How to encrypt the "TIBCO Spotfire Keep Alive Service" Windows user name and password.

How to encrypt the "TIBCO Spotfire Keep Alive Service" Windows user name and password.

The TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Keep Alive service configuration file, Spotfire.Dxp.Web.KeepAlive.exe.config, uses plain text to store the Windows user name and password for the account that the Keep Alive service will use. These values cannot be encrypted as can be done in the Web Player web.config file, but see the Resolution section of this KB for another method to avoid storing the Windows credentials in plain text in the configuration file. Instead of having the service use the "Local Service Account" and specifying the explicit Windows user name and password in the Spotfire.Dxp.Web.KeepAlive.exe.config file, you can instead run the Keep Alive service as a specific Windows Account and remove the credentials from the config file.

 

To configure:

1. Run > Services.msc > Right click on "TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Keep Alive" service > Properties > "Log on" tab > "This account:"
2. Enter the Windows account credentials here in the service properties.  
3. Click OK.
4. Remove the WindowsUserName and WindowsPassword values from the Spotfire.Dxp.Web.KeepAlive.exe.config file. For example:

   </setting>
               <setting name="WindowsUserName" serializeAs="String">
                   <value/>
               </setting>
               <setting name="WindowsPassword" serializeAs="String">
                   <value/>
               </setting>

Start the "TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Keep Alive" service. It will now be running without the Windows credentials specified in plain text.