Internet-Draft | mske | October 2022 |
Thomassen | Expires 27 April 2023 | [Page] |
- Workgroup:
- DNSOP Working Group
- Internet-Draft:
- draft-thomassen-dnsop-mske-00
- Updates:
- 4034 (if approved)
- Published:
- Intended Status:
- Standards Track
- Expires:
DNSSEC Multi-Signer Key Exchange (MSKE)
Abstract
Answering DNSKEY/CDS/CDNSKEY queries in an [RFC8901] multi-signer DNSSEC configuration requires all operators to serve not only their own public key information, but also include each other's public keys. This ensures that clients obtain a consistent view of the DNSSEC configuration regardless of who is answering a given query. In order to enable operators to import the keys needed for assembling these responses, a method for discovering them is necessary.¶
This document specifies how DNS operators can announce which are the keys they intend to use for signing a given zone (DNSKEY) and which keys are designated for secure entry into the zone (CDS/CDNSKEY). It further introduces the CNS record type to facilitate proactive discovery of the aforementioned signals. Taken together, these parts function as an authenticated multi-signer key-exchange (MSKE) scheme.¶
This MSKE mechanism uses the signaling mechanism introduced in [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping] to complete the automated workflows described in [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-automation].¶
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.¶
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.¶
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."¶
This Internet-Draft will expire on 27 April 2023.¶
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2022 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. Code Components extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.¶
1. Introduction
In comparison to single-signer DNSSEC deployments, multi-signer setups as described in [RFC8901] come with additional coordination overhead. This overhead entails¶
- the key exchange process that is needed so that each provider can serve a joint record set reflecting all relevant providers' DNSSEC keys when responding to a DNSKEY or CDS/CDNSKEY query,¶
- timing coordination when updating the DNSSEC confguration (similarly to what's needed when performing a key rollover, see [RFC7583] for details).¶
While the logistics and timing considerations of adding and removing a DNSSEC signer to/from a given constellation are described in [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-automation], an automatable method for the key exchange step has not been specified so far. It is thus proposed with this document.¶
Readers are expected to be familiar with DNSSEC, including [RFC4033], [RFC4034], [RFC4035], [RFC6781], [RFC7344], [RFC7477], [RFC7583], and [RFC8901].¶
1.1. Requirements Notation
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.¶
2. Conceptual Overview
DNS resolvers may direct queries against any nameserver contained in a zone's NS record set. When asking (for instance) for an A record set, the response (including the RRSIG signature) may thus be retrieved from one nameserver, while the DNSKEY record set required for validation may be retrieved from another nameserver (and hence provider). This is by design: Resolvers do not have any notion of multi-provider concepts; the multi-signer models described in [RFC8901] just look like multi-key setups to them.¶
DNSSEC multi-signer setups thus require that a DNSKEY response contains all keys a validating resolver may need to validate an RRSIG signature from that zone, irrespective of whether that RRSIG is obtained from the same nameserver/provider as the DNSKEY record set. To allow validation to work properly, the DNSKEY RRset therefore must be the union of all of the DNSKEY record sets that each provider would serve if they were the only (signing) provider.¶
Similarly, CDS/CDNSKEY record sets published on any of the nameservers for the purpose of automated DS record maintenance ([RFC7344][RFC8078][I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping]) are required to be the union across all signers in order to prevent accidents caused by a single provider publishing an inconsistent RRset ([I-D.thomassen-dnsop-cds-consistency]).¶
2.1. Key Announcement
In order for the participating providers to discover each others' DNSKEY/CDS/CDNSKEY records for inclusion in their responses, providers need to signal what their single-provider record sets would be. Specifically, each provider needs to separately announce¶
- their KSK (or CSK) public keys for inclusion in CDS/CDNSKEY record sets, and¶
- their ZSK (or CSK) public keys for inclusion in the DNSKEY record set.¶
Ideally, the mechanism would be authenticated and in-band, and allow each provider to import these records in a straightforward manner. In particular, no heuristics should need to be applied to determine the usage mode of any given key. The publishing provider, having ultimate knowledge of how each key is used, should instead make this distinction explicit in what they publish.¶
(This is in contrast to inference methods, such as querying the DNSKEY RRset from each provider and guessing which keys are used for KSK and/or ZSK purposes. Such methods do not adequately cover edge cases such as distinguishing a standby key from a retired key that needs to be cleaned up, or a key that looks like a KSK but also signs another RRset.)¶
The signaling mechanism described in [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping] Section 2 provides a suitable framework for these key announcements.¶
2.2. Triggering Initial Key Synchronization
Once providers have put their key announcements in place, they need to be made aware of each other so that keys can be retrieved, validated, and included in each provider's local copy of the DNSKEY/CDS/CDNSKEY record sets.¶
To see how this can work, consider the process of onboarding a new signing provider. Suppose that the zone is configured both at the existing and the new provider(s), with equivalent contents as far as non-DNSSEC records are concerned (that is, same A/MX/CNAME/TXT/... records).¶
As the new provider can only be added to the NS record set once the key exchange has concluded, the new provider's nameservers are not yet part of it and cannot be discovered by looking at the NS RRset. The NS record set therefore is not a suitable starting point for provider discovery.¶
2.2.1. Mechanism
Discovery can be achieved by adding a new record set which holds the prospective set of NS hostnames. This is similar to how the CDS record set holds the prospective DS records. Like the CDS RRset, it also resides on the child side of the zone cut, and it is used for scanning (albeit peer-to-peer, not parent-child). The type of the new record set is therefore called CNS.¶
To indicate that the set of providers is about to change, the zone administrator adds a CNS record set to the zone at all involved providers (both old and new). The record set is the same at all providers (just like any regular record set in the zone, such as A/MX/...).¶
Providers can detect that a CNS record set has been created, and subsequently start collecting keys (see Section 2.1) from the other providers' nameservers, as extracted from the CNS record set.¶
2.2.2. Properties
The process is symmetrical in two ways: (1) it works the same way for old and new signers alike (both existing and incoming provider(s) see the same CNS record set); (2) it covers both additional and removal of providers. It therefore also covers transitions from one single provider to another single provider (with a temporary multi-signer period in between).¶
If necessary, the method can further be used to trigger a key re-sync without changing providers (such as when revoking a key). This is achieved by copying the NS records into the CNS record set, upon which key collection would occur.¶
2.3. Parent-side Updates
After importing, each provider can periodically check whether the key exchange has converged. This can be done by verifying that the zone's DNSKEY/CDS/CDNSKEY record sets as served by the other providers are equivalent to the joint set seen locally (containing both local and imported keys). As the process is fully transparent, it can also be externally observed.¶
In case convergence does not occur for a while, any provider (or other observer) MAY detect which keys are missing on whose nameservers (by comparing each apex DNSKEY record set to everyone's announced keys, see Section 2.1). Detecting providers can easily relay this information to the zone owner. This allows the zone owner to proactively tackle the problem (e.g. by contacting customer support), instead of experiencing a silent or intransparent failure.¶
Once convergence is confirmed and the parent has updated the DS record accordingly (e.g. after observing the new CDS/CDNSKEY records), the NS record set can be replaced with the records from the CNS RRset. Finally, the updated NS RRset can be conveyed to the parent for updating the delegation (e.g. via CSYNC, or EPP if available to one of the providers).¶
From the parent's perspective, this process is identical to how DS and NS records would be updated in a single-provider setup. No dedicated functionality specific to multi-signer setups is required.¶
3. The CNS Record Type
During a multi-provider configuration process, CNS records indicate which are the NS records that are expected to be in place once the process finishes. As such, record parameters, value constraints, and wire as well as presentation format are the same as for NS records ([RFC1034] Section 3.3.11).¶
This is similar to how CDS records indicate the prospective DS records, and thus share formats and constraints with the DS record type.¶
4. Multi-Signer Key Exchange Protocol
This section specifies the details of how each provider publishes their keys and how they can be discovered by peers.¶
The signaling-related terminology in this section is as defined in [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping].¶
4.1. Key Announcements
To indicate that a provider is willing to participate in a multi-signer key exchange for a given zone, iterate over the zone's DNSKEY records for which the provider holds the private key. For each such key, execute all of the following steps:¶
-
Mark the key for CDS/CDNSKEY signaling if the provider intends to use the key as a secure entry point into the zone (= would want it referenced in the delegation's DS record set);¶
-
Mark the key for DNSKEY signaling if the provider intends to sign, with the corresponding private key, any RRsets besides the apex DNSKEY RRset.¶
Next, publish CDS and CDNSKEY records corresponding to (1) and DNSKEY records corresponding to (2) under the zone's Signaling Domains using Signaling Type "_multi".¶
Existing use of DNSKEY and CDS/CDNSKEY records is specified at the apex only ([RFC4034], Section 2.1.1 and [RFC7344], Section 4.1, respectively). This protocol extends the use of these record types to non-apex owner names for the purposes of DNSSEC MSKE. To exclude the possibility of semantic collision, there MUST NOT be a zone cut at a the Signaling Records' owner name.¶
4.1.1. Example
Consider Provider 1 with nameservers ns1.example.net and ns2.example.net. To prepare a multi-signer key exchange for the zone example.co.uk hosted on these nameservers, the provider starts from the list of DNSKEY records for which the provider holds the private key.¶
Iterating over all these DNSKEYs, the provider publishes CDS/CDNSKEY records for each key that it would like promoted to the delegation's DS record set (KSK-like use), at the following owner names:¶
_multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns1.example.net _multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns2.example.net¶
Iterating over the same list, the provider also publishes a DNSKEY record for each key that it wants to use for signing any RRsets besides the apex DNSKEY RRset (ZSK-like use), at the same owner names.¶
The records are accompanied by RRSIG records created using the key(s) of the respective Signaling Zone.¶
Provider 2 (with nameservers under example.org) follows the same steps to announce their multi-signer keys, under the owner names:¶
_multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns1.example.org _multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns2.example.org¶
[TODO Strictly, if Provider 1 knows that a key will ONLY be used as a KSK and NOT for signing any other records, it doesn't need to be imported by other providers and thus does not need to be announced here as a DNSKEY. -- This is because the key is needed only for verifying the target zone's DNKSEY RRset when retrieved from Provider 1, and in this case, it will be included in the apex DNSKEY RRset itself. To validate a DNSKEY RRset retrieved from Provider 2, the KSK of Provider 1 is not needed.]¶
4.2. Key Discovery
When a provider finds that the zone owner has created a CNS record set, the provider creates an "external nameserver list" by filtering the NS hostnames contained in the CNS RRset, removing those which are under the provider's control. The remaining list represent the subset of prospective NS hostnames operated by other providers.¶
To import the other providers' DNSSEC keys, the provider starts out from initial DNKSEY/CDS/CDNSKEY record sets that only reference keys for which the provider holds the private key. These record sets are called "local RRsets" below.¶
Next, for each hostname in the "external nameserver list", the provider constructs the owner names of the corresponding Signaling Records and queries CDS, CDNSKEY, and DNSKEY records at these owner names. Answers that can be DNSSEC-validated are added to the corresponding "local RRset".¶
4.2.1. Example
The zone owner is generally tasked with keeping the zone contents at all provider in sync. It is thus the first step for the zone owner to ensure that general zone content (such as A/MX/TXT records) is equal everywhere.¶
Next, the zone owner adds the following record set to the zone configuration at both Provider 1 and Provider 2:¶
example.co.uk. 3600 IN CNS ns1.example.net. example.co.uk. 3600 IN CNS ns2.example.net. example.co.uk. 3600 IN CNS ns1.example.org. example.co.uk. 3600 IN CNS ns2.example.org.¶
When Provider 1 detects the CNS RRset, Provider 1 creates the "external nameserver list" by removing their own nameservers. The list then contains the hostnames ns1.example.org and ns2.example.org, which belong to Provider 2.¶
Provider 1 then uses these hostnames, the target zone name and the Signaling Type "_multi" to query the CDS/CDNSKEY/DNSKEY Signaling Records from the following owner names:¶
_multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns1.example.org _multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns2.example.org¶
Starting out from DNSKEY/CDS/CDNSKEY "local RRsets" that only have Provider 1's keys, Provider 1 validates the received answers and adds them to the corresponding local RRset.¶
Provider 2 performs the same steps to import Provider 1's keys, by querying and validating the CDS/CDNSKEY/DNSKEY records from the following owner names:¶
_multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns1.example.net _multi.example.co.uk._signal.ns2.example.net¶
4.3. Parent-side Updates
Multi-signer setups are not in any way special from the parent's perspective: Like for any client (such as resolvers), they merely look like a multi-key setup.¶
Once convergence has been detected, existing protocols can therefore be used for DS management automation (via CDS/CDNSKEY, [RFC7344][RFC8078][I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping])¶
Once providers detect that the DS record set has been updated accordingly, the zone's NS record set can be updated to reflect the changes indicated by the CNS RRset. This is most easily done wy overwriting the NS records set with the contents of the CNS RRset.¶
Finally, existing protocols can be used to propagate the NS (and possibly glue) changes to the parent (e.g. via CSYNC, [RFC7477]).¶
If one of the participating providers is also a registrar, the EPP protocol may be used as well [RFC5730].¶
6. Normative References
- [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-automation]
- Wisser, U. and S. Huque, "DNSSEC automation", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-dnsop-dnssec-automation-00, , <https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-ietf-dnsop-dnssec-automation-00.txt>.
- [I-D.ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping]
- Thomassen, P. and N. Wisiol, "Automatic DNSSEC Bootstrapping using Authenticated Signals from the Zone's Operator", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping-02, , <https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-ietf-dnsop-dnssec-bootstrapping-02.txt>.
- [I-D.thomassen-dnsop-cds-consistency]
- Thomassen, P., "Consistency for CDS/CDNSKEY and CSYNC is Mandatory", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-thomassen-dnsop-cds-consistency-02, , <https://datatracker.ietf.org/api/v1/doc/document/draft-thomassen-dnsop-cds-consistency/>.
- [RFC1034]
- Mockapetris, P., "Domain names - concepts and facilities", STD 13, RFC 1034, DOI 10.17487/RFC1034, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1034>.
- [RFC2119]
- Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
- [RFC4033]
- Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S. Rose, "DNS Security Introduction and Requirements", RFC 4033, DOI 10.17487/RFC4033, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4033>.
- [RFC4034]
- Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S. Rose, "Resource Records for the DNS Security Extensions", RFC 4034, DOI 10.17487/RFC4034, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4034>.
- [RFC4035]
- Arends, R., Austein, R., Larson, M., Massey, D., and S. Rose, "Protocol Modifications for the DNS Security Extensions", RFC 4035, DOI 10.17487/RFC4035, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4035>.
- [RFC5730]
- Hollenbeck, S., "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)", STD 69, RFC 5730, DOI 10.17487/RFC5730, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5730>.
- [RFC6781]
- Kolkman, O., Mekking, W., and R. Gieben, "DNSSEC Operational Practices, Version 2", RFC 6781, DOI 10.17487/RFC6781, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6781>.
- [RFC7344]
- Kumari, W., Gudmundsson, O., and G. Barwood, "Automating DNSSEC Delegation Trust Maintenance", RFC 7344, DOI 10.17487/RFC7344, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7344>.
- [RFC7477]
- Hardaker, W., "Child-to-Parent Synchronization in DNS", RFC 7477, DOI 10.17487/RFC7477, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7477>.
- [RFC7583]
- Morris, S., Ihren, J., Dickinson, J., and W. Mekking, "DNSSEC Key Rollover Timing Considerations", RFC 7583, DOI 10.17487/RFC7583, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7583>.
- [RFC8078]
- Gudmundsson, O. and P. Wouters, "Managing DS Records from the Parent via CDS/CDNSKEY", RFC 8078, DOI 10.17487/RFC8078, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8078>.
- [RFC8174]
- Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.
- [RFC8901]
- Huque, S., Aras, P., Dickinson, J., Vcelak, J., and D. Blacka, "Multi-Signer DNSSEC Models", RFC 8901, DOI 10.17487/RFC8901, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8901>.
Appendix A. Change History (to be removed before publication)
- draft-thomassen-dnsop-mske-00¶
Initial public draft.¶