Security for IEC/IEEE 60802

NETCONF Security Deep-Dive

K. Fischer, A. Furch, L. Lindemann, O. Pfaff, T. Pössler, G. Steindl
Siemens AG 2021
Problem Statement

• Provide a deep-dive for NETCONF security (as-is) from the perspective of industrial automation
esp. IA devices/controllers
• Report the fitness of NETCONF security for industrial automation
• Use specification documents for this analysis (implementations are not considered herein)
• See the accompanying overview slide-deck for the abstractions/terms etc. considered herein

• Note: deep-dives (according the same scheme) will be made for all short-listed candidates

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Fitness of As-Is NETCONF Security for
Industrial Automation

Security fulfilment Message exchange Resource access

disciplines* protection authorization

Protect shared resources on IA

devices/controllers

Establish security associations

with endpoints on IA
devices/controllers

Manage initial credentials and

overall security configuration at
IA devices/controllers

*: see background slide for details

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**: can be started without waiting for other deep-dive results
Page 3 2021-03-10 *** should wait for other deep-dive results Siemens AG
Profiling Action Items Include
• Security for shared resources:
• Message exchange protection:
• Select TLS and/or SSH
• Profile scheme-specific details e.g. version of security protocols, handling of optional features…
• Resource access authorization (NACM - if DAC is the preferred model):
• Model authorization-controlled resources and actions
• Assign NETCONF ‘users’ to groups
• Shared security means: compile a catalogue of cryptographic algorithms
• Securing-the-security:
• Select SZTP with and/or without ‘call home’ feature (RFC 8071, RFC 8366)
• Profile SZTP-specific sources and details of bootstrapping data e.g. sources of bootstrapping data,
nonceless vouchers, revocation means
• Select supported ‘user’ population: implicit (mapping from TLS/SSH), local and/or remote repositories

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Action Items Possibly Beyond Profiling Include
• Security for shared resources:
• Message exchange protection: n.a.
• Resource access authorization: reconfirm authorization model DAC vs. MAC/ABAC/RBAC…
• Shared security means: n.a.
• Securing-the-security:
• Supply of own (private keys and) EE certificates to NETCONF servers
• SZTP bootstrapping/credentialing of network components without any initial credentials
• Supply credentials/trust anchors to NETCONF clients
• Push support for credential/trust anchor management
• Elaborate the assignment/management/identification of the NACM root-of-authority
• Cover equipment originality checks
• Enforce overall security configuration, e.g. allow only protected access
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NETCONF Security Mind-Map
Security for [NETCONF](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6241)
# Security
- Communication pattern: client/server, over reliable transport (TCP)
- Components model: client, server
- Client incarnations: application-level component, usually part of a 'network manager' application, possibly operated by human user
- Server incarnations: application-level component, usually part of a 'network device'
- Note: client and server incarnations may be co-located in a system component
- Security: [mandatory i.e. there is no 'NETCONF-plain'](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6241#section-2.2)

## Message Exchange Protection

- E2E span: NETCONF client-to-server
- Keying ownership: deployment-specific keys/credentials are needed
- Placement: transport-level security
- Packaging: encapsulating NETCONF APDUs
### [TLS](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7589)
- Version: [TLS 1.2](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5246)
- Hygiene: [Secure Use Recommendations](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7525)
- Casting: NETCONF client=TLS client, NETCONF server=TLS server

• Copy the markdown source from the grey text field on the
- Cipher suites: must support [TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5246#section-9)
- TLS extensions: not explicitly addressed, implicitly addressed via [Secure Use Recommendations](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7525)
#### Entity Authentication
- Mode: mutual authentication
- Means: asymmetric (key pairs) schemes
- Key&entity binding: 3rd-party objects certifying the binding of a public key and entity identification
- Form factor: ASN.1, [X.509 public key certificates](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6187)
- Certificate validation: path validation or explicit acceptance of EE certificates

left (don’t worry about the tiny font size)

- Certification path validation: [RFC 5280](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280#section-6)
- Server identification: DNS name or IP address in subjectAltName in EE certificate
- Server identity check: client-side TLS engine matches ["actual vs. expected"](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7589#section-6)
- Client identification: arbitrary naming info in EE certificate, focusing but not mandating rfc822Name, dNSName, iPAddress as structural elements
- Client identity check: server-side application checks ["actual vs. expected"](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7589#section-7) based on a list of known NETCONF 'usernames'
#### Integrity
- Means: symmetric, keyed message authentication codes
- Mode: [HMAC](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2104)
#### Confidentiality
- Means: symmetric, stream or block ciphers
- Modes: [AEAD](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5116) or classical
#### Replay Protection

• Paste this text into an interpreter e.g.

- Replay, mis-ordering is aggressively defeated, no window of acceptance
#### Non-Repudiation
- Not elaborated
### [SSH](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6242)
- Version: SSH-2
- Hygiene: n.a. (no IETF equivalent to RFC 7525)
- Casting: NETCONF client=SSH client, NETCONF server=SSH server
- Level of demand: [mandatory to implement](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6241#section-2.3) but not mandatory to use
#### Entity Authentication

https://markmap.js.org/repl
- Mode: mutual authentication
- Means: asymmetric (key pairs) or symmetric (passwords) schemes
- Key&entity binding: 3rd-party objects certifying the binding of a public key and entity identification or raw public key/password with verifier-local mapping tables to system entities
- Form factor: ASN.1, [X.509 public key certificates](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280#section-4) or raw public key or plaintext password
- Certificate validation: [path validation](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6187#section-2.1) or dedicated checks against verifier-local mapping table
- Certification path validation: [RFC 5280](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280#section-6)
- Server identification: [DNS name or IP address in subjectAltName](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6187#section-4) in EE certificate or verifier-local mapping table
- Server identity check: client-side SSH engine matches ["actual vs. expected"](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6187#section-4)
- Client identification: username
- Client identity check: server-side application checks ["actual vs. expected"](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7589#section-7) based on a list of known NETCONF 'usernames'
#### Integrity

• Adjust the page zoom and browse the shown mind-map

- Means: symmetric, keyed message authentication codes
- Mode: [HMAC](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2104)
#### Confidentiality
- Means: symmetric, stream or block ciphers
- Modes: [AEAD](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5116) or classical
#### Replay Protection
- Replay, mis-ordering is aggressively defeated, no window of acceptance
#### Non-Repudiation
- Not elaborated

## Resource Access Authorization

- Access to NETCONF server resources shall be limited to [dedicated 'users'](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6241#section-9)

• This map provides the NETCONF security essentials

### [NACM](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8341)
- Objective: resource access authorization for NETCONF and RESTCONF
- Pattern: NACM protects resources on NETCONF servers, NACM artifacts are managed through NETCONF
- Implication: this pattern introduces a 'chicken-and-egg' problem
#### Decision Enforcement
- Responsible entity: [NETCONF servers](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8341#section-3.4)
#### Decision Making
- Responsible entity: NETCONF servers
- Information base: decision making instructions in local configuration data
- Expression: decision making instructions are expressed according [YANG/XML schema for NACM](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8341#section-3.5.2)
#### Policy Making
- Responsible entity: NETCONF clients
- Management: supply of NACM artifacts happens by means of [NACM-via-NETCONF](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8341#section-5.1))
- Manageable items: 'user' assignments to groups, resource/action assignments to groups
#### Authorization Strategy
- Model: Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
#### Access Control Matrix Axes/Fields
- Subjects: individual 'users', clustered into configurable groups
- Resources: incoming RPC messages, nodes in YANG data, outgoing notifications
- Actions: CRUDX - Create/Read/Update/Delete/eXecute
### [XACML](https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-seitz-netconf-xacml-02)
- Private Internet Draft, abandoned
### [RBAC](https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-cridlig-netconf-rbac-00)
- Private Internet Draft, abandoned

# Shared Security Means

- Not addressed

# Securing-the-Security
## Credential Management
- TLS: NETCONF clients and servers must be equipped with EE certificate/private key and CA certificate(s) aka trust anchors
- SSH: NETCONF clients and servers must be equipped with EE certificate/private key and CA certificate(s) aka trust anchors or raw public keys/passwords
### [SZTP](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572)
- Addresses the credentialing of 'network devices' i.e. NETCONF (or RESTCONF) servers
#### Functionality
- Prerequisite: a 'network device' has [initial credential/trust anchor info](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572#section-5.1)
- Event: the 'network device' is booting in factory-default state
- Task: provision information to this 'network device' during its boot from factory-default
- Forms of bootstrapping data: represented in YANG, expressed in JSON or XML
- Types of bootstrapping data: 'redirect' or 'onboarding' information, owner certificate, ownership voucher
- Redirect information: [host/port and trust anchor of another SZTP server](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572#section-2.1)
- Onboarding information: [boot image, configuration, scripting](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572#section-2.2)
- Owner certificate: 3rd party EE certification path, supersigned in a way that can be validated with the device's initial credential(s)
- Ownership voucher: owner info, local trust anchor, supersigned in a way that can be validated with the device's initial credential(s)
- Important: the own EE certificate (and private key) is not provisioned by SZTP
- Sources of bootstrapping data: SZTP bootstrapping server, DNS/DHCP server, removable storage
- SZTP bootstrapping server protocol: HTTP-over-TLS according RESTCONF
- Supply model: pull i.e. a to-be-provisioned 'network device' (usually a NETCONF server) acts as client of a SZTP bootstrap or DNS/DHCP server
#### Security
- Strategy: deprotect_with_initial_or_current (plain vanilla) or deprotect_with_subsequent (an indirection trick, uses voucher objects)
##### Message Exchange Protection
- The 'bootstrapping data' sent to the device is to-be-protected (may also be plain in some case)
- Protection is supposed to happen on application object-level: ‘bootstrapping data' is signed or first-signed-then-encrypted
- The protected 'bootstrapping data' is expressed in ASN.1, [CMS](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5652). Note: this provokes media-breaks
- The protection must happen in a way so that the to-be-provisioned 'network device' can verify or decrypt-and-verify
- [To do this the 'network device' is assumed to have an initial equipment with credentials](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572#section-5.1)
- This may be an IDevID or LDevID credentials
- The use of [IDevID credentials](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8572#section-9.2) is recommended
- The organization that equips network devices with initial credentials has to supply a 'call-home' infrastructure capable of supplying (device instance-specific) protected bootstrapping
data upon request
- Alternative: coin such information in advance and distribute it for supply via DNS/DHCP server or removable storage
##### Resource Access Authorization
- No granularity (accept all - if verification with IDevID was ok)

## System Configuration
### Credential Metadata
- [YANG Data Model for a Truststore](https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-netconf-trust-anchors-14)
- [YANG Data Model for a Keystore](https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-netconf-keystore-20)
### ['Users'](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7317)
- Representation: arbitrary strings e.g. "brmpflzipf" representing an authenticated entity (caller)
- Mapping options: i. from client identification in TLS/SSH, ii. against remote repo's, iii. against local info
#### Functionality
- Mapping from TLS/SSH: no explicit CRUD operations for 'user' objects (happens implicitly)
- Mapping against remote repos: CRUD is subject to remote systems e.g. RADIUS
- Mapping against local info: skipped for this deep-dive
#### Security
- Mapping from TLS/SSH: subject to client credential management practices
- Mapping against remote repos: subject to remote systems e.g. RADIUS
- Mapping against local info: skipped for this deep-dive
### Authorization Data
- Strategy: authorization management and authorization controlled operations use the same (!) channel
#### Functionality
- See NACM section above
#### Security

Siemens AG 2021 - Protecting NACM exchange: NETCONF-over-TLS or SSH (i.e. eat-the-own-dogfood)

- Authorizing NACM management operations: root-of-authority is allocated with ['recovery sessions'](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8341#section-1.1)
- 'Recovery session' privileges: allow-all ("exempt from all access control enforcement")
- 'Recovery session' identification: not elaborated ("are implementation specific and are outside the scope of this document")
- Delegation: root-of-authority may delegate the privilege to manage NACM artifacts

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### Others

2021-03-10
#### IA Device/Controller-Global Configuration e.g. 'PROTECTED-ONLY'
- Not elaborated
Next Steps
1. Kicking-off - Done
2. Establish goals and constraints, agree on use cases (automation and security-specific)
3. Perform deep-dives for the security technology candidates
i. NETCONF security – Largely done
ii. SNMP security
iii. DNS security
iv. 802.1AE/X/AR
v. 802.1AS security
vi. NN, decide about items from the longlist
4. Identify cross-relation/common interests with middleware/application-specific security
• Shortlist: security for IEC 61158 technologies, OPC-UA security, Web security…
5. Create the blueprint of an overarching security architecture (more details are tbd)
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Abbreviations*
ABAC Attribute-Based Access Control
DASA Delegated Authorized Signing Authority
MAC Mandatory Access Control
MASA Manufacturer Authorized Signing Authority
NACM NETCONF Access Control Model
RBAC Role-Based Access Control
SZTP Secure Zero Touch Provisioning
XACML eXtensible Access Control Markup Language

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References, Chronologically Ordered
1. IETF RFC 4741: Network Configuration Protocol, 2006
2. IETF RFC 4742: Using the NETCONF Protocol over Secure Shell (SSH), 2006
3. IETF RFC 5539: NETCONF over Transport Layer Security (TLS), 2009
4. IETF RFC 6187: X.509v3 Certificates for Secure Shell Authentication, 2011
5. IETF RFC 6241: Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF), 2011
6. IETF RFC 6242: Using the NETCONF Protocol over Secure Shell (SSH), 2011
7. IETF RFC 6536: Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) Access Control Model, 2012
8. IETF RFC 7589: Using the NETCONF Protocol over Transport Layer Security (TLS) with Mutual X.509
Authentication, 2015
9. IETF RFC 8071: NETCONF Call Home and RESTCONF Call Home, 2017
10. IETF RFC 8341: Network Configuration Access Control Model, 2018
11. IETF RFC 8366: A Voucher Artifact for Bootstrapping Protocols, 2018
12. IETF RFC 8572: Secure Zero Touch Provisioning (SZTP), 2019

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Authors

Kai Fischer, Siemens AG, T RDA CST SES-DE,

[email protected]
Andreas Furch, Siemens AG, T RDA CST SES-DE,
[email protected]
Lars Lindemann, Siemens AG, DI FA CTR ICO ARC,
[email protected]
Oliver Pfaff, Siemens AG, T RDA CST,
[email protected]
Thomas Pössler, Siemens AG, RC-AT DI FA DH-GRAZ SAS,
[email protected]
Günter Steindl, Siemens AG, DI FA TI ART EA,
[email protected]

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Security Fulfilment Disciplines Explained

Security fulfilment disciplines Meaning Example for Web security*

Message exchange protection:
Exercise message exchange send HTTP requests/responses
Protect shared resources on IA protection and resource access with TLS record layer protection
devices/controllers authorization for shared resources Resource access authorization:
on IA devices/controllers enforce write/read access control
to specific folders (paths) etc.

Establish security associations Establish (authenticated) keys and Prepare the TLS record layer(s)
with endpoints on IA further security settings between for operation by doing a TLS
devices/controllers communicating partners handshake

Prepare the TLS handshake

Manage initial credentials and layer(s) for operation by supplying
Supply (initial) credential/trust
overall security configuration credentials, trust anchors and
anchor(s) to a dedicate entity
at IA devices/controllers other security configuration e.g.
cipher suite preferences
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 Authorization Management Pattern: NACM
Authz
policy

Authz • NACM pattern: authorization management

Authz policy and authorization controlled operations
management Authn use the same channel
(De)protect
Normal channel
System component

Authz policy Authz

management Privileged channel policy

Authz • Default pattern in IT: authorization

management and authorization controlled
Authn operations use different channels
(De)protect
Normal channel
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System component
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Bootstrapping Pattern: SZTP
• 1 main event: booting in factory-default state
• 2 main actors: network device, SZTP bootstrap server (alternatives: removable storage, DNS/DHCP)
• 2 main security strategies: deprotect_with_current or _subsequent (an indirection ➔ uses vouchers)
• 4 main supplies: {redirection or onboarding} and opt. {owner certificate and ownership voucher}

MASA/DASA
1c (2c…) Voucher response (alternative:
1b (2b…) Voucher request pre-coined, nonceless vouchers)
SZTP bootstrap server
(known or redirected)
1d (2d…) Bootstrap response
1a (2a… ) Bootstrap request
{Redirection: server host/port/trust anchor OR
Bootstrap
Network host, port Onboarding: boot image, config, scripts} AND(opt.)
device {Owner certificate: signed EE certification path (3rd party) AND
Subsequent
Current Ownership voucher: signed owner info, trust anchor}
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