DNS Extensions Working Group                                  S. Crocker
Internet-Draft                                             Shinkuro Inc.
Updates: 4035 (if approved)                                      S. Rose
Intended status: Standards Track                                    NIST
Expires: April 17, 2010                                 October 14, 2009


       Signaling Cryptographic Algorithm Understanding in DNSSEC
                  draft-crocker-dnssec-algo-signal-04

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   Copyright (c) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
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   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents in effect on the date of
   publication of this document (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
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Abstract

   The DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) was developed to provide origin
   authentication and integrity protection for DNS data by using digital
   signatures.  These digital signatures can be generated using
   different algorithms.  This draft sets out to specify a way for
   validating end-system resolvers to signal to a server which
   cryptographic algorithms they support.

Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

   2.  Signaling Algorithm Understood (AU) Using EDNS  . . . . . . . . 3

   3.  Client Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.1.  Recommendations for Stub Clients  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.2.  Recursive Cache Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

   4.  Intermediate Middlebox Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

   5.  Server Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

   6.  Traffic Analysis Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

   7.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

   8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

   9.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6









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1.  Introduction

   The DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) was developed to provide origin
   authentication and integrity protection for DNS data by using digital
   signatures [RFC4033], [RFC4034] and [RFC4035].  Each digital
   signature RR (RRSIG) contains an algorithm code number.  These
   algorithm codes help validators identify which cryptographic
   algorithm was used to generate the digital signature.

   This proposed EDNS option serves to measure the acceptance and use of
   new digital signing algorithms.  This algorithm signaling option can
   be used by zone administrators as a gauge to measure the successful
   deployment of code that implements a newly deployed digital signature
   algorithm used with DNSSEC.  A zone administrator may be able to
   determine when to stop serving the old algorithm when the server sees
   that all or almost all of its clients signal that they are able to
   accept the new algorithm.

   This draft does not seek to include a formal process for including
   new algorithms for use with DNSSEC.  It also does not address the
   question of which algorithms are to be included in any official list
   of mandatory or recommended cryptographic algorithms for use with
   DNSSEC.  Rather, this document specifies a means by which a client
   query can signal a set of algorithms it implements.

   This draft sets out to specify a way for validating end-system
   resolvers to signal to a server which cryptographic algorithms they
   support in a DNSSEC response.  This is done using the EDNS attribute
   values in the OPT meta-RR [RFC2671].

2.  Signaling Algorithm Understood (AU) Using EDNS

   The ENDS0 specification outlined in [RFC2671] defines a way to
   include new options using a standardized mechanism.  These options
   are contained in the RDATA of the OPT meta-RR.  This document seeks
   to define a new EDNS0 option for a client to signal which algorithms
   the client supports.














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   Below shows how the signaling attribute is defined in the RDATA of
   the OPT RR as specified in [RFC2671]:

       0                       8                      16
       +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
       |                 OPTION-CODE (TBD)             |
       +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
       |                 OPTION-LENGTH                 |
       +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
       |       ALG-CODE        |        ...            \
       +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+


   OPTION-CODE is the code for the Algorithm Understood (AU) option.
   Its value is fixed at TBD.

   OPTION-LENGTH is the length of the data of the attribute in octets.
   DNSSEC algorithm codes are 1 octet long so this value is the number
   of octets.

   ALG-CODE is the assigned DNSSEC algorithm codes that the client
   indicates as understood.  The values MUST be in descending order,
   with the highest algorithm code first, followed by as many other
   codes as the validator wishes to signal that it prefers.  For
   example, if a validating client implements RSA/SHA-1 and RSA/SHA-256
   the value of ALG-CODE would be: 8 (RSA/SHA-256), 5 (RSA/SHA-1)
   indicating that the validator implements both RSA/SHA-256 and RSA/
   SHA-1, but does not wish to receive (or does not understand) RRSIGs
   using DSA or RSA/MD5.

3.  Client Considerations

   A validating end-system resolver sets the AU option in the OPT
   meta-RR when sending a query.  The validating end-system resolver
   sets the value(s) in the order of preference, with highest algorithm
   value first as described in section 2.  The end-system resolver MUST
   also set the DNSSEC-OK bit [RFC4035] to indicate that it wishes to
   receive DNSSEC RRs in the response.

   Note that when including the PRIVATEDNS (253) and/or the PRIVATEOID
   (254) codes, the client only indicates that it understands one or
   more private algorithms but does not indicate which algorithms.

3.1.  Recommendations for Stub Clients

   Typically, stub resolvers rely on an upstream recursive server (or
   cache) to provide a response, any algorithm supportence on the stub
   resolver's side could be overruled by the upstream recursive server.



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   The AU EDNS option is NOT RECOMMENDED for non-validating stub
   clients.

   The exception to the above is that validating stub resolvers which
   set the CD bit in queries MAY set the AU option.  In the most common
   scenario, the validating stub indicates that it wishes to perform its
   own validation (via the CD bit) and may therefor wish to indicate
   which cryptographic algorithm(s) it supports.

3.2.  Recursive Cache Considerations

   DNSSEC validating recursive caches MAY set the AU option on any
   outgoing query from the cache when performing recursion on behalf of
   a non-DNSSEC aware stub client.  If the stub indicates it is DNSSEC-
   aware, but does not set the AU option in the query, the DNSSEC
   validating recursive cache SHOULD NOT set the AU option to avoid
   conflicts.

   Forwarders that do not do validation or caching SHOULD copy the AU
   option seen in received queries as they represent the wishes of the
   validating downstream resolver that issued the original query.

4.  Intermediate Middlebox Considerations

   Intermediate middleboxes SHOULD copy the AU option seen in queries
   from end system resolvers.  If the system is validating, it SHOULD
   also check for the presence of the CD bit in the query.  If present,
   the intermediate middlebox SHOULD copy the AU option as seen in the
   query.  If not set or if the DNSSEC-OK bit is not set, then the
   validating intermediate middlebox MAY chose to ignore the AU option
   in the query and MAY include its own preference as the AU option.

5.  Server Considerations

   When an authoritative server sees the AU option in the OPT meta-RR in
   a request the normal algorithm for servicing requests is followed.

   If the AU option is present but the DNSSEC-OK bit is not set, then
   the authoritative server ignores the ALG-CODE list and does not
   include any additional DNSSEC RRs in the response.

6.  Traffic Analysis Considerations

   Zone administrators that are planning or are in the process of
   completing a cryptographic algorithm rollover operation should
   monitor DNS query traffic and record the values of the AU option in
   queries.  This monitoring can measure the deployment of client code
   that implements (and signals) certain algorithms.  Exactly how to



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   capture DNS traffic and measure new algorithm adoption is beyond the
   scope of this document.

   Zone administrators can use this data to set plans for starting an
   algorithm rollover and when older algorithms can be phased out
   without disrupting the majority of clients.  In order ot keep this
   disruption to a minimum, zone administrators should wait to complete
   an algorithm rollover until a large majority of clients signal that
   they understand the new algorithm.  Note that clients that do not
   implement the AU option may be older implementations which would also
   not implement any newly deployed algorithm.

7.  IANA Considerations

   The algorithm codes used to identify DNSSEC algorithms has already
   been established by IANA.  This document does not seek to alter that
   registry in any way.

   This draft seeks to update the "DNS EDNS0 Options" registry by adding
   the AU option and referencing this document.  The code for the option
   should be TBD.

8.  Security Considerations

   This document specifies a way for a client to signal its digital
   signature algorithm preference to a cache or server.  It is not meant
   to be a discussion on algorithm superiority.  The signal is an
   optional code contained in the OPT meta-RR used with EDNS0.  The goal
   of this option is to signal new algorithm uptake in client code to
   allow zone administrators to know when it is possible to complete an
   algorithm rollover in a DNSSEC signed zone.

9.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC2671]  Vixie, P., "Extension Mechanisms for DNS (EDNS0)",
              RFC 2671, August 1999.

   [RFC4033]  Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S.
              Rose, "DNS Security Introduction and Requirements",
              RFC 4033, March 2005.

   [RFC4034]  Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S.
              Rose, "Resource Records for the DNS Security Extensions",
              RFC 4034, March 2005.




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   [RFC4035]  Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S.
              Rose, "Protocol Modifications for the DNS Security
              Extensions", RFC 4035, March 2005.

Authors' Addresses

   Steve Crocker
   Shinkuro Inc.
   5110 Edgemoor Lane
   Bethesda, MD  20814
   USA

   EMail: steve@shinkuro.com


   Scott Rose
   NIST
   100 Bureau Dr.
   Gaithersburg, MD  20899
   USA

   Phone: +1-301-975-8439
   EMail: scott.rose@nist.gov




























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