().getMilliseconds());

Answer 2

Just add another configuration in your spring web config:
#Override
public void addResourceHandlers(ResourceHandlerRegistry registry) {
registry
.addResourceHandler("reports/**")
.addResourceLocations(reportsRootPath);
}
reportsRootPath is defined in properties file which could be any file System location.
Files are accessible like; reports/myReport.pdf
Here is the documentation which guided me