In addition to the concerns raised by Peter, additional issues with the Network 
Security Guidelines are:

 

1.      They haven’t been updated in a long time, nor are they currently being 
updated. 
2.      There are better audit regimes for network security. If there are 
particular items that apply to only CAs, we should take those and incorporate 
them into the Baseline Requirements while moving the more general framework to 
a group with better expertise. 
3.      Zones are oddly defined and inconsistent

 

 

 

From: Public [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter Bowen via 
Public
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2017 10:01 PM
To: CA/Browser Forum Public Discussion List <[email protected]>
Cc: Peter Bowen <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [cabfpub] Send us you list of current problems with the Network 
Security Guidelines

 

Below are a few things I’ve seen.  I’m happy to put my name to them, so I’m 
posting to the public list:

 

1) Offline CAs are treated the same as online CAs.  For example, a system for 
CA that is based on HSMs stored in safes theoretically needs individual user 
logins with multi-factor access control.  For systems where the HSMs has multi 
person access control, this is highly redundant.

 

2) Root CAs are not required to be air gapped at all times.

 

3) The scope is far larger than probably intended — it could be viewed as being 
as far reaching as including CDNs used to distribute CRLs and OCSP responses 
which have no ability to generate or modify the responses and systems the relay 
emails to domain contacts which are outside of the CA system

 

4) The segmentation requirements are confusing (and possibly contradictory): 
networks or zones based on their functional, logical, and physical (including 
location) relationship

 

5) It assumes passwords are the core authentication credential and does not 
align with current NIST guidance.  Authentication requirements could probably 
be put in terms of NIST SP 800-63 AAL.

 

6) It fails to define “multi-factor authentication”

 

7) It fails to define “remote” (used as part of “remote administration or 
access”); Is remote anything other then using a keyboard and monitor physically 
attached to the system motherboard?

 

8) Certificate Management System and Security Support System definitions are 
both very broad.  At least one interpretation prevents usage of any system 
accessible to persons who are not in Trusted Roles, even if such usage is not 
critical to system security. For example, the CA might have a corporate policy 
to send logs to a central log server in addition to CA specific log servers.  
It is not clear this is allowed.

 

9) It has no concept of compensating controls; for example, a CA might want to 
implement channel authentication as an alternative to physical network 
segmentation (for example using TLS over VLANs rather than physically 
segmenting LANs).

 

The list goes on, but this should be a good start.

 

Thanks,

Peter

 

On Jun 9, 2017, at 2:29 PM, Kirk Hall via Public <[email protected] 
<mailto:[email protected]> > wrote:

 

Yes, we have also noticed “90 days” versus quarterly – Most quarters have more 
than 90 days.

 

Thanks.

 

From: Dean Coclin [ <mailto:[email protected]> 
mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Friday, June 9, 2017 2:09 PM
To: CA/Browser Forum Public Discussion List < <mailto:[email protected]> 
[email protected]>
Cc: Kirk Hall < <mailto:[email protected]> 
[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Re: [cabfpub] Send us you list of current problems with the 
Network Security Guidelines

 

One specific complaint from the auditors I believe was the specific time 
requirements in the document. For example, if it said you have to change the 
password at 90 days, and you did it on day 91, it would be an audit failure. I 
think Don has better examples but that's one I recall. 

Sent from my iPhone


On Jun 9, 2017, at 4:35 PM, Kirk Hall via Public < <mailto:[email protected]> 
[email protected]> wrote:

Bruce and I want to collect a preliminary list of current problems with the 
Network Security Guidelines (technically, the Network and Certificate System 
Security Requirements), so we can have a good discussion of possible new 
directions at the upcoming F2F.

 

To that end – please send Bruce and me a list of the specific requirements 
(and/or definitions) in the NetSec requirements that you think are most 
problematic and which should be changed or dropped.  If possible, give us the 
following data for each problematic issue:

 

1.       Section or definition of the NetSec Requirements that creates the 
problem

2.       What is the problem?

3.       What is a possible solution (drop, amend, supplement), with suggested 
language.

 

Bruce and I will combine all suggestions received and report anonymously to the 
whole group for a discussion in Berlin.  That may give the new Working Group 
some useful guidance for its ongoing work after that.

 

Thanks.

<Network_Security_Controls_V1.pdf>

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