UNINETT PCA Policy Statements
Operating rules for a Norwegian certificate authority
Berge, N., "UNINETT PCA Policy Statements", RFC 1875, DOI 10.17487/RFC1875, December 1995, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1875>.
@misc{rfc1875,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 1875,
howpublished = {RFC 1875},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC1875},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1875},
author = {N. Berge},
title = {{UNINETT PCA Policy Statements}},
pagetotal = 10,
year = 1995,
month = dec,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group N. Berge
Request for Comments: 1875 Norwegian Computing Center
Category: Informational December 1995
UNINETT PCA Policy Statements
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
this memo is unlimited.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.......................................2
2. PCA Identity.......................................2
3. UNINETT - a brief overview.........................2
4. PCA Scope..........................................2
4.1 The certification tree.............................3
4.2 Use of Registration Authorities (RAs)..............3
5. PCA Security & Privacy.............................3
5.1 Security requirements imposed on the PCA...........3
5.2 Security requirements imposed on CAs...............4
5.3 Security requirements imposed on RAs...............4
5.4 Measures taken to protect the privacy of any
information collected in the course of certifying
CAs and (for CAs) users............................4
6. Certification Policy...............................5
6.1 Policy and procedures when certifying CAs..........5
6.2 Policy and procedures when certifying RAs..........5
6.3 Policy and procedures when certifying users........5
6.4 Validity interval for issued certificates..........6
6.5 The CAs right to a DN and procedures to resolve DN
conflicts..........................................6
6.6 The users right to a DN and procedures to resolve
DN conflicts.......................................6
7. Certificate Management.............................7
8. CRL Management.....................................7
9. Naming Conventions.................................8
10. Business Issues....................................9
10.1 Legal agreement concerning CAs.....................9
10.2 Legal agreement concerning RAs.....................9
10.3 Fees...............................................9
11. Other..............................................9
11.1 Distribution of software needed by CAs, RAs and
users..............................................9
12. Security Considerations............................9
13. References........................................10
14. Author's Address..................................10
1. Introduction
This document provides information about policy statements submitted
by the UNINETT Policy Certification Authority (UNINETT PCA).
It's purpose is to provide information to members of the Internet
community who wish to evaluate the trust they can place in a
certification path that includes a certificate issued by the UNINETT
PCA, or to set up a CA to be certified by the UNINETT PCA.
2. PCA Identity
Distinguished Name (DN): C=no, O=uninett, OU=pca
The UNINETT PCA will be run by:
Norwegian Computing Center
Gaustadallien 23
P.O.Box 114 Blindern,
N-0314 Oslo, Norway
Contact person:
Nils Harald Berge
Email: Nils.Harald.Berge@nr.no
Tel.: (+47) 22 85 25 00
Fax : (+47) 22 69 76 60
Duration: This policy is valid from Oct 1, 1995 to Jan 1, 1998
Info about this PCA is available at: http://www.uninett.no/pca/
3. UNINETT - a brief overview
UNINETT is a Limited Company (AS) operating the Norwegian network for
academics and research. It is incorporated under Norwegian law, and
it's company number is 968100211.
More information is available from the UNINETT web server at:
http://www.uninett.no/
4. PCA Scope
The scope of the UNINETT PCA is determined by UNINETT Policy. It will
chiefly certify CAs to run on behalf of legal entities such as
schools and companies.
4.1 The certification tree
The certification tree beneath the UNINETT PCA comprise three
distinct entities: Certification Authorities (CAs), Registration
Authorities (RAs) and users. CAs are described in the PEM documents
[1,2,3,4]. An explanation of RAs is given bellow.
There will be one CA, with possible sublevel CAs, per UNINETT member
organization. The CA may be run by the organization itself, or by the
organization running the PCA for organizations who do not want to
take on the responsibility themselves.
4.2 Use of Registration Authorities (RAs)
Since the CA may be located far away from the users, local
authorities are needed for physical identification/authentication of
users. For security reasons, and to avoid an unnecessary large number
of CAs, these authorities are not allowed to issue certificates.
A registration authority (RA) is an ordinary user, appointed by an
organization or an organizational unit and trusted by a CA, serving
as a point of contact for persons who want to register as users, i.e.
to have a certificate issued. In order to avoid faked requests for
certification, users must send their self-signed certificate to an
appropriate RA, and then physically visit the RA with proof of
identity. The RA will forward the self-signed certificate to the CA
in a message signed by the RA, if the user is properly authenticated.
For bulk certification (see 5.3) the RA must physically verify the
identity of the user before giving out the password for access to the
users private key.
A CA may appoint as many RAs as it wish. The only difference between
certifying an RA and an ordinary user is that the RA (a person) must
sign an agreement with the certifying CA, stating the obligation to
adhere to the agreed procedures.
5. PCA Security & Privacy
5.1 Security requirements imposed on the PCA
- The PCA will have its private key stored on a smartcard.
- The PCA will be run on a dedicated workstation with no network
connection. The workstation will be physically secured.
- Exchanging data between the PCA workstation and the rest of the
world will be done by using tapes or floppy discs.
- The PCA RSA key pair will have a length of 1024 bits.
- Backups from the PCA workstation must be stored in at least one off
site location. Backups must be physically secured
5.2 Security requirements imposed on CAs that are to be certified
- A CA must be run on a dedicated workstation with no network
connection. The workstation must be physically secured.
- Exchanging data between the CA workstation and the rest of the world
must be done by using tapes or floppy discs.
- The CA RSA key pair must have a minimum length of 1024 bits.
A security requirements document concerning CAs will be made
available online, and expected to be obeyed.
5.3 Security requirements imposed on RAs that are to be certified
- RAs must use a work station, with remote login disabled. Use of
X-terminal, terminal emulator etc. with processes running on a
remote machine is strictly prohibited.
- The RA RSA key pair must have a minimum length of 512 bits.
A security requirements document concerning RAs will be made
available online, and expected to be obeyed.
5.4 Measures taken to protect the privacy of any information collected
in the course of certifying CAs and (for CAs) users.
CAs will not collect any security relevant information about users.
In those cases when CAs generate keys (and certificates) on behalf of
users, all information pertaining the users private key will be
securely deleted after it has been received by the user. CAs will
always generate their own key pairs, thus no security relevant
information will be collected by the PCA.
All archived material concerning DNs for users will be stored on the
CA workstations, which are physically protected and does not have any
network connections.
6. Certification Policy
6.1 Policy and procedures when certifying CAs
In order to be certified, a CA must sign an agreement with the
UNINETT PCA stating the obligation to adhere to the agreed
procedures.
The persons responsible for running the CA will be evaluated by the
UNINETT PCA, in order to determine whether they exhibit the necessary
qualifications and have access to the resources needed in order to
run the CA securely.
The CA must submit its self signed certificate to the UNINETT PCA.
6.2 Policy and procedures when certifying RAs
The organization or organizational unit is responsible for appointing
RA persons, typically 1-3 persons per organization/unit. The person
representing the RA must sign an agreement with the certifying CA,
stating the obligation to adhere to the agreed procedures in order to
be certified.
The person representing the RA will be evaluated by the certifying
CA, in order to determine whether he/she exhibits the necessary
qualifications and has access to the resources needed to run the RA
securely.
The RA must submit its self signed certificate to the certifying CA.
In the absence of RAs, or equivalent, the validity of the
certification request (i.e. the identity of the requestor) must be
verified by "out of band" means. These means will vary from case to
case, depending on physical distance, prior knowledge etc.
6.3 Policy and procedures when certifying users
There are two ways in which a user can be certified:
- individual certification, or
- bulk certification
When applying individual certification, a user will generate his own
key pair, and his own self-signed certificate. The certification
procedure follows the PEM documents [1,2,3,4], with the exception
that the certification request will be sent to an RA. The user must
then visit the RA with proof of identity
Bulk certification of users will typically be done when it is
desirable to certify many users belonging to the same organization.
An example could be the certification of students at the beginning of
a semester, or initial certification of all employees belonging to a
company. When bulk certifying users, the CA will generate the users'
key pairs and certificates. A user's key pair together with the
certificate will be DES-encrypted and sent electronically to the
user. The pass phrase to generate the DES-key can be collected at
the local RA, given proof of identity. The pass phrase can also be
sent by certified surface mail.
When bulk certifying users the CA or RA shall not access or store any
of the users' private information.
A person's identity is verified by:
- driver's licence
- passport
- bank card (Norwegian)
CA and RA need not be separate entities. A CA may verify the identity
of users directly, following the procedures described above.
6.4 Validity interval for issued certificates
Validity interval for user and RA certificates is maximum 2 years
from date of issue.
There is in principle no special requirements regarding validity
intervals for CA certificates, though it is recommended not to issue
certificates for more than a 10 year period.
6.5 The CAs right to a DN and procedures to resolve DN conflicts
CAs will preferably use DNs reflecting the organizational scope under
which they certify users (see also "Naming conventions"). The
certifying entity must ensure, with the aid of X.500 as
disambiguation tool, the uniqueness of a DN.
6.6 The user's right to a DN and procedures to resolve DN conflicts
It is the certifying CA who will determine a user's DN and ensure,
with the aid of X.500 as disambiguation tool, the uniqueness of a DN.
Users will preferably use DNs reflecting the organization to which
they belong, and their full name (see also "Naming conventions").
7. Certificate management
UNINETTs X.500 service will be used when storing certificates
belonging to users within UNINETT member organizations. Other users
may also use the X.500 service if available. All certificates issued
will be maintained in a local database by the certifying entity in
addition to the X.500 directory. If a CA does not have access to the
X.500 service, all issued certificates must be mailed to the UNINETT
PCA who will make the X.500 entries on behalf of the CA.
Certificates can be requested in two ways, either directly from the
X.500 directory, or by querying a mail-responder service maintained
by the UNINETT PCA.
Details on how certificates are mailed, and how to use the mail-
responder service can be found at the following WWW site:
http://www.uninett.no/pca/
8. CRL Management
Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) must be issued at least once a
month, on a specified date, by CAs. The UNINETT X.500 service will be
used to publish CRLs. If a CA does not have access to the X.500
service the CRL must be mailed to the UNINETT PCA who will make the
X.500 entries on behalf of the CA.
CRLs can be requested in two ways, either directly from the X.500
directory, or by querying a mail-responder service maintained by the
UNINETT PCA.
Details on how CRLs are mailed, and how to use the mail-responder
service can be found at the following WWW site:
http://www.uninett.no/pca/
The UNINETT PCA will continually update the CRL with revoked CA
certificates.
There is no automatic distribution service of CRLs. Therefore users
will have to pull CRLs from the X.500 or the mail-responder. Black
lists are currently not supported. Appropriate news groups and
information services will be used to announce the issuance of new
CRLs.
9. Naming Conventions
Naming conventions for CAs:
CAs' DNs will follow the conventions adopted by their organization.
Organizations who do not have any preferences in this matter should
use the following scheme:
C=<country>, O=<organization> [, OU=<organizational-unit>]
Country is the country code, e.g. all Norwegian organizations have
C=no. Organization is the organization represented by the CA (e.g.
the scope for which the CA certify users). Organizational-unit is
optional, reflecting a unit within a large organization for cases in
which the organization has more than one CA. Example: the CA
responsible for certifying UNINETT employees will be assigned the
following DN: C=no, O=uninett
Naming conventions for users:
Users' DNs will follow the conventions adopted by their organization.
Organizations who do not have any preferences in this matter should
use the following scheme:
C=<country>, O=<organization>, [OU=<organizational-unit>,]
CN=<personal name>
Personal name will be a unique name for the user with respect to the
organization to which the user belongs. An organization's CA is
responsible for ensuring that all certified users have a distinct
personal name. Usually personal name will be the user's full name.
Use of OU is optional. Example if Per Olsen is an employee of UNINETT
he will be assigned the following DN: C=no, O=uninett, CN=Per Olsen.
The choice of which users to certify as belonging to the organization
is made by the CA, not by the PCA.
10. Business Issues
10.1 Legal agreements concerning CAs
If a CA wishes to be certified by the UNINETT PCA, the CA will have
to sign a legal agreement with the UNINETT PCA. The legal agreement
can be obtained by contacting the UNINETT PCA.
10.2 Legal agreements concerning RAs
If an RA wishes to be certified by a CA, a person representing the RA
will have to sign a legal agreement with the CA. The legal agreement
can be obtained from the appropriate CA, or directly from the UNINETT
PCA. Each CA will locally decide whether the RA is to be certified.
10.3 Fees
The UNINETT PCA reserves the right to charge fees. The fee structure
will be determined by UNINETT policy.
11. Other
11.1 Distribution of software needed by CAs, RAs and users
The software needed is based on the SecuDE-package from GMD
Darmstadt, and is available without fee for non-commercial purposes.
All software distributions should include a signature from the
UNINETT PCA to verify its integrity. Users, CAs, and RAs are expected
to verify such signatures immediately after installation.
12. Security Considerations
Security issues are discussed throughout this memo.
13. References
[1] Linn, J., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet Electronic Mail: Part
I: Message Encryption and Authentication Procedures", RFC 1421,
IAB IRTF PSRG, IETF PEM WG, February 1993.
[2] Kent, S., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet Electronic Mail: Part
II: Certificate-Based Key Management", RFC 1422, IAB IRTF PSRG,
IETF PEM, BBN, February 1993.
[3] Balenson, D., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet Electronic Mail:
Part III: Algorithms, Modes, and Identifiers", RFC 1423, IAB IRTF
PSRG, IETF PEM WG, TIS, February 1993.
[4] Kaliski, B., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet Electronic Mail:
Part IV: Key Certification and Related Services", RFC 1424, RSA
Laboratories, February 1993.
14. Author's Address
Nils Harald Berge
Norwegian Computing Center
Gaustadallien 23
P.O.Box 114 Blindern,
N-0314 Oslo, Norway
Phone: (+47) 22 85 25 00
Fax : (+47) 22 69 76 60
EMail: Nils.Harald.Berge@nr.no
AI ELI5
On this page
§1UNINETT and Its Certificate Authority
UNINETT is a limited company operating Norway's academic and research network. The UNINETT Policy Certification Authority (PCA) is a trusted authority that issues certificates proving the identity of other certificate authorities and users. This RFC documents the policies that govern how the UNINETT PCA operates.
The policies address how certificates are issued, how they are managed, what security measures protect the PCA, and what procedures organizations must follow to participate. The document is intended for organizations considering whether to trust a certificate that traces back through UNINETT's authority.
UNINETT runs a trusted office that hands out digital identity cards. This explains all the rules the office follows to make sure the cards are real and trustworthy.
§2The Certification Hierarchy
The UNINETT PCA manages a three-level certification tree: the PCA itself at the top, Certification Authorities (CAs) in the middle, and users or Registration Authorities (RAs) at the bottom. There is typically one CA per UNINETT member organization, and it may either be run by the organization itself or by the organization operating the PCA.
Registration Authorities are designated people who perform local identity verification on behalf of a CA. Because they must physically verify identity before forwarding certification requests, they are not permitted to issue certificates themselves. Instead, an RA forwards a properly authenticated request to the CA, which issues the certificate. This separation of duties strengthens security: a stolen RA credential does not allow certificate issuance.
The UNINETT office sits at the top. Below it are local ID-checking offices run by organizations. Below those are trusted people at each organization who check that applicants are really who they claim to be, then report back to their local office.
§3Security Requirements
The PCA enforces strict security measures to protect its private key. The PCA's key is stored on a smartcard and the PCA runs on a dedicated workstation with no network connection. All data exchange uses magnetic tapes or floppy disks rather than networked communication. The PCA RSA key pair is 1024 bits long, and backups are stored in at least one off-site location under physical security.
CAs must meet similar requirements: a dedicated, network-disconnected workstation, secure physical protection, and a minimum 1024-bit RSA key pair. RAs, which are individual people rather than systems, must use workstations with remote login disabled and at least a 512-bit RSA key pair. The RFC states that detailed security requirements documents are made available online and must be followed by all participants.
The main office keeps its secret key in a safe, locked away from the Internet, with copies stored in another building. Local offices do the same. People who check identities must use secure computers without remote access.
§4Certification and Naming Procedures
To be certified, a CA must sign a legal agreement with the UNINETT PCA. The PCA evaluates whether the people running the CA have the necessary qualifications and resources to operate it securely, and the CA must submit a self-signed certificate. RAs follow similar procedures with their certifying CA.
Users can be certified individually or in bulk. Individual certification has the user generate their own key pair and send a self-signed certificate request to an RA, who verifies identity in person. Bulk certification is used when certifying many users at once (such as students at semester start); the CA generates keys and certificates, encrypts them with DES, and delivers them via email with the decryption password collected in person or sent by certified mail.
User and RA certificates have a maximum 2-year validity period, while CA certificates may be issued for up to 10 years. DNs (Distinguished Names) follow naming conventions to ensure uniqueness, using the organization name and personal name. Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) must be issued at least once monthly and published via X.500 or mail responder.
Local ID offices apply to the main office to get certified. People can get their ID cards one at a time, or an office can generate many at once and hand them out. All cards expire after a certain time and need renewal.
§5Policy Validity and Software
These policies are valid from October 1, 1995 through January 1, 1998. Information about the UNINETT PCA is available at its web site.
The software needed by CAs, RAs, and users is based on the SecuDE package from GMD Darmstadt and is available without charge for non-commercial purposes. All software distributions are signed by the UNINETT PCA to verify integrity, and users are expected to verify these signatures immediately after installation.
The rules were set for a specific period of time. The office provides free software to help people use the system, and all software is digitally signed to prove it is genuine.