



Network Working Group                                           J. Gould
Internet-Draft                                                R. Wilhelm
Intended status: Standards Track                          VeriSign, Inc.
Expires: 30 December 2021                                   28 June 2021


Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) Secure Authorization Information
                              for Transfer
             draft-ietf-regext-secure-authinfo-transfer-07

Abstract

   The Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), in RFC 5730, defines the
   use of authorization information to authorize a transfer of an EPP
   object, such as a domain name, between clients that are referred to
   as registrars.  Object-specific, password-based authorization
   information (see RFC 5731 and RFC 5733) is commonly used, but raises
   issues related to the security, complexity, storage, and lifetime of
   authentication information.  This document defines an operational
   practice, using the EPP RFCs, that leverages the use of strong random
   authorization information values that are short-lived, not stored by
   the client, and stored by the server using a cryptographic hash that
   provides for secure authorization information that can safely be used
   for object transfers.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
   working documents as Internet-Drafts.  The list of current Internet-
   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on 30 December 2021.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2021 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 1]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
   license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.  Code Components
   extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text
   as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are
   provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     1.1.  Conventions Used in This Document . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   2.  Registrant, Registrar, Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   3.  Signaling Client and Server Support . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   4.  Secure Authorization Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     4.1.  Secure Random Authorization Information . . . . . . . . .   7
     4.2.  Authorization Information Time-To-Live (TTL)  . . . . . .   8
     4.3.  Authorization Information Storage and Transport . . . . .   8
     4.4.  Authorization Information Matching  . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   5.  Create, Transfer, and Secure Authorization Information  . . .  10
     5.1.  Create Command  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     5.2.  Update Command  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
     5.3.  Info Command and Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
     5.4.  Transfer Request Command  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
   6.  Transition Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
     6.1.  Transition Phase 1 - Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20
     6.2.  Transition Phase 2 - Storage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
     6.3.  Transition Phase 3 - Enforcement  . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
   7.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
     7.1.  XML Namespace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
     7.2.  EPP Extension Registry  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
   8.  Implementation Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
     8.1.  Verisign EPP SDK  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
     8.2.  RegistryEngine EPP Service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
   9.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24
   10. Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24
   11. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24
     11.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24
     11.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  25
   Appendix A.  Change History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
     A.1.  Change from 00 to 01  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
     A.2.  Change from 01 to 02  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
     A.3.  Change from 02 to 03  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
     A.4.  Change from 03 to REGEXT 00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  28
     A.5.  Change from REGEXT 00 to REGEXT 01  . . . . . . . . . . .  28
     A.6.  Change from REGEXT 01 to REGEXT 02  . . . . . . . . . . .  28
     A.7.  Change from REGEXT 02 to REGEXT 03  . . . . . . . . . . .  28



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 2]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


     A.8.  Change from REGEXT 03 to REGEXT 04  . . . . . . . . . . .  28
     A.9.  Change from REGEXT 04 to REGEXT 05  . . . . . . . . . . .  28
     A.10. Change from REGEXT 05 to REGEXT 06  . . . . . . . . . . .  29
     A.11. Change from REGEXT 06 to REGEXT 07  . . . . . . . . . . .  29
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  31

1.  Introduction

   The Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), in [RFC5730], defines the
   use of authorization information to authorize a transfer of an EPP
   object, such as a domain name, between clients that are referred to
   as registrars.  The authorization information is object-specific and
   has been defined in the EPP Domain Name Mapping, in [RFC5731], and
   the EPP Contact Mapping, in [RFC5733], as password-based
   authorization information.  Other authorization mechanisms can be
   used, but in practice the password-based authorization information
   has been used at the time of object create, managed with the object
   update, and used to authorize an object transfer request.  What has
   not been considered is the security of the authorization information
   that includes the complexity of the authorization information, the
   time-to-live (TTL) of the authorization information, and where and
   how the authorization information is stored.

   The current/original lifecycle for authorization information involves
   long-term storage of encrypted (not hashed) passwords, which presents
   a significant latent risk of password compromise and is not
   consistent with current best practices.  The mechanisms in this
   document provide a way to avoid long-term password storage entirely,
   and to only require the storage of hashed (not retrievable) passwords
   instead of encrypted passwords.

   This document defines an operational practice, using the EPP RFCs,
   that leverages the use of strong, random authorization information
   values that are short-lived, that are not stored by the client, and
   that are stored by the server using a cryptographic hash to provide
   secure authorization information used for transfers.  This
   operational practice can be used to support transfers of any EPP
   object, where the domain name object defined in [RFC5731] is used in
   this document for illustration purposes.  Elements of the practice
   may be used to support the secure use of the authorization
   information for purposes other than transfer, but any other purposes
   and the applicable elements are out-of-scope for this document.

   The overall goal is to have strong, random authorization information
   values, that are short-lived, and that are either not stored or
   stored as a cryptographic hash values by the non-responsible parties.
   In a registrant, registrar, and registry model, the registrant
   registers the object through the registrar to the registry.  The



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 3]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   registrant is the responsible party and the registrar and the
   registry are the non-responsible parties.  EPP is a protocol between
   the registrar and the registry, where the registrar is referred to as
   the client and the registry is referred to as the server.  The
   following are the elements of the operational practice and how the
   existing features of the EPP RFCs can be leveraged to satisfy them:

   "Strong Random Authorization Information":  The EPP RFCs define the
       password-based authorization information value using an XML
       schema "normalizedString" type, so they don't restrict what can
       be used in any substantial way.  This operational practice
       defines the recommended mechanism for creating a strong random
       authorization value, that would be generated by the client.
   "Short-Lived Authorization Information":  The EPP RFCs don't
       explicitly support short-lived authorization information or a
       time-to-live (TTL) for authorization information, but there are
       EPP RFC features that can be leveraged to support short-lived
       authorization information.  All of these features are compatible
       with the EPP RFCs, though not mandatory to implement.  In section
       2.6 of [RFC5731] it states that authorization information is
       assigned when a domain object is created, which results in long-
       lived authorization information.  This specification changes the
       nature of the authorization information to be short-lived.  If
       authorization information is set only when there is a transfer in
       process, the server needs to support an empty authorization
       information value on create, support setting and unsetting
       authorization information, and support automatically unsetting
       the authorization information upon a successful transfer.  All of
       these features can be supported by the EPP RFCs.
   "Storing Authorization Information Securely":  The EPP RFCs don't
       specify where and how the authorization information is stored in
       the client or the server, so there are no restrictions to define
       an operational practice for storing the authorization information
       securely.  The operational practice will require the client to
       not store the authorization information and will require the
       server to store the authorization information using a
       cryptographic hash, with at least a 256-bit hash function, such
       as SHA-256 [FIPS-180-4], and with a per-authorization information
       random salt, with at least 128 bits.  Returning the authorization
       information set in an EPP info response will not be supported.

1.1.  Conventions Used in This Document

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 4]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   XML is case sensitive.  Unless stated otherwise, XML specifications
   and examples provided in this document MUST be interpreted in the
   character case presented in order to develop a conforming
   implementation.

   In examples, "C:" represents lines sent by a protocol client and "S:"
   represents lines returned by a protocol server.  Indentation and
   white space in examples are provided only to illustrate element
   relationships and are not a required feature of this protocol.

   The examples reference XML namespace prefixes that are used for the
   associated XML namespaces.  Implementations MUST NOT depend on the
   example XML namespaces and instead employ a proper namespace-aware
   XML parser and serializer to interpret and output the XML documents.
   The example namespace prefixes used and their associated XML
   namespaces include:

   "domain":  urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0
   "contact":  urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:contact-1.0

2.  Registrant, Registrar, Registry

   The EPP RFCs refer to client and server, but when it comes to
   transfers, there are three types of actors that are involved.  This
   document will refer to the actors as registrant, registrar, and
   registry.  [RFC8499] defines these terms formally for the Domain Name
   System (DNS).  The terms are further described below to cover their
   roles as actors of using the authorization information in the
   transfer process of any object in the registry, such as a domain name
   or a contact:

   "registrant":  [RFC8499] defines the registrant as "an individual or
       organization on whose behalf a name in a zone is registered by
       the registry".  The registrant can be the owner of any object in
       the registry, such as a domain name or a contact.  The registrant
       interfaces with the registrar for provisioning the objects.  A
       transfer is coordinated by the registrant to transfer the
       sponsorship of the object from one registrar to another.  The
       authorization information is meant to authenticate the registrant
       as the owner of the object to the non-sponsoring registrar and to
       authorize the transfer.
   "registrar":  [RFC8499] defines the registrar as "a service provider
       that acts as a go-between for registrants and registries".  The
       registrar interfaces with the registrant for the provisioning of
       objects, such as domain names and contacts, and with the
       registries to satisfy the registrant's provisioning requests.  A
       registrar may directly interface with the registrant or may
       indirectly interface with the registrant, typically through one



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 5]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


       or more resellers.  Implementing a transfer using secure
       authorization information extends through the registrar's
       reseller channel up to the direct interface with the registrant.
       The registrar's interface with the registries uses EPP.  The
       registrar's interface with its reseller channel or the registrant
       is registrar-specific.  In the EPP RFCs, the registrar is
       referred to as the "client", since EPP is the protocol used
       between the registrar and the registry.  The sponsoring registrar
       is the authorized registrar to manage objects on behalf of the
       registrant.  A non-sponsoring registrar is not authorized to
       manage objects on behalf of the registrant.  A transfer of an
       object's sponsorship is from one registrar, referred to as the
       losing registrar, to another registrar, referred to as the
       gaining registrar.
   "registry":  [RFC8499] defines the registry as "the administrative
       operation of a zone that allows registration of names within the
       zone".  The registry typically interfaces with the registrars
       over EPP and generally does not interact directly with the
       registrant.  In the EPP RFCs, the registry is referred to as the
       "server", since EPP is the protocol used between the registrar
       and the registry.  The registry has a record of the sponsoring
       registrar for each object and provides the mechanism (over EPP)
       to coordinate a transfer of an object's sponsorship between
       registrars.

3.  Signaling Client and Server Support

   This document does not define new protocol but an operational
   practice using the existing EPP protocol, where the client and the
   server can signal support for the operational practice using a
   namespace URI in the login and greeting extension services.  The
   namespace URI "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp:secure-authinfo-transfer-
   1.0" is used to signal support for the operational practice.  The
   client includes the namespace URI in an <svcExtension> <extURI>
   element of the [RFC5730] <login> Command.  The server includes the
   namespace URI in an <svcExtension> <extURI> element of the [RFC5730]
   Greeting.

   A client that receives the namespace URI in the server's Greeting
   extension services can expect the following supported behavior by the
   server:

   1.  Support an empty authorization information value with a create
       command.
   2.  Support unsetting authorization information with an update
       command.
   3.  Support validating authorization information with an info
       command.



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 6]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   4.  Support not returning an indication whether the authorization
       information is set or unset to the non-sponsoring registrar.
   5.  Support returning an empty authorization information value to the
       sponsoring registrar when the authorization information is set in
       an info response.
   6.  Support allowing for the passing of a matching non-empty
       authorization information value to authorize a transfer.
   7.  Support automatically unsetting the authorization information
       upon a successful completion of transfer.

   A server that receives the namespace URI in the client's <login>
   Command extension services, can expect the following supported
   behavior by the client:

   1.  Support generation of authorization information using a secure
       random value.
   2.  Support only setting the authorization information when there is
       a transfer in process.

4.  Secure Authorization Information

   The authorization information in the EPP RFCs ([RFC5731] and
   [RFC5733]) that support transfer use password-based authorization
   information ([RFC5731] with the <domain:pw> element and [RFC5733]
   with the <contact:pw> element).  Other EPP objects that support
   password-based authorization information for transfer can use the
   Secure Authorization Information defined in this document.  For the
   authorization information to be secure, it must be generated using a
   strong random value and have a short time-to-live (TTL).  The
   security of the authorization information is defined in the following
   sections.

4.1.  Secure Random Authorization Information

   For authorization information to be secure, it MUST be generated
   using a secure random value.  The authorization information is
   treated as a password, and the required length L of a password,
   rounded up to the largest whole number, is based on the size N of the
   set of characters and the desired entropy H, in the equation L =
   ROUNDUP(H / log2 N).  Given a target entropy, the required length can
   be calculated after deciding on the set of characters that will be
   randomized.  In accordance with current best practices and noting
   that the authorization information is a machine-generated value, the
   implementation SHOULD use at least 128 bits of entropy as the value
   of H.  The lengths below are calculated using that value.






Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 7]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   Calculation of the required length with 128 bits of entropy and with
   the set of all printable ASCII characters except space (0x20), which
   consists of the 94 characters 0x21-0x7E.

   ROUNDUP(128 / log2 94) =~ ROUNDUP(128 / 6.55) =~ ROUNDUP(19.54) = 20

   Calculation of the required length with 128 bits of entropy and with
   the set of case insensitive alphanumeric characters, which consists
   of 36 characters (a-z A-Z 0-9).

   ROUNDUP(128 / log2 36) =~ ROUNDUP(128 / 5.17) =~ ROUNDUP(24.76) = 25

   The strength of the random authorization information is dependent on
   the random number generator.  Suitably strong random number
   generators are available in a wide variety of implementation
   environments, including the interfaces listed in Sections 7.1.2 and
   7.1.3 of [RFC4086].  In environments that do not provide interfaces
   to strong random number generators, the practices defined in
   [RFC4086] and section 4.7.1 of the NIST Federal Information
   Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-2 [FIPS-140-2] can be
   followed to produce random values that will be resistant to attack.

4.2.  Authorization Information Time-To-Live (TTL)

   The authorization information SHOULD only be set when there is a
   transfer in process.  This implies that the authorization information
   has a Time-To-Live (TTL) by which the authorization information is
   cleared when the TTL expires.  The EPP RFCs have no definition of
   TTL, but since the server supports the setting and unsetting of the
   authorization information by the sponsoring registrar, the sponsoring
   registrar can apply a TTL based on client policy.  The TTL client
   policy may be based on proprietary registrar-specific criteria, which
   provides for a transfer-specific TTL tuned for the particular
   circumstances of the transaction.  The sponsoring registrar will be
   aware of the TTL and the sponsoring registrar MUST inform the
   registrant of the TTL when the authorization information is provided
   to the registrant.

4.3.  Authorization Information Storage and Transport

   To protect the disclosure of the authorization information, the
   following requirements apply:

   1.  The authorization information MUST be stored by the registry
       using a strong one-way cryptographic hash, with at least a
       256-bit hash function, such as SHA-256 [FIPS-180-4], and with a
       per-authorization information random salt, with at least 128
       bits.



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 8]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   2.  Empty authorization information MUST be stored as an undefined
       value that is referred to as a NULL value.  The representation of
       a NULL (undefined) value is dependent on the type of database
       used.
   3.  The authorization information MUST NOT be stored by the losing
       registrar.
   4.  The authorization information MUST only be stored by the gaining
       registrar as a "transient" value in support of the transfer
       process.
   5.  The plain text version of the authorization information MUST NOT
       be written to any logs by a registrar or the registry, nor
       otherwise recorded where it will persist beyond the transfer
       process.
   6.  All communication that includes the authorization information
       MUST be over an encrypted channel, such as defined in [RFC5734]
       for EPP.
   7.  The registrar's interface for communicating the authorization
       information with the registrant MUST be over an authenticated and
       encrypted channel.

4.4.  Authorization Information Matching

   To support the authorization information TTL, as defined in
   Section 4.2, the authorization information must have either a set or
   unset state.  Authorization information that is unset is stored with
   a NULL (undefined) value.  Based on the requirement to store the
   authorization information using a strong one-way cryptographic hash,
   as defined in Section 4.3, authorization information that is set is
   stored with a non-NULL hashed value.  The empty authorization
   information is used as input in both the create command (Section 5.1)
   and the update command (Section 5.2) to define the unset state.  The
   matching of the authorization information in the info command
   (Section 5.3) and the transfer request command (Section 5.4) is based
   on the following rules:

   1.  Any input authorization information value MUST NOT match an unset
       authorization information value.  This includes empty
       authorization information, such as <domain:null/> or <domain:pw/>
       in [RFC5731], and non-empty authorization information, such as
       <domain:pw>2fooBAR</domain:pw> in [RFC5731].
   2.  An empty input authorization information value MUST NOT match any
       set authorization information value.
   3.  A non-empty input authorization information value MUST be hashed
       and matched against the set authorization information value,
       which is stored using the same hash algorithm.






Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021                [Page 9]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


5.  Create, Transfer, and Secure Authorization Information

   To secure the transfer process using secure authorization
   information, as defined in Section 4, the client and server need to
   implement steps where the authorization information is set only when
   a transfer is actively in process and ensure that the authorization
   information is stored securely and transported only over secure
   channels.  The steps in management of the authorization information
   for transfers include:

   1.  Registrant requests to register the object with the registrar.
       Registrar sends the create command, with an empty authorization
       information value, to the registry, as defined in Section 5.1.
   2.  Registrant requests from the losing registrar the authorization
       information to provide to the gaining registrar.
   3.  Losing registrar generates a secure random authorization
       information value, sends it to the registry as defined in
       Section 5.2, and provides it to the registrant.
   4.  Registrant provides the authorization information value to the
       gaining registrar.
   5.  Gaining registrar optionally verifies the authorization
       information with the info command to the registry, as defined in
       Section 5.3.
   6.  Gaining registrar sends the transfer request with the
       authorization information to the registry, as defined in
       Section 5.4.
   7.  If the transfer successfully completes, the registry
       automatically unsets the authorization information; otherwise the
       losing registrar unsets the authorization information when the
       TTL expires, as defined in Section 5.2.

   The following sections outline the practices of the EPP commands and
   responses between the registrar and the registry that supports secure
   authorization information for transfer.

5.1.  Create Command

   For a create command, the registry MUST allow for the passing of an
   empty authorization information value and MAY disallow for the
   passing of a non-empty authorization information value.  By having an
   empty authorization information value on create, the object is
   initially not in the transfer process.  Any EPP object extension that
   supports setting the authorization information with a
   "eppcom:pwAuthInfoType" element can have an empty authorization
   information value passed.  Examples of such extensions are [RFC5731]
   and [RFC5733].





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 10]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   Example of passing an empty authorization information value in an
   [RFC5731] domain name create command:

   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <create>
   C:      <domain:create
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:authInfo>
   C:          <domain:pw/>
   C:        </domain:authInfo>
   C:      </domain:create>
   C:    </create>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

   Example of passing an empty authorization information value in an
   [RFC5733] contact create command:

   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <create>
   C:      <contact:create
   C:       xmlns:contact="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:contact-1.0">
   C:        <contact:id>sh8013</contact:id>
   C:        <contact:postalInfo type="int">
   C:          <contact:name>John Doe</contact:name>
   C:          <contact:addr>
   C:            <contact:city>Dulles</contact:city>
   C:            <contact:cc>US</contact:cc>
   C:          </contact:addr>
   C:        </contact:postalInfo>
   C:        <contact:email>jdoe@example.com</contact:email>
   C:        <contact:authInfo>
   C:          <contact:pw/>
   C:        </contact:authInfo>
   C:      </contact:create>
   C:    </create>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>






Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 11]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


5.2.  Update Command

   For an update command, the registry MUST allow for the setting and
   unsetting of the authorization information.  The registrar sets the
   authorization information by first generating a strong, random
   authorization information value, based on Section 4.1, and setting it
   in the registry in the update command.  The importance of generating
   strong authorization information values cannot be overstated: secure
   transfers are very important to the Internet to mitigate damage in
   the form of theft, fraud, and other abuse.  It is critical that
   registrars only use strong, randomly generated authorization
   information values.

   Because of this, registries may validate the randomness of the
   authorization information based on the length and character set
   required by the registry.  For example, validating an authorization
   value contains a combination of upper-case, lower-case, and non-
   alphanumeric characters, in an attempt to assess the strength of the
   value, and return an EPP error result of 2202 if the check fails.

   Such checks are, by their nature, heuristic and imperfect, and may
   identify well-chosen authorization information values as being not
   sufficiently strong.  Registrars, therefore, must be prepared for an
   error response of 2202, "Invalid authorization information", and
   respond by generating a new value and trying again, possibly more
   than once.

   Often, the registrar has the "clientTransferProhibited" status set,
   so to start the transfer process, the "clientTransferProhibited"
   status needs to be removed, and the strong, random authorization
   information value needs to be set.  The registrar MUST define a time-
   to-live (TTL), as defined in Section 4.2, where if the TTL expires
   the registrar will unset the authorization information.

   Example of removing the "clientTransferProhibited" status and setting
   the authorization information in an [RFC5731] domain name update
   command:














Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 12]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <update>
   C:      <domain:update
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:rem>
   C:          <domain:status s="clientTransferProhibited"/>
   C:        </domain:rem>
   C:        <domain:chg>
   C:          <domain:authInfo>
   C:            <domain:pw>LuQ7Bu@w9?%+_HK3cayg$55$LSft3MPP
   C:            </domain:pw>
   C:          </domain:authInfo>
   C:        </domain:chg>
   C:      </domain:update>
   C:    </update>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345-XYZ</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

   When the registrar-defined TTL expires, the sponsoring registrar MUST
   cancel the transfer process by unsetting the authorization
   information value and MAY add back statuses like the
   "clientTransferProbited" status.  Any EPP object extension that
   supports setting the authorization information with a
   "eppcom:pwAuthInfoType" element, can have an empty authorization
   information value passed.  Examples of such extensions are [RFC5731]
   and [RFC5733].  Setting an empty authorization information value
   unsets the authorization information.  [RFC5731] supports an explicit
   mechanism of unsetting the authorization information, by passing the
   <domain:null> authorization information value.  The registry MUST
   support unsetting the authorization information by accepting an empty
   authorization information value and accepting an explicit unset
   element if it is supported by the object extension.

   Example of adding the "clientTransferProhibited" status and unsetting
   the authorization information explicitly in an [RFC5731] domain name
   update command:











Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 13]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <update>
   C:      <domain:update
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:add>
   C:          <domain:status s="clientTransferProhibited"/>
   C:        </domain:add>
   C:        <domain:chg>
   C:          <domain:authInfo>
   C:            <domain:null/>
   C:          </domain:authInfo>
   C:        </domain:chg>
   C:      </domain:update>
   C:    </update>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345-XYZ</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

   Example of unsetting the authorization information with an empty
   authorization information value in an [RFC5731] domain name update
   command:

   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <update>
   C:      <domain:update
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:add>
   C:          <domain:status s="clientTransferProhibited"/>
   C:        </domain:add>
   C:        <domain:chg>
   C:          <domain:authInfo>
   C:            <domain:pw/>
   C:          </domain:authInfo>
   C:        </domain:chg>
   C:      </domain:update>
   C:    </update>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345-XYZ</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>






Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 14]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   Example of unsetting the authorization information with an empty
   authorization information value in an [RFC5733] contact update
   command:

   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <update>
   C:      <contact:update
   C:        xmlns:contact="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:contact-1.0">
   C:        <contact:id>sh8013</contact:id>
   C:        <contact:chg>
   C:          <contact:authInfo>
   C:            <contact:pw/>
   C:          </contact:authInfo>
   C:        </contact:chg>
   C:      </contact:update>
   C:    </update>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345-XYZ</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

5.3.  Info Command and Response

   For an info command, the registry MUST allow for the passing of a
   non-empty authorization information value for verification.  The
   gaining registrar can pre-verify the authorization information
   provided by the registrant prior to submitting the transfer request
   with the use of the info command.  The registry compares the hash of
   the passed authorization information with the hashed authorization
   information value stored for the object.  When the authorization
   information is not set or the passed authorization information does
   not match the previously set value, the registry MUST return an EPP
   error result code of 2202 [RFC5730].

   Example of passing a non-empty authorization information value in an
   [RFC5731] domain name info command to verify the authorization
   information value:













Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 15]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <info>
   C:      <domain:info
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:authInfo>
   C:          <domain:pw>LuQ7Bu@w9?%+_HK3cayg$55$LSft3MPP
   C:          </domain:pw>
   C:        </domain:authInfo>
   C:      </domain:info>
   C:    </info>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

   The info response in object extensions, such as [RFC5731] and
   [RFC5733], MUST NOT include the optional authorization information
   element with a non-empty authorization value.  The authorization
   information is stored as a hash in the registry, so returning the
   plain text authorization information is not possible, unless a valid
   plain text authorization information is passed in the info command.
   The registry MUST NOT return any indication of whether the
   authorization information is set or unset to the non-sponsoring
   registrar by not returning the authorization information element in
   the response.  The registry MAY return an indication to the
   sponsoring registrar that the authorization information is set by
   using an empty authorization information value.  The registry MAY
   return an indication to the sponsoring registrar that the
   authorization information is unset by not returning the authorization
   information element.

   Example of returning an empty authorization information value in an
   [RFC5731] domain name info response to indicate to the sponsoring
   registrar that the authorization information is set:















Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 16]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   S:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   S:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   S:  <response>
   S:    <result code="1000">
   S:      <msg>Command completed successfully</msg>
   S:    </result>
   S:    <resData>
   S:      <domain:infData
   S:       xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   S:        <domain:name>example.com</domain:name>
   S:        <domain:roid>EXAMPLE1-REP</domain:roid>
   S:        <domain:status s="ok"/>
   S:        <domain:clID>ClientX</domain:clID>
   S:        <domain:authInfo>
   S:          <domain:pw/>
   S:        </domain:authInfo>
   S:      </domain:infData>
   S:    </resData>
   S:    <trID>
   S:      <clTRID>ABC-12345</clTRID>
   S:      <svTRID>54322-XYZ</svTRID>
   S:    </trID>
   S:  </response>
   S:</epp>

5.4.  Transfer Request Command

   For a Transfer Request Command, the registry MUST allow for the
   passing of a non-empty authorization information value to authorize a
   transfer.  The registry compares the hash of the passed authorization
   information with the hashed authorization information value stored
   for the object.  When the authorization information is not set or the
   passed authorization information does not match the previously set
   value, the registry MUST return an EPP error result code of 2202
   [RFC5730].  Whether the transfer occurs immediately or is pending is
   up to server policy.  When the transfer occurs immediately, the
   registry MUST return the EPP success result code of 1000 and when the
   transfer is pending, the registry MUST return the EPP success result
   code of 1001.  The losing registrar MUST be informed of a successful
   transfer request using an EPP poll message.

   Example of passing a non-empty authorization information value in an
   [RFC5731] domain name transfer request command to authorize the
   transfer:







Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 17]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   C:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
   C:<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
   C:  <command>
   C:    <transfer op="request">
   C:      <domain:transfer
   C:        xmlns:domain="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:domain-1.0">
   C:        <domain:name>example1.com</domain:name>
   C:        <domain:authInfo>
   C:          <domain:pw>LuQ7Bu@w9?%+_HK3cayg$55$LSft3MPP
   C:          </domain:pw>
   C:        </domain:authInfo>
   C:      </domain:transfer>
   C:    </transfer>
   C:    <clTRID>ABC-12345</clTRID>
   C:  </command>
   C:</epp>

   Upon successful completion of the transfer, the registry MUST
   automatically unset the authorization information.  If the transfer
   request is not submitted within the time-to-live (TTL) (Section 4.2)
   or the transfer is cancelled or rejected, the registrar MUST unset
   the authorization information as defined in Section 5.2.

6.  Transition Considerations

   The goal of the transition considerations to the practice defined in
   this document, referred to as the Secure Authorization Information
   Model, is to minimize the impact to the registrars by supporting
   incremental steps of adoption.  The transition steps are dependent on
   the starting point of the registry.  Registries may have different
   starting points, since some of the elements of the Secure
   Authorization Information Model may have already been implemented.
   The considerations assume a starting point, referred to as the
   Classic Authorization Information Model, that have the following
   steps in the management of the authorization information for
   transfers:

   1.  Registrant requests to register the object with the registrar.
       Registrar sends the create command, with a non-empty
       authorization information value, to the registry.  The registry
       stores the authorization information as an encrypted value and
       requires a non-empty authorization information value for the life
       of the object.  The registrar may store the long-lived
       authorization information.
   2.  At the time of transfer, Registrant requests from the losing
       registrar the authorization information to provide to the gaining
       registrar.




Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 18]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   3.  Losing registrar retrieves the locally stored authorization
       information or queries the registry for authorization information
       using the info command, and provides it to the registrant.  If
       the registry is queried, the authorization information is
       decrypted and the plain text authorization information is
       returned in the info response to the registrar.
   4.  Registrant provides the authorization information value to the
       gaining registrar.
   5.  Gaining registrar optionally verifies the authorization
       information with the info command to the registry, by passing the
       authorization information in the info command to the registry.
   6.  Gaining registrar sends the transfer request with the
       authorization information to the registry.  The registry will
       decrypt the stored authorization information to compare to the
       passed authorization information.
   7.  If the transfer successfully completes, the authorization
       information is not touched by the registry and may be updated by
       the gaining registrar using the update command.  If the transfer
       is cancelled or rejected, the losing registrar may reset the
       authorization information using the update command.

   The gaps between the Classic Authorization Information Model and the
   Secure Authorization Information Model include:

   1.  Registry requirement for a non-empty authorization information
       value on create and for the life of the object versus the
       authorization information not being set on create and only being
       set when a transfer is in process.
   2.  Registry not allowing the authorization information to be unset
       versus supporting the authorization to be unset in the update
       command.
   3.  Registry storing the authorization information as an encrypted
       value versus as a hashed value.
   4.  Registry support for returning the authorization information
       versus not returning the authorization information in the info
       response.
   5.  Registry not touching the authorization information versus the
       registry automatically unsetting the authorization information
       upon a successful transfer.
   6.  Registry may validate a shorter authorization information value
       using password complexity rules versus validating the randomness
       of a longer authorization information value that meets the
       required bits of entropy.

   The transition can be handled in the three phases defined in the sub-
   sections Section 6.1, Section 6.2, Section 6.3.





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 19]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


6.1.  Transition Phase 1 - Features

   The goal of the "Transition Phase 1 - Features" is to implement the
   needed features in EPP so that the registrar can optionally implement
   the Secure Authorization Information Model.  The features to
   implement are broken out by the command and responses below:

   Create Command:  Change the create command to make the authorization
      information optional, by allowing both a non-empty value and an
      empty value.  This enables a registrar to optionally create
      objects without an authorization information value, as defined in
      Section 5.1.
   Update Command:  Change the update command to allow unsetting the
      authorization information, as defined in Section 5.2.  This
      enables the registrar to optionally unset the authorization
      information when the TTL expires or when the transfer is cancelled
      or rejected.
   Transfer Approve Command and Transfer Auto-Approve:  Change the
      transfer approve command and the transfer auto-approve to
      automatically unset the authorization information.  This sets the
      default state of the object to not have the authorization
      information set.  The registrar implementing the Secure
      Authorization Information Model will not set the authorization
      information for an inbound transfer and the registrar implementing
      the Classic Authorization Information Model will set the new
      authorization information upon the successful transfer.
   Info Response:  Change the info command to not return the
      authorization information in the info response, as defined in
      Section 5.3.  This sets up the implementation of "Transition Phase
      2 - Storage", since the dependency in returning the authorization
      information in the info response will be removed.  This feature is
      the only one that is not an optional change to the registrar that
      has the potential of breaking the client, so it's recommended that
      the registry provide notice of the change.
   Info Command and Transfer Request:  Change the info command and the
      transfer request to ensure that a registrar cannot get an
      indication that the authorization information is set or not set by
      returning the EPP error result code of 2202 when comparing a
      passed authorization to a non-matching set authorization
      information value or an unset value.











Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 20]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


6.2.  Transition Phase 2 - Storage

   The goal of the "Transition Phase 2 - Storage" is to transition the
   registry to use hashed authorization information instead of encrypted
   authorization information.  There is no direct impact to the
   registrars, since the only visible indication that the authorization
   information has been hashed is by not returning the set authorization
   information in the info response, which is addressed in Transition
   Phase 1 - Features (Section 6.1).  There are three steps to
   transition the authorization information storage, which includes:

   Hash New Authorization Information Values:  Change the create command
      and the update command to hash instead of encrypting the
      authorization information.
   Supporting Comparing Against Encrypted and Hashed Authorization
   Information:  Change the info command and the transfer request
      command to be able to compare a passed authorization information
      value with either a hashed or encrypted authorization information
      value.  This requires that the stored values are self-identifying
      as being in hashed or encrypted form.
   Hash Existing Encrypted Authorization Information Values:  Convert
      the encrypted authorization information values stored in the
      registry database to hashed values.  The update is not a visible
      change to the registrar.  The conversion can be done over a period
      of time depending on registry policy.

6.3.  Transition Phase 3 - Enforcement

   The goal of the "Transition Phase 3 - Enforcement" is to complete the
   implementation of the "Secure Authorization Information Model", by
   enforcing the following:

   Disallow Authorization Information on Create Command:  Change the
      create command to not allow for the passing of a non-empty
      authorization information value.  This behavior has the potential
      of breaking the client, so it's recommended that the registry
      provide notice of the change.
   Validate the Strong Random Authorization Information:  Change the
      validation of the authorization information in the update command
      to ensure at least 128 bits of entropy.

7.  IANA Considerations

7.1.  XML Namespace

   This document uses URNs to describe XML namespaces conforming to a
   registry mechanism described in [RFC3688].  The following URI
   assignment is requested of IANA:



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 21]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   Registration request for the secure authorization information for
   transfer namespace:

      URI: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp:secure-authinfo-transfer-1.0
      Registrant Contact: IESG
      XML: None.  Namespace URIs do not represent an XML specification.

7.2.  EPP Extension Registry

   The EPP operational practice described in this document should be
   registered by the IANA in the EPP Extension Registry described in
   [RFC7451].  The details of the registration are as follows:

   Name of Extension: "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) Secure
   Authorization Information for Transfer"

   Document status: Standards Track

   Reference: (insert reference to RFC version of this document)

   Registrant Name and Email Address: IESG, <iesg@ietf.org>

   TLDs: Any

   IPR Disclosure: None

   Status: Active

   Notes: None

8.  Implementation Status

   Note to RFC Editor: Please remove this section and the reference to
   RFC 7942 [RFC7942] before publication.

   This section records the status of known implementations of the
   protocol defined by this specification at the time of posting of this
   Internet-Draft, and is based on a proposal described in RFC 7942
   [RFC7942].  The description of implementations in this section is
   intended to assist the IETF in its decision processes in progressing
   drafts to RFCs.  Please note that the listing of any individual
   implementation here does not imply endorsement by the IETF.
   Furthermore, no effort has been spent to verify the information
   presented here that was supplied by IETF contributors.  This is not
   intended as, and must not be construed to be, a catalog of available
   implementations or their features.  Readers are advised to note that
   other implementations may exist.




Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 22]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   According to RFC 7942 [RFC7942], "this will allow reviewers and
   working groups to assign due consideration to documents that have the
   benefit of running code, which may serve as evidence of valuable
   experimentation and feedback that have made the implemented protocols
   more mature.  It is up to the individual working groups to use this
   information as they see fit".

8.1.  Verisign EPP SDK

   Organization: Verisign Inc.

   Name: Verisign EPP SDK

   Description: The Verisign EPP SDK includes both a full client
   implementation and a full server stub implementation of draft-ietf-
   regext-secure-authinfo-transfer.

   Level of maturity: Development

   Coverage: All aspects of the protocol are implemented.

   Licensing: GNU Lesser General Public License

   Contact: jgould@verisign.com

   URL: https://www.verisign.com/en_US/channel-resources/domain-
   registry-products/epp-sdks

8.2.  RegistryEngine EPP Service

   Organization: CentralNic

   Name: RegistryEngine EPP Service

   Description: Generic high-volume EPP service for gTLDs, ccTLDs and
   SLDs

   Level of maturity: Deployed in CentralNic's production environment as
   well as two other gTLD registry systems, and two ccTLD registry
   systems.

   Coverage: Authorization Information is "write only" in that the
   registrars can set the Authorization Information, but not get the
   Authorization Information in the Info Response.

   Licensing: Proprietary In-House software

   Contact: epp@centralnic.com



Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 23]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   URL: https://www.centralnic.com

9.  Security Considerations

   Section 4.1 defines the use a secure random value for the generation
   of the authorization information.  The client SHOULD choose a length
   and set of characters that results in at least 128 bits of entropy.

   Section 4.2 defines the use of an authorization information Time-To-
   Live (TTL).  The registrar SHOULD only set the authorization
   information during the transfer process by the server support for
   setting and unsetting the authorization information.  The TTL value
   is up to registrar policy and the sponsoring registrar MUST inform
   the registrant of the TTL when providing the authorization
   information to the registrant.

   Section 4.3 defines the storage and transport of authorization
   information.  The losing registrar MUST NOT store the authorization
   information and the gaining registrar MUST only store the
   authorization information as a "transient" value during the transfer
   process, where the authorization information MUST NOT be stored after
   the end of the transfer process.  The registry MUST store the
   authorization information using a one-way cryptographic hash of at
   least 256 bits and with a per-authorization information random salt,
   with at least 128 bits.  All communication that includes the
   authorization information MUST be over an encrypted channel.  The
   plain text authorization information MUST NOT be written to any logs
   by the registrar or the registry.

   Section 4.4 defines the matching of the authorization information
   values.  The registry stores an unset authorization information as a
   NULL (undefined) value to ensure that an empty input authorization
   information never matches it.  The method used to define a NULL
   (undefined) value is database specific.

10.  Acknowledgements

   The authors wish to thank the following persons for their feedback
   and suggestions: Michael Bauland, Martin Casanova, Scott Hollenbeck,
   Benjamin Kaduk, Jody Kolker, Barry Leiba, Patrick Mevzek, Matthew
   Pozun, Srikanth Veeramachaneni, and Ulrich Wisser.

11.  References

11.1.  Normative References






Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 24]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC3688]  Mealling, M., "The IETF XML Registry", BCP 81, RFC 3688,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC3688, January 2004,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3688>.

   [RFC4086]  Eastlake 3rd, D., Schiller, J., and S. Crocker,
              "Randomness Requirements for Security", BCP 106, RFC 4086,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC4086, June 2005,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4086>.

   [RFC5730]  Hollenbeck, S., "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)",
              STD 69, RFC 5730, DOI 10.17487/RFC5730, August 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5730>.

   [RFC5731]  Hollenbeck, S., "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)
              Domain Name Mapping", STD 69, RFC 5731,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5731, August 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5731>.

   [RFC5733]  Hollenbeck, S., "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)
              Contact Mapping", STD 69, RFC 5733, DOI 10.17487/RFC5733,
              August 2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5733>.

   [RFC5734]  Hollenbeck, S., "Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)
              Transport over TCP", STD 69, RFC 5734,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5734, August 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5734>.

   [RFC7942]  Sheffer, Y. and A. Farrel, "Improving Awareness of Running
              Code: The Implementation Status Section", BCP 205,
              RFC 7942, DOI 10.17487/RFC7942, July 2016,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7942>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

   [RFC8499]  Hoffman, P., Sullivan, A., and K. Fujiwara, "DNS
              Terminology", BCP 219, RFC 8499, DOI 10.17487/RFC8499,
              January 2019, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8499>.

11.2.  Informative References





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 25]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   [FIPS-140-2]
              National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.
              Department of Commerce, "NIST Federal Information
              Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-2", May 2001,
              <https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/fips/140/2/
              final>.

   [FIPS-180-4]
              National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.
              Department of Commerce, "Secure Hash Standard, NIST
              Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
              Publication 180-4", August 2015,
              <https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/fips/180/4/
              final>.

   [RFC7451]  Hollenbeck, S., "Extension Registry for the Extensible
              Provisioning Protocol", RFC 7451, DOI 10.17487/RFC7451,
              February 2015, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7451>.

Appendix A.  Change History

A.1.  Change from 00 to 01

   1.  Filled in the "Implementation Status" section with the inclusion
       of the "Verisign EPP SDK" and "RegistryEngine EPP Service"
       implementations.
   2.  Made small wording corrections based on private feedback.
   3.  Added content to the "Acknowledgements" section.

A.2.  Change from 01 to 02

   1.  Revised the language used for the storage of the authorization
       information based on the feedback from Patrick Mevzek and Jody
       Kolker.

A.3.  Change from 02 to 03

   1.  Updates based on the feedback from the interim REGEXT meeting
       held at ICANN-66:
       1.  Section 3.3, include a reference to the hash algorithm to
           use.  Broke the requirements into a list and included a the
           reference the text ', with at least a 256-bit hash function,
           such as SHA-256'.
       2.  Add a Transition Considerations section to cover the
           transition from the classic authorization information
           security model in the EPP RFCs to the model defined in the
           document.




Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 26]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


       3.  Add a statement to the Introduction that elements of the
           practice can be used for purposes other than transfer, but
           with a caveat.
   2.  Updates based on the review by Michael Bauland, that include:
       1.  In section 2, change 'there are three actors' to 'there are
           three types of actors' to cover the case with transfers that
           has two registrar actors (losing and gaining).
       2.  In section 3.1, change the equations equals to be
           approximately equal by using '=~' instead of '=', where
           applicable.
       3.  In section 3.3, change 'MUST be over an encrypted channel,
           such as RFC5734' to 'MUST be over an encrypted channel, such
           as defined in RFC5734'.
       4.  In section 4.1, remove the optional RFC 5733 elements from
           the contact create, which includes the <contact:voice>,
           <contact:fax>, <contact:disclose>, <contact:org>,
           <contact:street>, <contact:sp>, and <contact:cc> elements.
       5.  In section 4.2, changed 'Example of unsetting the
           authorization information explicitly in an [RFC5731] domain
           name update command.' to 'Example of adding the
           "clientTransferProhibited" status and unsetting the
           authorization information explicitly in an [RFC5731] domain
           name update command.'
       6.  In section 4.3, cover a corner case of the ability to return
           the authorization information when it's passed in the info
           command.
       7.  In section 4.4, change 'If the transfer does not complete
           within the time-to-live (TTL)' to 'If the transfer is not
           initiated within the time-to-live (TTL)', since the TTL is
           the time between setting the authorization information and
           when it's successfully used in a transfer request.  Added the
           case of unsetting the authorization information when the
           transfer is cancelled or rejected.
   3.  Updates based on the authorization information messages by Martin
       Casanova on the REGEXT mailing list, that include:
       1.  Added section 3.4 'Authorization Information Matching' to
           clarify how the authorization information is matched, when
           there is set and unset authorization information in the
           database and empty and non-empty authorization information
           passed in the info and transfer commands.
       2.  Added support for signaling that the authorization
           information is set or unset to the sponsoring registrar with
           the inclusion of an empty authorization information element
           in the response to indicate that the authorization
           information is set and the exclusion of the authorization
           information element in the response to indicate that the
           authorization information is unset.




Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 27]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   4.  Made the capitalization of command and response references
       consistent by uppercasing section and item titles and lowercasing
       references elsewhere.

A.4.  Change from 03 to REGEXT 00

   1.  Changed to regext working group draft by changing draft-gould-
       regext-secure-authinfo-transfer to draft-ietf-regext-secure-
       authinfo-transfer.

A.5.  Change from REGEXT 00 to REGEXT 01

   1.  Added the "Signaling Client and Server Support" section to
       describe the mechanism to signal support for the BCP by the
       client and the server.
   2.  Added the "IANA Considerations" section with the registration of
       the secure authorization for transfer XML namespace and the
       registration of the EPP Best Current Practice (BCP) in the EPP
       Extension Registry.

A.6.  Change from REGEXT 01 to REGEXT 02

   1.  Added inclusion of random salt for the hashed authorization
       information, based on feedback from Ulrich Wisser.
   2.  Added clarification that the representation of a NULL (undefined)
       value is dependent on the type of database, based on feedback
       from Patrick Mevzek.
   3.  Filled in the Security Considerations section.

A.7.  Change from REGEXT 02 to REGEXT 03

   1.  Updated the XML namespace to urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp:secure-
       authinfo-transfer-1.0, which removed bcp from the namespace and
       bumped the version from 0.1 and 1.0.  Inclusion of bcp in the XML
       namespace was discussed at the REGEXT interim meeting.
   2.  Replaced Auhtorization with Authorization based on a review by
       Jody Kolker.

A.8.  Change from REGEXT 03 to REGEXT 04

   1.  Converted from xml2rfc v2 to v3.
   2.  Updated Acknowledgements to match the approach taken by the RFC
       Editor with draft-ietf-regext-login-security.
   3.  Changed from Best Current Practice (BCP) to Standards Track based
       on mailing list discussion.

A.9.  Change from REGEXT 04 to REGEXT 05




Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 28]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   1.  Fixed IDNITS issues, including moving RFC7451 to Informative
       References section.

A.10.  Change from REGEXT 05 to REGEXT 06

   Updates based on the Barry Leiba (AD) feedback:

   1.   Simplified the abstract based on the proposal provided.
   2.   In the Introduction, split the first paragraph by starting a new
        paragraph at "This document".
   3.   In section 1.1, updated to use the new BCP 14 boilerplate and
        add a normative reference to RFC 8174.
   4.   In section 4, Updated the phrasing to "For the authorization
        information to be secure it must be generated using a strong
        random value and have a short time-to-live (TTL).".
   5.   In section 4.1, removed the first two unnecessary calculations
        and condensed the introduction of the section.
   6.   In section 4.1, added the use of the normative SHOULD for use of
        at least 128 bits of entropy.
   7.   Added an informative reference to FIPS 180-4 for the SHA-256
        references.
   8.   Normalized the way that the "empty and non-empty authorization
        information values" are referenced, which a few exceptions.
   9.   In section 4, revised the first sentence to explicitly reference
        the use of the <domain:pw> and <contact:pw> elements for
        password-based authorization information.
   10.  In section 4.4, revised the language associated with the storage
        of the authorization information to be cleaner.
   11.  In section 4.4, added "set" in the sentence "An empty input
        authorization information value MUST NOT match any set
        authorization information value."
   12.  In section 5.1 and 5.2, clarified the references to RFC5731 and
        RFC5733 as examples of object extensions that use the
        "eppcom:pwAuthInfoType" element.
   13.  In section 5.2, updated language for the validation of the
        randomness of the authorization information, based on an offline
        review by Barry Leiba, Benjamin Kaduk, and Roman Danyliw.
   14.  In section 9, changed "49 bits of entropy" to "128 bits of
        entropy".

   In section 3, replaced the reference to BCP with operational
   practice, since the draft is not defined as a BCP.

A.11.  Change from REGEXT 06 to REGEXT 07

   1.  Updates based on the Lars Eggert feedback:





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 29]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


       1.   Updated Section 1, Paragraph 4 to read "The operational
            practice will require the client to not store the
            authorization information and".
       2.   Updated each of the example references to end with a colon
            instead of a period.
       3.   Updated Section 1, Paragraph 3 to read "provide secure
            authorization information used for transfers."
       4.   Updated Section 3, Paragraph 3 to read "extension services
            can expect".
       5.   Updated Section 4, Paragraph 2 to read "authorization
            information to be secure, it must".
       6.   Updated Section 4.2, Paragraph 2 to read "authorization
            information by the sponsoring registrar, the".
       7.   Updated Section 4.2, Paragraph 2 to read "proprietary
            registrar-specific criteria, which".
       8.   Updated Section 4.3, Paragraph 3 to read "256-bit hash
            function, such as SHA-256".
       9.   Updated Section 4.3, Paragraph 3 to read "a NULL (undefined)
            value".
       10.  Updated Section 5, Paragraph 2 to read "To secure the
            transfer process using secure authorization".
       11.  Updated Section 5.2, Paragraph 6 to read "Often, the
            registrar has the "clientTransferProhibited" status set".
       12.  Updated Section 5.2, Paragraph 9 to read "MUST cancel cancel
            the transfer process by unsetting the authorization
            information value and MAY add back statuses".
       13.  Updated Section 5.2, Paragraph 9 to read
            ""eppcom:pwAuthInfoType" element can have".

   2.  Updated the first sentence of the abstract and introduction based
       on the Rob Wilton feedback to help non-EPP readers on the what
       and the who for transfers.

   3.  Removed the duplicate first paragraph of section 5.2 based on
       feedback from Francesca Palombini.

   4.  Updates based on the Benjamin Kaduk feedback:

       1.   Added the second paragraph in the Introduction to provide
            high-level motivation for the work.
       2.   Updated Section 1, changed "in any way" to "in any
            substantial way".
       3.   Updated Section 1 by adding the sentence "All of these
            features are compatible with the EPP RFCs, though not
            mandatory to implement." for the "Short-Lived Authorization
            Information".





Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 30]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


       4.   Updated the description of "Short-Lived Authorization
            Information" in Section 1 to reference section 2.6 of
            RFC5731 and change in nature of the authorization
            information.
       5.   Updated Section 4.1, Paragraph 1 and 2 were merged with
            modified language proposed by Benjamin Kaduk, which included
            removing the reference to RFC4086 for length and entropy.
       6.   Updated rule #1 of Section 4.1 to add a second clarifying
            sentence for what is meant by input authorization
            information.
       7.   Updated Section 4.1 by replacing the last paragraph "The
            strength of the random..." with a revised version.
       8.   Updated "retrieves the stored authorization information
            locally" with "retrieves the locally stored authorization
            information".
       9.   Updated Section 6.1 to include the recommendation that the
            registry provide notice of the Info Response change.
       10.  Updated Section 6.2 to include the sentence "This requires
            that the stored values are self-identifying as being in
            hashed or encrypted form" for the "Supporting Comparing
            Against Encrypted and Hashed Authorization Information"
            step.
       11.  Updated Section 6.3 to include the recommendation that the
            registry provide notice of the Create Command change.
       12.  Updated "written to any logs by the registrar or the
            registry" to "written to any logs by a registrar or the
            registry" to cover both the losing and the gaining
            registrar.
       13.  Updated references to "with a random salt" to "with a per-
            authorization information random salt, with at least 128
            bits" to address sharing of salts and the size of the salts.
       14.  Updated the first paragraph of Section 9 to remove the
            reference to defining a server policy for the length and set
            of characters that are included in the randomization to
            target the target entropy level.
       15.  Updated Section 9 by removing the sentence "A random number
            generator (RNG) is preferable over the use of a pseudorandom
            number generator (PRNG) when creating the authorization
            information value."
       16.  Changed FIPS-140-2 from a normative reference to an
            informative reference.

Authors' Addresses








Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 31]

Internet-Draft          secure-transfer-authinfo               June 2021


   James Gould
   VeriSign, Inc.
   12061 Bluemont Way
   Reston, VA 20190
   United States of America

   Email: jgould@verisign.com
   URI:   http://www.verisign.com


   Richard Wilhelm
   VeriSign, Inc.
   12061 Bluemont Way
   Reston, VA 20190
   United States of America

   Email: rwilhelm@verisign.com
   URI:   http://www.verisign.com

































Gould & Wilhelm         Expires 30 December 2021               [Page 32]
