User Guide

102 CFML Language Reference
CFIMPERSONATE
Allows you to impersonate a user defined in a security context defined in Advanced
Security. The ColdFusion Application Server enforces all the privileges and restrictions
that have been set up for that user with the Advanced Security rules.
Syntax <CFIMPERSONATE
SECURITYCONTEXT="SecurityContext"
USERNAME="Name"
PASSWORD="Password"
TYPE= "CF" or "OS"
...
HTML or CFML code to execute
...
</CFIMPERSONATE>
SECURITYCONTEXT
Required. The security context in which the user should be authenticated. If the
impersonation type is "CF ," then you should specify a security context that has
already been defined using the ColdFusion Advanced Security Administrator. If
the impersonation type is "OS," then you should specify an NT domain as the
security context.
USERNAME
Required. The user name of the user you want to impersonate. You can create a
rule within ColdFusion Advanced Security to restrict a user from being
impersonated within a security context.
PASSWORD
Required. The password of the user that you want to impersonate.
TYPE
Required. The type of impersonation needed. This attribute can have the value –
"CF " for impersonation at the application level or "OS" for impersonation at the
operating system level. Operating System level impersonation means that the
impersonation is of a user known to the operating system. Currently, this type of
impersonation is available only for Windows NT and not for UNIX. When this
type of impersonation is in effect, the operating system will automatically perform
access control for access to any resources managed by the operating system such
as files and directories. This is fast, since ColdFusion is not doing any extra
checking, the OS is, but the OS is limited since only resources that are protected by
the operating systemare protected. For example, the operating system cannot
check for resource types such as Application, data sources etc.
Usage CFIMPERSONATE is typically used to run a block of code in a secure mode. For
impersonation of type "CF," there is automatic enforcement of access control of
ColdFusion resources such as files, data sources, and collections between the start and
end tags of CFIMPERSONATE. If CF type impersonation is turned on, the ColdFusion