diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'contrib/bind9/doc/rfc/rfc2541.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | contrib/bind9/doc/rfc/rfc2541.txt | 395 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 395 deletions
diff --git a/contrib/bind9/doc/rfc/rfc2541.txt b/contrib/bind9/doc/rfc/rfc2541.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a62ed2b..0000000 --- a/contrib/bind9/doc/rfc/rfc2541.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,395 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - -Network Working Group D. Eastlake -Request for Comments: 2541 IBM -Category: Informational March 1999 - - - DNS Security Operational Considerations - -Status of this Memo - - This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does - not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this - memo is unlimited. - -Copyright Notice - - Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved. - -Abstract - - Secure DNS is based on cryptographic techniques. A necessary part of - the strength of these techniques is careful attention to the - operational aspects of key and signature generation, lifetime, size, - and storage. In addition, special attention must be paid to the - security of the high level zones, particularly the root zone. This - document discusses these operational aspects for keys and signatures - used in connection with the KEY and SIG DNS resource records. - -Acknowledgments - - The contributions and suggestions of the following persons (in - alphabetic order) are gratefully acknowledged: - - John Gilmore - Olafur Gudmundsson - Charlie Kaufman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 1] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - -Table of Contents - - Abstract...................................................1 - Acknowledgments............................................1 - 1. Introduction............................................2 - 2. Public/Private Key Generation...........................2 - 3. Public/Private Key Lifetimes............................2 - 4. Public/Private Key Size Considerations..................3 - 4.1 RSA Key Sizes..........................................3 - 4.2 DSS Key Sizes..........................................4 - 5. Private Key Storage.....................................4 - 6. High Level Zones, The Root Zone, and The Meta-Root Key..5 - 7. Security Considerations.................................5 - References.................................................6 - Author's Address...........................................6 - Full Copyright Statement...................................7 - -1. Introduction - - This document describes operational considerations for the - generation, lifetime, size, and storage of DNS cryptographic keys and - signatures for use in the KEY and SIG resource records [RFC 2535]. - Particular attention is paid to high level zones and the root zone. - -2. Public/Private Key Generation - - Careful generation of all keys is a sometimes overlooked but - absolutely essential element in any cryptographically secure system. - The strongest algorithms used with the longest keys are still of no - use if an adversary can guess enough to lower the size of the likely - key space so that it can be exhaustively searched. Technical - suggestions for the generation of random keys will be found in [RFC - 1750]. - - Long term keys are particularly sensitive as they will represent a - more valuable target and be subject to attack for a longer time than - short period keys. It is strongly recommended that long term key - generation occur off-line in a manner isolated from the network via - an air gap or, at a minimum, high level secure hardware. - -3. Public/Private Key Lifetimes - - No key should be used forever. The longer a key is in use, the - greater the probability that it will have been compromised through - carelessness, accident, espionage, or cryptanalysis. Furthermore, if - - - - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 2] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - - key rollover is a rare event, there is an increased risk that, when - the time does come to change the key, no one at the site will - remember how to do it or operational problems will have developed in - the key rollover procedures. - - While public key lifetime is a matter of local policy, these - considerations imply that, unless there are extraordinary - circumstances, no long term key should have a lifetime significantly - over four years. In fact, a reasonable guideline for long term keys - that are kept off-line and carefully guarded is a 13 month lifetime - with the intent that they be replaced every year. A reasonable - maximum lifetime for keys that are used for transaction security or - the like and are kept on line is 36 days with the intent that they be - replaced monthly or more often. In many cases, a key lifetime of - somewhat over a day may be reasonable. - - On the other hand, public keys with too short a lifetime can lead to - excessive resource consumption in re-signing data and retrieving - fresh information because cached information becomes stale. In the - Internet environment, almost all public keys should have lifetimes no - shorter than three minutes, which is a reasonable estimate of maximum - packet delay even in unusual circumstances. - -4. Public/Private Key Size Considerations - - There are a number of factors that effect public key size choice for - use in the DNS security extension. Unfortunately, these factors - usually do not all point in the same direction. Choice of zone key - size should generally be made by the zone administrator depending on - their local conditions. - - For most schemes, larger keys are more secure but slower. In - addition, larger keys increase the size of the KEY and SIG RRs. This - increases the chance of DNS UDP packet overflow and the possible - necessity for using higher overhead TCP in responses. - -4.1 RSA Key Sizes - - Given a small public exponent, verification (the most common - operation) for the MD5/RSA algorithm will vary roughly with the - square of the modulus length, signing will vary with the cube of the - modulus length, and key generation (the least common operation) will - vary with the fourth power of the modulus length. The current best - algorithms for factoring a modulus and breaking RSA security vary - roughly with the 1.6 power of the modulus itself. Thus going from a - 640 bit modulus to a 1280 bit modulus only increases the verification - time by a factor of 4 but may increase the work factor of breaking - the key by over 2^900. - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 3] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - - The recommended minimum RSA algorithm modulus size is 704 bits which - is believed by the author to be secure at this time. But high level - zones in the DNS tree may wish to set a higher minimum, perhaps 1000 - bits, for security reasons. (Since the United States National - Security Agency generally permits export of encryption systems using - an RSA modulus of up to 512 bits, use of that small a modulus, i.e. - n, must be considered weak.) - - For an RSA key used only to secure data and not to secure other keys, - 704 bits should be adequate at this time. - -4.2 DSS Key Sizes - - DSS keys are probably roughly as strong as an RSA key of the same - length but DSS signatures are significantly smaller. - -5. Private Key Storage - - It is recommended that, where possible, zone private keys and the - zone file master copy be kept and used in off-line, non-network - connected, physically secure machines only. Periodically an - application can be run to add authentication to a zone by adding SIG - and NXT RRs and adding no-key type KEY RRs for subzones/algorithms - where a real KEY RR for the subzone with that algorithm is not - provided. Then the augmented file can be transferred, perhaps by - sneaker-net, to the networked zone primary server machine. - - The idea is to have a one way information flow to the network to - avoid the possibility of tampering from the network. Keeping the - zone master file on-line on the network and simply cycling it through - an off-line signer does not do this. The on-line version could still - be tampered with if the host it resides on is compromised. For - maximum security, the master copy of the zone file should be off net - and should not be updated based on an unsecured network mediated - communication. - - This is not possible if the zone is to be dynamically updated - securely [RFC 2137]. At least a private key capable of updating the - SOA and NXT chain must be on line in that case. - - Secure resolvers must be configured with some trusted on-line public - key information (or a secure path to such a resolver) or they will be - unable to authenticate. Although on line, this public key - information must be protected or it could be altered so that spoofed - DNS data would appear authentic. - - - - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 4] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - - Non-zone private keys, such as host or user keys, generally have to - be kept on line to be used for real-time purposes such as DNS - transaction security. - -6. High Level Zones, The Root Zone, and The Meta-Root Key - - Higher level zones are generally more sensitive than lower level - zones. Anyone controlling or breaking the security of a zone thereby - obtains authority over all of its subdomains (except in the case of - resolvers that have locally configured the public key of a - subdomain). Therefore, extra care should be taken with high level - zones and strong keys used. - - The root zone is the most critical of all zones. Someone controlling - or compromising the security of the root zone would control the - entire DNS name space of all resolvers using that root zone (except - in the case of resolvers that have locally configured the public key - of a subdomain). Therefore, the utmost care must be taken in the - securing of the root zone. The strongest and most carefully handled - keys should be used. The root zone private key should always be kept - off line. - - Many resolvers will start at a root server for their access to and - authentication of DNS data. Securely updating an enormous population - of resolvers around the world will be extremely difficult. Yet the - guidelines in section 3 above would imply that the root zone private - key be changed annually or more often and if it were staticly - configured at all these resolvers, it would have to be updated when - changed. - - To permit relatively frequent change to the root zone key yet - minimize exposure of the ultimate key of the DNS tree, there will be - a "meta-root" key used very rarely and then only to sign a sequence - of regular root key RRsets with overlapping time validity periods - that are to be rolled out. The root zone contains the meta-root and - current regular root KEY RR(s) signed by SIG RRs under both the - meta-root and other root private key(s) themselves. - - The utmost security in the storage and use of the meta-root key is - essential. The exact techniques are precautions to be used are - beyond the scope of this document. Because of its special position, - it may be best to continue with the same meta-root key for an - extended period of time such as ten to fifteen years. - -7. Security Considerations - - The entirety of this document is concerned with operational - considerations of public/private key pair DNS Security. - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 5] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - -References - - [RFC 1034] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Concepts and - Facilities", STD 13, RFC 1034, November 1987. - - [RFC 1035] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Implementation and - Specifications", STD 13, RFC 1035, November 1987. - - [RFC 1750] Eastlake, D., Crocker, S. and J. Schiller, "Randomness - Requirements for Security", RFC 1750, December 1994. - - [RFC 2065] Eastlake, D. and C. Kaufman, "Domain Name System - Security Extensions", RFC 2065, January 1997. - - [RFC 2137] Eastlake, D., "Secure Domain Name System Dynamic - Update", RFC 2137, April 1997. - - [RFC 2535] Eastlake, D., "Domain Name System Security Extensions", - RFC 2535, March 1999. - - [RSA FAQ] RSADSI Frequently Asked Questions periodic posting. - -Author's Address - - Donald E. Eastlake 3rd - IBM - 65 Shindegan Hill Road, RR #1 - Carmel, NY 10512 - - Phone: +1-914-276-2668(h) - +1-914-784-7913(w) - Fax: +1-914-784-3833(w) - EMail: dee3@us.ibm.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 6] - -RFC 2541 DNS Security Operational Considerations March 1999 - - -Full Copyright Statement - - Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved. - - This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to - others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it - or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published - and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any - kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are - included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this - document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing - the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other - Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of - developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for - copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be - followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than - English. - - The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be - revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns. - - This document and the information contained herein is provided on an - "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING - TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING - BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION - HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF - MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Eastlake Informational [Page 7] - |