Independent Submission                                        M. Jenkins
Request for Comments: 8756                                    L. Zieglar
Category: Informational                                              NSA
ISSN: 2070-1721                                               March 2020


    Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite Profile of
                   Certificate Management over CMS

Abstract

  This document specifies a profile of the Certificate Management over
  CMS (CMC) protocol for managing X.509 public key certificates in
  applications that use the Commercial National Security Algorithm
  (CNSA) Suite published by the United States Government.

  The profile applies to the capabilities, configuration, and operation
  of all components of US National Security Systems that manage X.509
  public key certificates over CMS.  It is also appropriate for all
  other US Government systems that process high-value information.

  The profile is made publicly available here for use by developers and
  operators of these and any other system deployments.

Status of This Memo

  This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
  published for informational purposes.

  This is a contribution to the RFC Series, independently of any other
  RFC stream.  The RFC Editor has chosen to publish this document at
  its discretion and makes no statement about its value for
  implementation or deployment.  Documents approved for publication by
  the RFC Editor are not candidates for any level of Internet Standard;
  see Section 2 of RFC 7841.

  Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
  and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
  https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8756.

Copyright Notice

  Copyright (c) 2020 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
  document authors.  All rights reserved.

  This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
  Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
  (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
  publication of this document.  Please review these documents
  carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
  to this document.

Table of Contents

  1.  Introduction
    1.1.  Terminology
  2.  The Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite
  3.  Requirements and Assumptions
  4.  Client Requirements: Generating PKI Requests
    4.1.  Tagged Certification Request
    4.2.  Certificate Request Message
  5.  RA Requirements
    5.1.  RA Processing of Requests
    5.2.  RA-Generated PKI Requests
    5.3.  RA-Generated PKI Responses
  6.  CA Requirements
    6.1.  CA Processing of PKI Requests
    6.2.  CA-Generated PKI Responses
  7.  Client Requirements: Processing PKI Responses
  8.  Shared-Secrets
  9.  Security Considerations
  10. IANA Considerations
  11. References
    11.1.  Normative References
    11.2.  Informative References
  Appendix A.  Scenarios
    A.1.  Initial Enrollment
    A.2.  Rekey
  Authors' Addresses

1.  Introduction

  This document specifies a profile of the Certificate Management over
  CMS (CMC) protocol to comply with the United States National Security
  Agency's Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite [CNSA].
  The profile applies to the capabilities, configuration, and operation
  of all components of US National Security Systems [SP80059].  It is
  also appropriate for all other US Government systems that process
  high-value information.  It is made publicly available for use by
  developers and operators of these and any other system deployments.

  This document does not define any new cryptographic algorithm suites;
  instead, it defines a CNSA-compliant profile of CMC.  CMC is defined
  in [RFC5272], [RFC5273], and [RFC5274] and is updated by [RFC6402].
  This document profiles CMC to manage X.509 public key certificates in
  compliance with the CNSA Suite Certificate and Certificate Revocation
  List (CRL) profile [RFC8603].  This document specifically focuses on
  defining CMC interactions for both the initial enrollment and rekey
  of CNSA Suite public key certificates between a client and a
  Certification Authority (CA).  One or more Registration Authorities
  (RAs) may act as intermediaries between the client and the CA.  This
  profile may be further tailored by specific communities to meet their
  needs.  Specific communities will also define certificate policies
  that implementations need to comply with.

1.1.  Terminology

  The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
  "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
  "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
  BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
  capitals, as shown here.

  The terminology in [RFC5272], Section 2.1 applies to this profile.

  The term "certificate request" is used to refer to a single PKCS #10
  or Certificate Request Message Format (CRMF) structure.  All PKI
  Requests are Full PKI Requests, and all PKI Responses are Full PKI
  Responses; the respective set of terms should be interpreted
  synonymously in this document.

2.  The Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite

  The National Security Agency (NSA) profiles commercial cryptographic
  algorithms and protocols as part of its mission to support secure,
  interoperable communications for US Government National Security
  Systems.  To this end, it publishes guidance both to assist with the
  US Government transition to new algorithms and to provide vendors --
  and the Internet community in general -- with information concerning
  their proper use and configuration within the scope of US Government
  National Security Systems.

  Recently, cryptographic transition plans have become overshadowed by
  the prospect of the development of a cryptographically relevant
  quantum computer.  The NSA has established the Commercial National
  Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite to provide vendors and IT users near-
  term flexibility in meeting their cybersecurity interoperability
  requirements.  The purpose behind this flexibility is to avoid having
  vendors and customers make two major transitions in a relatively
  short timeframe, as we anticipate a need to shift to quantum-
  resistant cryptography in the near future.

  The NSA is authoring a set of RFCs, including this one, to provide
  updated guidance concerning the use of certain commonly available
  commercial algorithms in IETF protocols.  These RFCs can be used in
  conjunction with other RFCs and cryptographic guidance (e.g., NIST
  Special Publications) to properly protect Internet traffic and data-
  at-rest for US Government National Security Systems.

3.  Requirements and Assumptions

  Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) and Elliptic Curve
  Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key pairs are on the P-384 curve.  FIPS 186-4
  [FIPS186], Appendix B.4 provides useful guidance for elliptic curve
  key pair generation that SHOULD be followed by systems that conform
  to this document.

  RSA key pairs (public, private) are identified by the modulus size
  expressed in bits; RSA-3072 and RSA-4096 are computed using moduli of
  3072 bits and 4096 bits, respectively.

  RSA signature key pairs used in CNSA Suite-compliant implementations
  are either RSA-3072 or RSA-4096.  The RSA exponent e MUST satisfy
  2^(16) < e < 2^(256) and be odd per [FIPS186].

  It is recognized that, while the vast majority of RSA signatures are
  currently made using the RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5 algorithm, the preferred
  RSA signature scheme for new applications is RSASSA-PSS.  CNSA Suite-
  compliant X.509 certificates will be issued in accordance with
  [RFC8603], and while those certificates must be signed and validated
  using RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5, the subject's private key can be used to
  generate signatures of either signing scheme.  Where use of RSASSA-
  PSS is indicated in this document, the following parameters apply:

  *  The hash algorithm MUST be id-sha384 as defined in [RFC8017];

  *  The mask generation function MUST use the algorithm identifier
     mfg1SHA384Identifier as defined in [RFC4055];

  *  The salt length MUST be 48 octets; and

  *  The trailerField MUST have value 1.

  These parameters will not appear in a certificate and MUST be
  securely communicated with the signature, as required by Section 2.2
  of [RFC4056].  Application developers are obliged to ensure that the
  chosen signature scheme is appropriate for the application and will
  be interoperable within the intended operating scope of the
  application.

  This document assumes that the required trust anchors have been
  securely provisioned to the client and, when applicable, to any RAs.

  All requirements in [RFC5272], [RFC5273], [RFC5274], and [RFC6402]
  apply, except where overridden by this profile.

  This profile was developed with the scenarios described in Appendix A
  in mind.  However, use of this profile is not limited to just those
  scenarios.

  The term "client" in this profile typically refers to an end-entity.
  However, it may instead refer to a third party acting on the end-
  entity's behalf.  The client may or may not be the entity that
  actually generates the key pair, but it does perform the CMC protocol
  interactions with the RA and/or CA.  For example, the client may be a
  token management system that communicates with a cryptographic token
  through an out-of-band secure protocol.

  This profile uses the term "rekey" in the same manner as CMC does
  (defined in Section 2 of [RFC5272]).  The profile makes no specific
  statements about the ability to do "renewal" operations; however, the
  statements applicable to "rekey" should be applied to "renewal" as
  well.

  This profile may be used to manage RA and/or CA certificates.  In
  that case, the RA and/or CA whose certificate is being managed is
  considered to be the end-entity.

  This profile does not discuss key establishment certification
  requests from cryptographic modules that cannot generate a one-time
  signature with a key establishment key for proof-of-possession
  purposes.  In that case, a separate profile would be needed to define
  the use of another proof-of-possession technique.

4.  Client Requirements: Generating PKI Requests

  This section specifies the conventions employed when a client
  requests a certificate from a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

  The Full PKI Request MUST be used; it MUST be encapsulated in a
  SignedData; and the SignedData MUST be constructed in accordance with
  [RFC8755].  The PKIData content type defined in [RFC5272] is used
  with the following additional requirements:

  *  controlSequence SHOULD be present.

     -  TransactionId and SenderNonce SHOULD be included.  Other CMC
        controls MAY be included.

     -  If the request is being authenticated using a shared-secret,
        then Identity Proof Version 2 control MUST be included with the
        following constraints:

        o  hashAlgId MUST be id-sha384 for all certification requests
           (algorithm OIDs are defined in [RFC5754]).

        o  macAlgId MUST be HMAC-SHA384 (the Hashed Message
           Authentication Code (HMAC) algorithm is defined in
           [RFC4231]).

     -  If the subject name included in the certification request is
        NULL or otherwise does not uniquely identify the end-entity,
        then the POP Link Random control MUST be included, and the POP
        Link Witness Version 2 control MUST be included in the inner
        PKCS #10 [RFC2986] or Certificate Request Message Format (CRMF)
        [RFC4211] request as described in Sections 4.1 and 4.2.

  *  reqSequence MUST be present.  It MUST include at least one tcr
     (see Section 4.1) or crm (see Section 4.2) TaggedRequest.  Support
     for the orm choice is OPTIONAL.

  The private signing key used to generate the encapsulating SignedData
  MUST correspond to the public key of an existing signature
  certificate unless an appropriate signature certificate does not yet
  exist, such as during initial enrollment.

  The encapsulating SignedData MUST be generated using SHA-384 and
  either ECDSA on P-384 or RSA using either RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5 or
  RSASSA-PSS with an RSA-3072 or RSA-4096 key.

  If an appropriate signature certificate does not yet exist and if a
  Full PKI Request includes one or more certification requests and is
  authenticated using a shared-secret (because no appropriate
  certificate exists yet to authenticate the request), the Full PKI
  Request MUST be signed using the private key corresponding to the
  public key of one of the requested certificates.  When necessary
  (i.e., because there is no existing signature certificate and there
  is no signature certification request included), a Full PKI Request
  MAY be signed using a key pair intended for use in a key
  establishment certificate.  However, servers are not required to
  allow this behavior.

4.1.  Tagged Certification Request

  The reqSequence tcr choice conveys PKCS #10 [RFC2986] syntax.  The
  CertificateRequest MUST comply with [RFC5272], Section 3.2.1.2.1,
  with the following additional requirements:

  *  certificationRequestInfo:

     -  subjectPublicKeyInfo MUST be set as defined in Section 5.4 of
        [RFC8603].

     -  Attributes:

        o  The ExtensionReq attribute MUST be included with its
           contents as follows:

           +  The keyUsage extension MUST be included, and it MUST be
              set as defined in [RFC8603].

           +  For rekey requests, the SubjectAltName extension MUST be
              included and set equal to the SubjectAltName of the
              certificate that is being used to sign the SignedData
              encapsulating the request (i.e., not the certificate
              being rekeyed) if the subject field of the certificate
              being used to generate the signature is NULL.

           +  Other extension requests MAY be included as desired.

        o  The ChangeSubjectName attribute, as defined in [RFC6402],
           MUST be included if the Full PKI Request encapsulating this
           Tagged Certification Request is being signed by a key for
           which a certificate currently exists and the existing
           certificate's subject field or SubjectAltName extension does
           not match the desired subject name or SubjectAltName
           extension of this certification request.

        o  The POP Link Witness Version 2 attribute MUST be included if
           the request is being authenticated using a shared-secret and
           the subject name in the certification request is NULL or
           otherwise does not uniquely identify the end-entity.  In the
           POP Link Witness Version 2 attribute, keyGenAlgorithm MUST
           be id-sha384 for certification requests, as defined in
           [RFC5754]; macAlgorithm MUST be HMAC-SHA384, as defined in
           [RFC4231].

     -  signatureAlgorithm MUST be ecdsa-with-sha384 for P-384
        certification requests and sha384WithRSAEncryption or id-
        RSASSA-PSS for RSA-3072 and RSA-4096 certification requests.

     -  signature MUST be generated using the private key corresponding
        to the public key in the CertificationRequestInfo for both
        signature and key establishment certification requests.  The
        signature provides proof-of-possession of the private key to
        the CA.

4.2.  Certificate Request Message

  The reqSequence crm choice conveys Certificate Request Message Format
  (CRMF) [RFC4211] syntax.  The CertReqMsg MUST comply with [RFC5272],
  Section 3.2.1.2.2, with the following additional requirements:

  *  popo MUST be included using the signature (POPOSigningKey) proof-
     of-possession choice and be set as defined in [RFC4211],
     Section 4.1 for both signature and key establishment certification
     requests.  The POPOSigningKey poposkInput field MUST be omitted.
     The POPOSigningKey algorithmIdentifier MUST be ecdsa-with-sha384
     for P-384 certification requests and sha384WithRSAEncryption or
     id-RSASSA-PSS for RSA-3072 and RSA-4096 certification requests.
     The signature MUST be generated using the private key
     corresponding to the public key in the CertTemplate.

  The CertTemplate MUST comply with [RFC5272], Section 3.2.1.2.2, with
  the following additional requirements:

  *  If version is included, it MUST be set to 2 as defined in
     Section 5.3 of [RFC8603].

  *  publicKey MUST be set as defined in Section 5.4 of [RFC8603].

  *  Extensions:

     -  The keyUsage extension MUST be included, and it MUST be set as
        defined in [RFC8603].

     -  For rekey requests, the SubjectAltName extension MUST be
        included and set equal to the SubjectAltName of the certificate
        that is being used to sign the SignedData encapsulating the
        request (i.e., not the certificate being rekeyed) if the
        subject name of the certificate being used to generate the
        signature is NULL.

     -  Other extension requests MAY be included as desired.

  *  Controls:

     -  The ChangeSubjectName attribute, as defined in [RFC6402], MUST
        be included if the Full PKI Request encapsulating this Tagged
        Certification Request is being signed by a key for which a
        certificate currently exists and the existing certificate's
        subject name or SubjectAltName extension does not match the
        desired subject name or SubjectAltName extension of this
        certification request.

     -  The POP Link Witness Version 2 attribute MUST be included if
        the request is being authenticated using a shared-secret and
        the subject name in the certification request is NULL or
        otherwise does not uniquely identify the end-entity.  In the
        POP Link Witness Version 2 attribute, keyGenAlgorithm MUST be
        id-sha384 for certification requests; macAlgorithm MUST be
        HMAC-SHA384 when keyGenAlgorithm is id-sha384.

5.  RA Requirements

  This section addresses the optional case where one or more RAs act as
  intermediaries between clients and a CA as described in Section 7 of
  [RFC5272].  In this section, the term "client" refers to the entity
  from which the RA received the PKI Request.  This section is only
  applicable to RAs.

5.1.  RA Processing of Requests

  RAs conforming to this document MUST ensure that only the permitted
  signature, hash, and MAC algorithms described throughout this profile
  are used in requests; if they are not, the RA MUST reject those
  requests.  The RA SHOULD return a CMCFailInfo with the value of
  badAlg [RFC5272].

  When processing end-entity-generated SignedData objects, RAs MUST NOT
  perform Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) Content Constraints (CCC)
  certificate extension processing [RFC6010].

  Other RA processing is performed as described in [RFC5272].

5.2.  RA-Generated PKI Requests

  RAs mediate the certificate request process by collecting client
  requests in batches.  The RA MUST encapsulate client-generated PKI
  Requests in a new RA-signed PKI Request, it MUST create a Full PKI
  Request encapsulated in a SignedData, and the SignedData MUST be
  constructed in accordance with [RFC8755].  The PKIData content type
  complies with [RFC5272] with the following additional requirements:

  *  controlSequence MUST be present.  It MUST include the following
     CMC controls: Transaction ID, Sender Nonce, and Batch Requests.
     Other appropriate CMC controls MAY be included.

  *  cmsSequence MUST be present.  It contains the original, unmodified
     request(s) received from the client.

        SignedData (applied by the RA)
          PKIData
            controlSequence (Transaction ID, Sender Nonce,
                                                 Batch Requests)
            cmsSequence
              SignedData (applied by client)
                PKIData
                  controlSequence (Transaction ID, Sender Nonce)
                  reqSequence
                    TaggedRequest
                    {TaggedRequest}
              {SignedData     (second client request)
                PKIData...}

  Authorization to sign RA-generated Full PKI Requests SHOULD be
  indicated in the RA certificate by inclusion of the id-kp-cmcRA
  Extended Key Usage (EKU) from [RFC6402].  The RA certificate MAY also
  include the CCC certificate extension [RFC6010], or it MAY indicate
  authorization through inclusion of the CCC certificate extension
  alone.  The RA certificate may also be authorized through the local
  configuration.

  If the RA is authorized via the CCC extension, then the CCC extension
  MUST include the object identifier for the PKIData content type.  CCC
  SHOULD be included if constraints are to be placed on the content
  types generated.

  The outer SignedData MUST be generated using SHA-384 and either ECDSA
  on P-384 or RSA using RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5 or RSASSA-PSS with an
  RSA-3072 or RSA-4096 key.

  If the Full PKI Response is a successful response to a PKI Request
  that only contained a Get Certificate or Get CRL control, then the
  algorithm used in the response MUST match the algorithm used in the
  request.

5.3.  RA-Generated PKI Responses

  In order for an RA certificate using the CCC certificate extension to
  be authorized to generate responses, the object identifier for the
  PKIResponse content type must be present in the CCC certificate
  extension.

6.  CA Requirements

  This section specifies the requirements for CAs that receive PKI
  Requests and generate PKI Responses.

6.1.  CA Processing of PKI Requests

  CAs conforming to this document MUST ensure that only the permitted
  signature, hash, and MAC algorithms described throughout this profile
  are used in requests; if they are not, the CA MUST reject those
  requests.  The CA SHOULD return a CMCStatusInfoV2 control with a
  CMCStatus of failed and a CMCFailInfo with the value of badAlg
  [RFC5272].

  For requests involving an RA (i.e., batched requests), the CA MUST
  verify the RA's authorization.  The following certificate fields MUST
  NOT be modifiable using the Modify Certification Request control:
  publicKey and the keyUsage extension.  The request MUST be rejected
  if an attempt to modify those certification request fields is
  present.  The CA SHOULD return a CMCStatusInfoV2 control with a
  CMCStatus of failed and a CMCFailInfo with a value of badRequest.

  When processing end-entity-generated SignedData objects, CAs MUST NOT
  perform CCC certificate extension processing [RFC6010].

  If a client-generated PKI Request includes the ChangeSubjectName
  attribute as described in Section 4.1 or 4.2 above, the CA MUST
  ensure that name change is authorized.  The mechanism for ensuring
  that the name change is authorized is out of scope.  A CA that
  performs this check and finds that the name change is not authorized
  MUST reject the PKI Request.  The CA SHOULD return an Extended CMC
  Status Info control (CMCStatusInfoV2) with a CMCStatus of failed.

  Other processing of PKIRequests is performed as described in
  [RFC5272].

6.2.  CA-Generated PKI Responses

  CAs send PKI Responses to both client-generated requests and RA-
  generated requests.  If a Full PKI Response is returned in direct
  response to a client-generated request, it MUST be encapsulated in a
  SignedData, and the SignedData MUST be constructed in accordance with
  [RFC8755].

  If the PKI Response is in response to an RA-generated PKI Request,
  then the above PKI Response is encapsulated in another CA-generated
  PKI Response.  That PKI Response MUST be encapsulated in a
  SignedData, and the SignedData MUST be constructed in accordance with
  [RFC8755].  The above PKI Response is placed in the encapsulating PKI
  Response cmsSequence field.  The other fields are as above with the
  addition of the batch response control in controlSequence.  The
  following illustrates a successful CA response to an RA-encapsulated
  PKI Request, both of which include Transaction IDs and Nonces:

        SignedData (applied by the CA)
          PKIResponse
            controlSequence (Transaction ID, Sender Nonce, Recipient
                             Nonce, Batch Response)
            cmsSequence
              SignedData (applied by CA and includes returned
                          certificates)
                PKIResponse
                  controlSequence (Transaction ID, Sender Nonce,
                                   Recipient Nonce)

  The same private key used to sign certificates MUST NOT be used to
  sign Full PKI Response messages.  Instead, a separate certificate
  indicating authorization to sign CMC responses MUST be used.

  Authorization to sign Full PKI Responses SHOULD be indicated in the
  CA certificate by inclusion of the id-kp-cmcCA EKU from [RFC6402].
  The CA certificate MAY also include the CCC certificate extension
  [RFC6010], or it MAY indicate authorization through inclusion of the
  CCC certificate extension alone.  The CA certificate may also be
  authorized through local configuration.

  In order for a CA certificate using the CCC certificate extension to
  be authorized to generate responses, the object identifier for the
  PKIResponse content type must be present in the CCC certificate
  extension.  CCC SHOULD be included if constraints are to be placed on
  the content types generated.

  Signatures applied to individual certificates are as required in
  [RFC8603].

  The signature on the SignedData of a successful response to a client-
  generated request, or each individual inner SignedData on the
  successful response to an RA-generated request, MUST be generated
  using SHA-384 and either ECDSA on P-384 or RSA using RSASSA-
  PKCS1-v1_5 or RSASSA-PSS with an RSA-3072 or RSA-4096 key.  An
  unsuccessful response MUST be signed using the same key type and
  algorithm that signed the request.

  The outer SignedData on the Full PKI Response to any RA-generated PKI
  Request MUST be signed with the same key type and algorithm that
  signed the request.

  The SignedData on a successful Full PKI Response to a PKI Request
  that only contained a Get Certificate or Get CRL control MUST be
  signed with the same key type and algorithm that signed the request.

7.  Client Requirements: Processing PKI Responses

  Clients conforming to this document MUST ensure that only the
  permitted signature, hash, and MAC algorithms described throughout
  this profile are used in responses; if they are not, the client MUST
  reject those responses.

  Clients MUST authenticate all Full PKI Responses.  This includes
  verifying that the PKI Response is signed by an authorized CA or RA
  whose certificate validates back to a trust anchor.  The authorized
  CA certificate MUST include the id-kp-cmcCA EKU and/or a CCC
  extension that includes the object identifier for the PKIResponse
  content type.  Otherwise, the CA is determined to be authorized to
  sign responses through an implementation-specific mechanism.  The PKI
  Response can be signed by an RA if it is an error message, if it is a
  response to a Get Certificate or Get CRL request, or if the PKI
  Response contains an inner PKI Response signed by a CA.  In the last
  case, each layer of PKI Response MUST still contain an authorized,
  valid signature signed by an entity with a valid certificate that
  verifies back to an acceptable trust anchor.  The authorized RA
  certificate MUST include the id-kp-cmcRA EKU and/or include a CCC
  extension that includes the object identifier for the PKIResponse
  content type.  Otherwise, the RA is determined to be authorized to
  sign responses through local configuration.

  When a newly issued certificate is included in the PKI Response, the
  client MUST verify that the newly issued certificate's public key
  matches the public key that the client requested.  The client MUST
  also ensure that the certificate's signature is valid and that the
  signature validates back to an acceptable trust anchor.

  Clients MUST reject PKI Responses that do not pass these tests.
  Local policy will determine whether the client returns a Full PKI
  Response with an Extended CMC Status Info control (CMCStatusInfoV2)
  with the CMCStatus set to failed to a user console, error log, or the
  server.

  If the Full PKI Response contains an Extended CMC Status Info control
  with a CMCStatus set to failed, then local policy will determine
  whether the client resends a duplicate certification request back to
  the server or an error state is returned to a console or error log.

8.  Shared-Secrets

  When the Identity Proof V2 and POP Link Witness V2 controls are used,
  the shared-secret MUST be randomly generated and securely
  distributed.  The shared-secret MUST provide at least 192 bits of
  strength.

9.  Security Considerations

  Protocol security considerations are found in [RFC2986], [RFC4211],
  [RFC8755], [RFC5272], [RFC5273], [RFC5274], [RFC8603], and [RFC6402].
  When CCC is used to authorize RA and CA certificates, then the
  security considerations in [RFC6010] also apply.  Algorithm security
  considerations are found in [RFC8755].

  Compliant with NIST Special Publication 800-57 [SP80057], this
  profile defines proof-of-possession of a key establishment private
  key by performing a digital signature.  Except for one-time proof-of-
  possession, a single key pair MUST NOT be used for both signature and
  key establishment.

  This specification requires implementations to generate key pairs and
  other random values.  The use of inadequate pseudorandom number
  generators (PRNGs) can result in little or no security.  The
  generation of quality random numbers is difficult.  NIST Special
  Publication 800-90A [SP80090A], FIPS 186-3 [FIPS186], and [RFC4086]
  offer random number generation guidance.

  When RAs are used, the list of authorized RAs MUST be securely
  distributed out of band to CAs.

  Presence of the POP Link Witness Version 2 and POP Link Random
  attributes protects against substitution attacks.

  The certificate policy for a particular environment will specify
  whether expired certificates can be used to sign certification
  requests.

10.  IANA Considerations

  This document has no IANA actions.

11.  References

11.1.  Normative References

  [CNSA]     Committee on National Security Systems, "Use of Public
             Standards for Secure Information Sharing", CNSS Policy 15,
             October 2016,
             <https://www.cnss.gov/CNSS/issuances/Policies.cfm>.

  [FIPS186]  National Institute of Standards and Technology, "Digital
             Signature Standard (DSS)", DOI 10.6028/NIST.FIPS.186-4,
             FIPS PUB 186-4, July 2013,
             <http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/
             NIST.FIPS.186-4.pdf>.

  [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
             Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

  [RFC2986]  Nystrom, M. and B. Kaliski, "PKCS #10: Certification
             Request Syntax Specification Version 1.7", RFC 2986,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC2986, November 2000,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2986>.

  [RFC4055]  Schaad, J., Kaliski, B., and R. Housley, "Additional
             Algorithms and Identifiers for RSA Cryptography for use in
             the Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate
             and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile", RFC 4055,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC4055, June 2005,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4055>.

  [RFC4056]  Schaad, J., "Use of the RSASSA-PSS Signature Algorithm in
             Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS)", RFC 4056,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC4056, June 2005,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4056>.

  [RFC4086]  Eastlake 3rd, D., Schiller, J., and S. Crocker,
             "Randomness Requirements for Security", BCP 106, RFC 4086,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC4086, June 2005,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4086>.

  [RFC4211]  Schaad, J., "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure
             Certificate Request Message Format (CRMF)", RFC 4211,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC4211, September 2005,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4211>.

  [RFC4231]  Nystrom, M., "Identifiers and Test Vectors for HMAC-SHA-
             224, HMAC-SHA-256, HMAC-SHA-384, and HMAC-SHA-512",
             RFC 4231, DOI 10.17487/RFC4231, December 2005,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4231>.

  [RFC5272]  Schaad, J. and M. Myers, "Certificate Management over CMS
             (CMC)", RFC 5272, DOI 10.17487/RFC5272, June 2008,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5272>.

  [RFC5273]  Schaad, J. and M. Myers, "Certificate Management over CMS
             (CMC): Transport Protocols", RFC 5273,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC5273, June 2008,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5273>.

  [RFC5274]  Schaad, J. and M. Myers, "Certificate Management Messages
             over CMS (CMC): Compliance Requirements", RFC 5274,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC5274, June 2008,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5274>.

  [RFC5754]  Turner, S., "Using SHA2 Algorithms with Cryptographic
             Message Syntax", RFC 5754, DOI 10.17487/RFC5754, January
             2010, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5754>.

  [RFC6010]  Housley, R., Ashmore, S., and C. Wallace, "Cryptographic
             Message Syntax (CMS) Content Constraints Extension",
             RFC 6010, DOI 10.17487/RFC6010, September 2010,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6010>.

  [RFC6402]  Schaad, J., "Certificate Management over CMS (CMC)
             Updates", RFC 6402, DOI 10.17487/RFC6402, November 2011,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6402>.

  [RFC8017]  Moriarty, K., Ed., Kaliski, B., Jonsson, J., and A. Rusch,
             "PKCS #1: RSA Cryptography Specifications Version 2.2",
             RFC 8017, DOI 10.17487/RFC8017, November 2016,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8017>.

  [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
             2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
             May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

  [RFC8603]  Jenkins, M. and L. Zieglar, "Commercial National Security
             Algorithm (CNSA) Suite Certificate and Certificate
             Revocation List (CRL) Profile", RFC 8603,
             DOI 10.17487/RFC8603, May 2019,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8603>.

  [RFC8755]  Jenkins, M., "Using Commercial National Security Algorithm
             Suite Algorithms in Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail
             Extensions", RFC 8755, DOI 10.17487/RFC8755, March 2020,
             <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8755>.

11.2.  Informative References

  [SP80057]  National Institute of Standards and Technology,
             "Recommendation for Key Management, Part 1: General",
             DOI 10.6028/NIST.SP.800-57pt1r4, Special
             Publication 800-57, Part 1, Revision 4, January 2016,
             <http://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-57pt1r4>.

  [SP80059]  National Institute of Standards and Technology, "Guideline
             for Identifying an Information System as a National
             Security System", DOI 10.6028/NIST.SP.800-59, Special
             Publication 800-59, August 2003,
             <https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-59/
             final>.

  [SP80090A] National Institute of Standards and Technology,
             "Recommendation for Random Number Generation Using
             Deterministic Random Bit Generators",
             DOI 10.6028/NIST.SP.800-90Ar1, Special Publication
             800-90A Revision 1, June 2015,
             <http://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-90Ar1>.

Appendix A.  Scenarios

  This section illustrates several potential certificate enrollment and
  rekey scenarios supported by this profile.  This section does not
  intend to place any limits or restrictions on the use of CMC.

A.1.  Initial Enrollment

  This section describes three scenarios for authenticating initial
  enrollment requests:

  1.  Previously certified signature key-pair (e.g., Manufacturer
      Installed Certificate).

  2.  Shared-secret distributed securely out of band.

  3.  RA authentication.

A.1.1.  Previously Certified Signature Key-Pair

  In this scenario, the end-entity has a private signing key and a
  corresponding public key certificate obtained from a cryptographic
  module manufacturer recognized by the CA.  The end-entity signs a
  Full PKI Request with the private key that corresponds to the subject
  public key of the previously installed signature certificate.  The CA
  will verify the authorization of the previously installed certificate
  and issue an appropriate new certificate to the end-entity.

A.1.2.  Shared-Secret Distributed Securely Out of Band

  In this scenario, the CA distributes a shared-secret out of band to
  the end-entity that the end-entity uses to authenticate its
  certification request.  The end-entity signs the Full PKI Request
  with the private key for which the certification is being requested.
  The end-entity includes the Identity Proof Version 2 control to
  authenticate the request using the shared-secret.  The CA uses either
  the Identification control or the subject name in the end-entity's
  enclosed PKCS #10 [RFC2986] or CRMF [RFC4211] certification request
  message to identify the request.  The end-entity performs either the
  POP Link Witness Version 2 mechanism as described in [RFC5272],
  Section 6.3.1.1 or the shared-secret/subject distinguished name
  linking mechanism as described in [RFC5272], Section 6.3.2.  The
  subject name in the enclosed PKCS #10 [RFC2986] or CRMF [RFC4211]
  certification request does not necessarily match the issued
  certificate, as it may be used just to help identify the request (and
  the corresponding shared-secret) to the CA.

A.1.3.  RA Authentication

  In this scenario, the end-entity does not automatically authenticate
  its enrollment request to the CA, either because the end-entity has
  nothing to authenticate the request with or because the
  organizational policy requires an RA's involvement.  The end-entity
  creates a Full PKI Request and sends it to an RA.  The RA verifies
  the authenticity of the request.  If the request is approved, the RA
  encapsulates and signs the request as described in Section 4.2,
  forwarding the new request on to the CA.  The subject name in the
  PKCS #10 [RFC2986] or CRMF [RFC4211] certification request is not
  required to match the issued certificate; it may be used just to help
  identify the request to the RA and/or CA.

A.2.  Rekey

  There are two scenarios to support the rekey of certificates that are
  already enrolled.  One addresses the rekey of signature certificates,
  and the other addresses the rekey of key establishment certificates.
  Typically, organizational policy will require certificates to be
  currently valid to be rekeyed, and it may require initial enrollment
  to be repeated when rekey is not possible.  However, some
  organizational policies might allow a grace period during which an
  expired certificate could be used to rekey.

A.2.1.  Rekey of Signature Certificates

  When a signature certificate is rekeyed, the PKCS #10 [RFC2986] or
  CRMF [RFC4211] certification request message enclosed in the Full PKI
  Request will include the same subject name as the current signature
  certificate.  The Full PKI Request will be signed by the current
  private key corresponding to the current signature certificate.

A.2.2.  Rekey of Key Establishment Certificates

  When a key establishment certificate is rekeyed, the Full PKI Request
  will generally be signed by the current private key corresponding to
  the current signature certificate.  If there is no current signature
  certificate, one of the initial enrollment options in Appendix A.1
  may be used.

Authors' Addresses

  Michael Jenkins
  National Security Agency

  Email: [email protected]


  Lydia Zieglar
  National Security Agency

  Email: [email protected]