svn commit: lorikeet r253 - in trunk/white-papers: .

[abartlet at samba.org]

Author: abartlet
Date: 2005-04-13 22:56:53 +0000 (Wed, 13 Apr 2005)
New Revision: 253

WebSVN: http://websvn.samba.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi?view=rev&root=lorikeet&rev=253

Log:
Explain SSPI, clarify the GENSEC Negotiation requirement.

Andrew Bartlett

Modified:
   trunk/white-papers/gensec-white-paper.lyx


Changeset:
Modified: trunk/white-papers/gensec-white-paper.lyx
===================================================================
--- trunk/white-papers/gensec-white-paper.lyx	2005-04-13 12:36:37 UTC (rev 252)
+++ trunk/white-papers/gensec-white-paper.lyx	2005-04-13 22:56:53 UTC (rev 253)
@@ -224,14 +224,6 @@
  Indeed, the same can be said for many other projects, and the use of libraries
  such as Cyrus-SASL is very common.
  
-\layout Standard
-
-On the Microsoft side of the fence, it is well known that SSPI, modeled
- after GSSAPI but without API compatibility, is the single source of this
- kind of security subsystem functionality.
- This modal was chosen not only for quite sensible software engineering
- reasons, but also to provide a single point of audit (and key weakening)
- for encryption export controls.
 \layout Subsection*
 
 History
@@ -279,15 +271,40 @@
  
 \layout Subsection*
 
-Recursive challenges
+The Microsoft pattern with SSPI
 \layout Standard
 
+On the Microsoft side of the fence, it is well known that Microsoft uses
+ a subsystem called SSPI (Security Support Porvider Interface) to handle
+ almost all their network authentication and encryption interactions.
+ This module, modeled after GSSAPI but without API compatibility, provides
+ all windows applications, but in particular the OS itself, with a single
+ interface to these `security functions'.
+ This modal was chosen not only for quite sensible software engineering
+ reasons, but also to provide a single point of audit (and key weakening)
+ for encryption export controls.
+\layout Standard
+
+Sadly, Microsoft did not always use SSPI, and clearly has some private hooks
+ to certain parts of the backend functionality.
+ As such, certain behaviours appear in the network protocols that cannot
+ be strictly emulated via the public API, nor via GSSAPI, were we to place
+ our modules behind that framework.
+ These behaviours include in particular the use of the `user session key'
+ directly in arbitary encryption and digest functions, rather than the use
+ of SSPI functions for these purposes.
+\layout Subsection*
+
+Supporting Negotiation
+\layout Standard
+
 One of the prime requirements of the GENSEC system is to support the SPNEGO
  protocol, a security negotiation protocol used extensively by Microsoft
  to select a real protocol used to handle authentication on a particular
  connection.
- As such, GENSEC must be designed with such recursion in mind, while allowing
- the details to be handled inside the SPNEGO module itself.
+ As such, GENSEC must be designed with recursion in mind: this GENSEC module
+ should be able to choose another to perform the final task, while allowing
+ the negotation details to be handled inside the SPNEGO module itself.
  
 \layout Subsection*
 
@@ -535,6 +552,15 @@
  authentication, as referenced from GENSEC, `basic' session setups as well
  as remote NETLOGON operations.
  
+\layout Subsection*
+
+Local Authentication
+\layout Subsection*
+
+Domain Membership
+\layout Subsection*
+
+Interfaces
 \layout Section*
 
 GENSEC Interfaces