Internet Engineering Task Force                             M. Sivaraman
Internet-Draft                               Internet Systems Consortium
Intended status: Experimental                         September 27, 2015
Expires: March 30, 2016


                         DNS message checksums
                  draft-muks-dns-message-checksums-00

Abstract

   This document describes a method for a client to be able to verify
   that IP-layer PDU fragments of a UDP DNS message have not been
   spoofed by an off-path attacker.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on March 30, 2016.

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   Copyright (c) 2015 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  DNS message checksum method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  The CHECKSUM EDNS(0) option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.1.  Wire format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.2.  Option fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
       3.2.1.  NONCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
       3.2.2.  ALGORITHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
       3.2.3.  DIGEST  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
       3.2.4.  NONCE-COPY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     3.3.  Presentation format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   4.  Checksum computation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Effects of using checksums  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   6.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   7.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   8.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   Appendix A.  Checksum algorithms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   Appendix B.  Change History (to be removed before publication)  .   7
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1.  Introduction

   [RFC1035] describes how DNS messages are to be transmitted over UDP.
   A DNS query message is transmitted using one UDP datagram from client
   to server, and a corresponding DNS reply message is transmitted using
   one UDP datagram from server to client.

   As a UDP datagram is transmitted in a single IP PDU, in theory the
   size of a UDP datagram (including various lower internet layer
   headers) can be as large as 64 KiB.  But practically, if the datagram
   size exceeds the path MTU, then the datagram will either be
   fragmented at the IP layer, or dropped by a forwarder.  In the case
   of IPv4, DNS datagrams may be fragmented by a sender or a forwarder.
   In the case of IPv6, DNS datagrams are fragmented by the sender only.

   IP-layer fragmentation for large DNS response datagrams introduce
   risk of cache poisoning by off-path attackers [Fragment-Poisonous] in
   which an attacker can circumvent some defense mechanisms like port,
   IP, and query randomization [RFC5452].

   This memo introduces the concept of a DNS message checksum which may
   be used to stop the effects of such off-path attacks.

   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 [RFC2119].




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2.  DNS message checksum method

   Clients supporting DNS message checksums add an EDNS option to their
   queries, which declares their support for this feature.

   The CHECKSUM EDNS option contains 4 fields: NONCE, ALGORITHM, DIGEST,
   and NONCE-COPY.  These fields are described in Section 3.

   It is OPTIONAL for a client to add a CHECKSUM EDNS option to DNS
   query messages.  If it adds such an option, it MUST set the NONCE
   field to a random 64-bit unsigned integer.  The ALGORITHM field MUST
   be set to 0 and the DIGEST field MUST be left empty.  The NONCE field
   MUST be randomly generated (i.e., in no predictable sequence) for
   each query for which the client uses a CHECKSUM EDNS option.  The
   NONCE-COPY field MUST be set identical to the value in the NONCE
   field.  The client is expected to remember the per-query NONCE
   field's value to be used in verifying the reply to this query
   message.

   A client MUST NOT send multiple DNS query messages with the NONCE set
   to a fixed unchanging value.  Instead, it must not send the option at
   all.

   The server SHOULD add a CHECKSUM EDNS option in the reply message to
   a corresponding query that arrived with this option present.  The
   NONCE field MUST be copied verbatim from the query message to the
   corresponding reply message.  A checksum is computed over the DNS
   reply message as described in Section 4 and the ALGORITHM and DIGEST
   fields MUST be set using the resulting checksum as described in
   Section 3.  The NONCE-COPY field MUST be set identical to the value
   in the NONCE field.  The server is at liberty to choose any checksum
   algorithm it wants to.  A list of algorithms is given in Appendix A.

   When a client receives a reply message for which it sent a CHECKSUM
   EDNS option in the corresponding query, it SHOULD look for the
   presence of the CHECKSUM EDNS option in the reply.  The client may
   handle the lack of a CHECKSUM EDNS option in the reply as it chooses
   to.

   If a CHECKSUM EDNS option is present in the reply, the client SHOULD
   first check and ensure that both the NONCE and NONCE-COPY fields
   contain the same nonce value that was sent in the corresponding query
   message.  If the nonce is different in either of these two fields,
   the reply message MUST be discarded.  Afterwards, the client SHOULD
   proceed to compute a checksum over the reply message as described in
   Section 4 using the checksum algorithm in the ALGORITHM field.  It
   SHOULD then compare the checksum value with the value that was
   received in the DIGEST field for equality.  If they are not equal,



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   the reply message MUST be discarded.  If they are equal, the reply
   message can be used normally as the client intends to use it.

3.  The CHECKSUM EDNS(0) option

   CHECKSUM is an EDNS(0) [RFC6891] option that is used to transmit a
   digest of a DNS message in replies.  Its use described in a previous
   section.  Here, its syntax is provided.

3.1.  Wire format

   The following describes the wire format of the OPTION-DATA field
   [RFC6891] of the CHECKSUM EDNS option.  All CHECKSUM option fields
   must be represented in network byte order.

         +--------------+------------------+--------------------+
         | Option field | Type             | Field size         |
         +--------------+------------------+--------------------+
         | NONCE        | unsigned integer | 64 bits (8 octets) |
         | ALGORITHM    | unsigned integer | 16 bits (2 octets) |
         | DIGEST       | byte array       | Variable length    |
         | NONCE-COPY   | unsigned integer | 64 bits (8 octets) |
         +--------------+------------------+--------------------+


3.2.  Option fields

3.2.1.  NONCE

   The NONCE field is represented as an unsigned 64-bit integer in
   network byte order.  It MUST be randomly computed for each query
   message which a client sends out, and is copied verbatim from the
   query to the corresponding reply DNS message by the server.

3.2.2.  ALGORITHM

   The ALGORITHM field is represented as an unsigned 16-bit integer in
   network byte order.  In query messages, it MUST be set to 0.  In
   reply messages, it MUST contain the numeric value of the algorithm
   used to compute the DIGEST field.  A list of algorithms and their
   values is given in Appendix A.

3.2.3.  DIGEST

   The DIGEST field is represented as a sequence of octets present after
   the NONCE and ALGORITHM fields.  Its size is implicitly computed from
   the value in the OPTION-LENGTH field [RFC6891] for the CHECKSUM EDNS
   option minus the size of the NONCE, ALGORITHM and NONCE-COPY fields.



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   In query messages, it MUST be empty.  In reply messages, it MUST
   contain the digest of the reply message which is computed as
   described in Section 3.

3.2.4.  NONCE-COPY

   The NONCE-COPY field is represented as an unsigned 64-bit integer in
   network byte order.  Its value MUST be set to be identical to the
   NONCE field.

3.3.  Presentation format

   As with other EDNS(0) options, the CHECKSUM EDNS option does not have
   a presentation format.

4.  Checksum computation

   The NONCE and NONCE-COPY fields are present on either side of the
   DIGEST field on purpose, so that an IP-layer PDU fragment will
   contain both the DIGEST (in full or part) and at least one of NONCE
   or NONCE-COPY fields.  Suitable checksum algorithms MUST be chosen so
   that the DIGEST field is not so large that this property is violated.

   To generate the checksum digest to be placed in the DIGEST field,
   first the entire DNS message must be prepared (rendered) along with
   the CHECKSUM option embedded in it to the point that it is ready to
   be sent out on the wire.  In this CHECKSUM option, initially the
   DIGEST field must be filled with zero values and its size must be
   reserved equal to the size expected for the digest from the checksum
   algorithm intended to be used.  The NONCE and NONCE-COPY fields MUST
   be set to the value of the nonce from the query DNS message.  The
   ALGORITHM field MUST be set to the checksum algorithm intended to be
   used.  After this, the whole message contents (from the start of the
   DNS message header onwards) must be input to the checksum algorithm
   and the calculated checksum must be patched into the DIGEST field,
   space for which was reserved before.

   To verify the checksum digest from a DNS message that was received,
   first the DIGEST field is copied to a temporary location and the
   DIGEST field in the message is patched with zero values.  After this,
   the whole message contents (from the start of the DNS message header
   onwards) must be input to the checksum algorithm specified in the
   ALGORITHM field.  The calculated checksum must be compared for
   equality with the checksum originally received in the DIGEST field,
   the content of which was earlier saved to a temporary location.  If
   both are equal, the checksum matches.





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5.  Effects of using checksums

   The methods in this memo are designed to thwart off-path spoofing
   attacks which may lead to cache-poisoning, including the specific
   case when IP-layer PDU fragmentation occurs.

   The CHECKSUM EDNS option is not designed to offer any protection
   against on-path attackers.  Very little can be done without using
   strong cryptographic methods for this case.

   Checksum computation may increase resource usage on servers and
   clients.  It is thus desirable to use fast checksum algorithms which
   provide ample security to verify a short-lived DNS message.

   The entropy source used for generating random values for use in the
   NONCE field may be chosen similarly to provide ample security to
   verify a short-lived DNS message.

   As a side-effect of using checksums, resolver cache poisoning attacks
   are made more difficult due to the presence of the NONCE field.

6.  IANA Considerations

   The CHECKSUM EDNS(0) option requires an option code to be assigned
   for it.  Checksum algorithms in Appendix A need to be registered as
   well.

7.  Acknowledgements

   TBD.

8.  References

   [Fragment-Poisonous]
              Herzberg, A. and H. Shulman, "Fragmentation Considered
              Poisonous", 2012.

   [RFC1035]  Mockapetris, P., "Domain names - implementation and
              specification", STD 13, RFC 1035, DOI 10.17487/RFC1035,
              November 1987, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1035>.

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

   [RFC5452]  Hubert, A. and R. van Mook, "Measures for Making DNS More
              Resilient against Forged Answers", RFC 5452, DOI 10.17487/



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              RFC5452, January 2009,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5452>.

   [RFC6891]  Damas, J., Graff, M., and P. Vixie, "Extension Mechanisms
              for DNS (EDNS(0))", STD 75, RFC 6891, DOI 10.17487/
              RFC6891, April 2013,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6891>.

Appendix A.  Checksum algorithms

   TBD.  This section will list checksum algorithms in a later version
   of the draft, after discussion.

Appendix B.  Change History (to be removed before publication)

   o  draft-muks-dns-message-checksums-00
      Initial draft.

Author's Address

   Mukund Sivaraman
   Internet Systems Consortium
   950 Charter Street
   Redwood City, CA  94063
   US

   Email: muks@isc.org
   URI:   http://www.isc.org/























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