2.6.5 Public-Key Infrastructure (X.509) (pkix)

Last Modified: 2003-08-26

Chair(s):
Stephen Kent <kent@bbn.com>
Tim Polk <wpolk@nist.gov>
Security Area Director(s):
Russell Housley <housley@vigilsec.com>
Steven Bellovin <smb@research.att.com>
Security Area Advisor:
Russell Housley <housley@vigilsec.com>
Mailing Lists:
General Discussion: ietf-pkix@imc.org
To Subscribe: ietf-pkix-request@imc.org
In Body: subscribe (In Body)
Archive: http://www.imc.org/ietf-pkix
Description of Working Group:
The PKIX Working Group was established in the Fall of 1995 with the
intent of developing Internet standards needed to support an
X.509-based PKI. The scope of PKIX work has expanded beyond this
initial goal. PKIX not only profiles ITU PKI standards, but also
develops new standards apropos to the use of X.509-based PKIs in the
Internet.

PKIX has produced several informational and standards track documents
in support of the original and revised scope of the WG. The first of
these standards, RFC 2459, profiled X.509 version 3 certificates and
version 2 CRLs for use in the Internet. Profiles for the use of
Attribute Certificates (RFC XXXX [pending]), LDAP v2 for certificate
and CRL storage (RFC 2587), the Internet X.509 Public Key
Infrastructure Qualified Certificates Profile (RFC 3039), and the
Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate Policy and
certification Practices Framework (RFC 2527 - Informational) are in
line with the initial scope.

The Certificate Management Protocol (CMP) (RFC 2510), the Online
Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) (RFC 2560), Certificate Management
Request Format (CRMF) (RFC 2511), Time-Stamp Protocol (RFC 3161),
Certificate Management Messages over CMS (RFC 2797), Internet X.509
Public Key Infrastructure Time Stamp Protocols (RFC 3161), and the use
of FTP and HTTP for transport of PKI operations (RFC 2585) are
representative of the expanded scope of PKIX, as these are new
protocols developed in the working group, not profiles of ITU PKI
standards.

A roadmap, providing a guide to the growing set of PKIX document, also
has been developed as an informational RFC.

Ongoing PKIX Work items

An ongoing PKIX task is the progression of existing, standards track
RFCs from PROPOSED to DRAFT. Also, to the extent that PKIX work
relates to protocols from other areas, e.g., LDAP, it is necessary to
track the evolution of the other protocols and produce updated
RFCs. For example, the LDAP v2 documents from PKIX are evolving to
address LDAP v3. Finally, since the profiling of X.509 standards for
use in the Internet remains a major focus, the WG will continue to
track the evolution of these standards and incorporate changes and
additions as appropriate.

New Work items for PKIX

- production of a requirements RFC for delegated path discovery and
  path validation protocols (DPD/DPV) and subsequent production of
  RFCs for protocols that satisfy the requirements

- development of a logotype extension for certificates

- development of a proxy certificate extension and associated
  processing rules

- development of an informational document on PKI disaster recovery

These work items may become standards track, INFORMATIONAL or
EXPERIMENTAL RFCs, or may not even be published as RFCs.

Other deliverables may be agreed upon as extensions are proposed.
New deliverables must be approved by the Security Area Directors
before inclusion on the charter or IETF meeting agendas.
Goals and Milestones:
Done  Complete approval of CMC, and qualified certificates documents
Done  Complete time stamping document
Done  Continue attribute certificate profile work
Done  Complete data certification document
Done  Complete work on attribute certificate profile
Done  Standard RFCs for public key and attribute certificate profiles, CMP, OCSP, CMC, CRMF, TSP, Qualified Certificates, LDAP v2 schema, use of FTP/HTTP, Diffie-Hellman POP
Done  INFORMATIONAL RFCs for X.509 PKI policies and practices, use of KEA
Done  Experimental RFC for Data Validation and Certification Server Protocols
Done  Production of revised certificate and CRL syntax and processing RFC (son-of-2459)
Apr 02  Production of revised CMC RFCs (updates and split of CMC into several parts)
Apr 02  DPD/DVP Requirements RFC
Apr 02  DPV/DPD Protocols WG last call
Dec 02  DPV/DPD RFC(s)
Sep 03  Certificate Policy & CPS Informational RFC (revision)
Oct 03  Progression of CRMF, CMP, and CMP Transport to DRAFT Standard
Oct 03  Logotype Extension RFC
Oct 03  Proxy Certificate RFC
Nov 03  SCVP proposed Standard RFC
Dec 03  Progression of CMC RFCs to DRAFT Standard
Mar 04  Progression of Qualified Certificates Profile RFC to DRAFT Standard
Mar 04  Progression of Certificate & CRL Profile RFC to DRAFT Standard
Mar 04  Progression of Time Stamp Protocols RFC to DRAFT Standard
Mar 04  Progression of Logotype RFC to DRAFT Standard
Jun 04  Progression of Proxy Certificate RFC to DRAFT Standard
Jun 04  Progression of SCVP to Draft Standard
Jun 04  Progression of Attribute Certificate Profile RFC to DRAFT standard
Internet-Drafts:
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-roadmap-09.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-scvp-12.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-rfc2510bis-08.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-pi-07.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-pkixrep-01.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-rfc2511bis-06.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-proxy-08.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ipki-new-rfc2527-02.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-logotypes-11.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-certstore-http-05.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-x509-ipaddr-as-extn-01.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-pr-tsa-05.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-warranty-extn-03.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-dnstrings-02.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-acpolicies-extn-03.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-wlan-extns-04.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-cvp-02.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-sim-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ocspv2-ext-01.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-rsa-pkalgs-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ecc-nist-recommended-curves-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ocsp-dpvdpd-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ldap-crl-schema-01.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-ldap-ac-schema-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-tap-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-sonof3039-01.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-certpathbuild-00.txt
  • - draft-ietf-pkix-sca-00.txt
  • Request For Comments:
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile (RFC 2459) (278438 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate Management Protocols (RFC 2510) (158178 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Certificate Request Message Format (RFC 2511) (48278 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate Policy and Certification Practices Framework (RFC 2527) (91860 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Representation of Key Exchange Algorithm (KEA) Keys in Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates (RFC 2528) (18273 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Operational Protocols - LDAPv2 (RFC 2559) (22894 bytes) obsoleted by RFC 3494
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Operational Protocols: FTP and HTTP (RFC 2585) (14813 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure LDAPv2 Schema (RFC 2587) (15102 bytes)
    X.509 Internet Public Key Infrastructure Online Certificate Status Protocol - OCSP (RFC 2560) (43243 bytes)
    Certificate Management Messages over CMS (RFC 2797) (103357 bytes)
    Diffie-Hellman Proof-of-Possession Algorithms (RFC 2875) (45231 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Qualified Certificates Profile (RFC 3039) (67619 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Data Validation and Certification Server Protocols (RFC 3029) (107347 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Time Stamp Protocols (TSP) (RFC 3161) (54585 bytes)
    Algorithms and Identifiers for the Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRI Profile (RFC 3279) (53833 bytes)
    Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile (RFC 3280) (295556 bytes)
    An Internet Attribute Certificate Profile for Authorization (RFC 3281) (90580 bytes)
    Delegated Path Validation and Delegated Path Discovery Protocol Requirements (RFC 3379) (32455 bytes)

    Current Meeting Report

    Nothing.PKIX WG Meeting 7/17/03
    
    Edited by Steve Kent
    
    Chairs: Stephen Kent <kent@bbn.com>, Tim Polk 
    <tim.polk@nist.gov>
    
    The PKIX WG met once during the 57th IETF. A total of 
    approximately 75 individuals participated in the meeting.
    
    
    Agenda review and document status - Tim Polk (NIST)
      There are about XX WG documents in various stages in the process, some of 
    which fell through the cracks due to process glitches. [slides]
    
    WG Focus and Direction - Russ Housley
      The working group has received direction from the IESG that will limit the 
    types of new specifications accepted as PKIX work products. Thus the WG is 
    not accepting new work items.  New WGs will be formed, as needed, to 
    address PKI issues, or individual drafts can be submitted and subject to 
    IETF-wide last call if the work described in them is mature and 
    non-controversial. [no slides]
    
    Document Status Review - Tim Polk (NIST)
          The working group has a fair number of Internet-Drafts in various 
    stages of processing, but since the last meeting considerable progress has 
    been made. Several IDs are in or have recently completed last call. 
    [slides]
    
    
    PKIX WG Specifications
    
    Simple Certificate Validation Protocol - Trevor Freeman (Microsoft)
          The current draft of SCVP is in WG Last Call, which was extended 
    until August 4th, to allow additional time for comment (due to overlap with 
    the current IETF meeting). The document is believed to be in full 
    compliance with RFC 3379. This presentation discussed changes since the 
    previous (version 11) draft. Plan is to progress to IETF last call and IESG 
    review very soon. [slides]
    
    
    RFC 3280 Progression - Tim Polk (NIST)
            NIST is currently performing the interoperability testing for RFC 
    3280. This presentation updated the WG on NIST's progress, projected 
    completion date, and issues identified to date. Primary focus is on the RFC 
    3280 path validation test suite developed jointly by NIST, 
    DigitalNet, and NSA. Discussion of the problem of UTF-8 string 
    matching, which has been addressed in the DNS context (RFC 3454), but is 
    addressed only minimally in 3280. Plan is to stick with the current 3280 
    spec for progression to DRAFT, but to create a separate document to 
    specify what CAs should do, to ensure that the simple, binary 
    comparison will work in path building. [slides]
    
    LDAP Documents: - David Chadwick (Univ of Salford) & Peter Gietz (DAASI)
         The WG has a suite of LDAP-PKIX drafts forming a 
    comprehensive solution for LDAP based PKI information 
    distribution.  New drafts on PKC certificate schema, CRL schema and on 
    Attribute Certificate schema have been published since the 56th IETF.  The 
    authors presented the changes in these documents and discussed the 
    timeline for document completion. Biggest issue on the table for the 
    schema document is that Microsoft says it will not support 
    multi-valued attributes (e.g., a terminal RDN that is a set 
    consisting of a common name and a serial number). Direction from WG 
    chairs is to maintain this requirement, and to discuss with MS why they 
    believe this is not a necessary feature. Plan is to proceed to last call 
    immediately after this IETF meeting. Still have to deal with the "; 
    binary" issue for transfer of LDAP data. [slides]
    
    Qualified Certificates  - Stefan Santesson (Microsoft)
          This presentation proposed a path for the evolution of the QC 
    document. The intent is to relax some current QC profile constraints 
    (e.g., re setting the NR bit), consistent with activities within ETSI, 
    which uses this document as a basis for EU standards with regard to 
    qualified certificates. Also need to bring this RFC into alignment with RFC 
    3280. [slides]
    
    Certification Path Building  - Matt Cooper (Orion Security)
          This document, intended to become an informational RFC, was 
    written to provide guidance and recommendations to developers building 
    X.509 public-key certification paths within their applications, based on 
    experience gained in several contexts. The document describes 
    different PKI structures, considerations for forward vs. reverse path 
    construction, tree pruning, etc. emphasis on value of disallowing 
    repeated name/key combination in a path. Need to reword the 
    introductory/overview text to make clear that the material presented is 
    advisory, not mandatory, and to acknowledge that overall, we are still in 
    early stages of gaining experience in this area. Also, if this is to be a 
    PKIX document, then need to clarify that some of the "rules" deal with 
    accommodation of non-complaint certificates. [slides]
    
    RSA Public Key Algorithms - Jim Schaad (Soaring Hawk)
       New member of editorial team for this document. Discussed open 
    questions of OID use (encryption vs. signature) and parameters use. New 
    draft will be issued soon. [no slides]
    
    
    Related Specifications
    
    The following personal drafts address topics of interest to the PKIX WG, and 
    are presented to highlight the availability of the drafts and 
    encourage input from the WG.
    
    Russian Cryptographic Algorithms for PKIX - Grigory Chudov 
    (Crypto-Pro)
            This personal draft documents the use of Russian national 
    cryptography standards (GOST) in the PKIX context. It was developed 
    within the "Russian Cryptographic Software Compatibility Agreement", and 
    signed by major Russian cryptographic software vendors. This agreement 
    specifies parameters not nailed down in basic Russian Government 
    standards. [slides]
    
    Memorandum for multi-domain PKI Interoperability - Masaki SHIMAOKA 
    (SECOM)
        This personal draft documents known issues and considerations for 
    multi-domain PKI, and provides guidelines for multi-domain PKI 
    interoperability as a best current practice. The scope of this 
    specification is the establishment of trust relationships and 
    interoperability among multiple PKI domains. This specification is a 
    follow on to the JNSA Challenge PKI 2002 and Multi-Domain PKI Test Suite. 
    [slides]
    
    
    Liaison/Related Projects
    
    The following specifications will update the WG on related EU 
    activities.
    
    European Open Standards for Electronic Signatures: the EESSI - Riccardo 
    Genghini, EESSI Chair (SG&A)
            The European Electronic Signature Standardization Initiative 
    (EESSI) is an industry initiative in Support of the European Directive on 
    Electronic Signatures. This presentation described the status of the 
    ESESI's current and recent work, which has just been published. This 
    presentation was an update to the status report provided at the 56th IETF. 
    [slides]
    
    OpenEvidence Project - Peter Sylvester (EdelWeb)
        The EU IST project OpenEvidence is an Open source project 
    concerning technologies for establishing the long term validity 
    (integrity, time of posting, Š) of documents. The presentation 
    addressed the goals and the current status of the 
    implementations. Plan to update RFCs 3161 and 3029 to reflect 
    additional experience gained in this project. [slides]
    

    Slides

    Progression of 3279 and 3280
    Russian cryptographic algorithms (GOST) in Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure
    Interoperability Testing for RFCs 3279 and 3280
    RFC 3039 bis
    SCVP
    Public Key Infrastructure Using X.509 (PKIX) Working Group
    LDAP Items
    The OpenEvidence Project
    Memorandum for multi-domain PKI interoperability
    Commission Decision of the 14 th July 2003 Publication of the CWAs 14167-1 14167-2 and 14169 on the OJ of the EU