Distribution of EAP-Based Keys for Handover and Re-Authentication
RFC 5749

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                    K. Hoeper, Ed.
Request for Comments: 5749                                   M. Nakhjiri
Category: Standards Track                                       Motorola
ISSN: 2070-1721                                             Y. Ohba, Ed.
                                                                 Toshiba
                                                              March 2010

   Distribution of EAP-Based Keys for Handover and Re-Authentication

Abstract

   This document describes an abstract mechanism for delivering root
   keys from an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) server to
   another network server that requires the keys for offering security
   protected services, such as re-authentication, to an EAP peer.  The
   distributed root key can be either a usage-specific root key (USRK),
   a domain-specific root key (DSRK), or a domain-specific usage-
   specific root key (DSUSRK) that has been derived from an Extended
   Master Session Key (EMSK) hierarchy previously established between
   the EAP server and an EAP peer.  This document defines a template for
   a key distribution exchange (KDE) protocol that can distribute these
   different types of root keys using a AAA (Authentication,
   Authorization, and Accounting) protocol and discusses its security
   requirements.  The described protocol template does not specify
   message formats, data encoding, or other implementation details.  It
   thus needs to be instantiated with a specific protocol (e.g., RADIUS
   or Diameter) before it can be used.

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5749.

Hoeper, et al.               Standards Track                    [Page 1]
RFC 5749                 HOKEY Key Distribution               March 2010

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2010 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
   (http://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 Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

   This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF
   Contributions published or made publicly available before November
   10, 2008.  The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this
   material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow
   modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process.
   Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling
   the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified
   outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may
   not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format
   it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
   than English.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   2.  Terminology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
   3.  Key Delivery Architecture  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   4.  Key Distribution Exchange (KDE)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     4.1.  Context and Scope for Distributed Keys . . . . . . . . . .  7
     4.2.  Key Distribution Exchange Scenarios  . . . . . . . . . . .  8
   5.  KDE Used in the EAP Re-Authentication Protocol (ERP) . . . . .  8
   6.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     6.1.  Requirements on AAA Key Transport Protocols  . . . . . . .  9
     6.2.  Distributing RK without Peer Consent . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   7.  Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   8.  Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   9.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     9.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     9.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11