Subject: [eap] Proposed strawman Section 7.2, Security Terms

From: [email-masked] (Bernard Aboba)
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 10:55:55 -0800 (PST)

The -08 Security Term definitions were fairly lame. Here is a strawman
revised section which hopefully hits closer to the mark. Comments welcome.

7.2.  Security terms

Mutual authentication
               This refers to a method in which, within a single
               conversation, the authenticator authenticates the peer
               and the peer authenticates the authenticator. Two one-way
               conversations, running in opposite directions do not
               provide mutual authentication as defined here.

Integrity protection
               This refers to authentication and integrity protection of
               EAP messages, including EAP Requests and Responses and
               success and failure indications.

Replay protection
               This refers to protection against replay of EAP messages,
               including EAP Requests and success and failure
               indications.

Confidentiality
               This refers to encryption of EAP messages, including EAP
               Requests and Responses, and success and failure
               indications. A method making this claim MUST include
               support for identity protection.

Key derivation This refers to the ability of the EAP method to derive
               ciphersuite-independent master session keys, used only
               for further key derivation.

Key strength   This refers to the effective entropy of the derived
               master session keys, independent of their physical
               length. For example, a 128-bit key derived from a
               password might have an effective entropy much less than
               128 bits.

Dictionary attack resistance
               Where password authentication is used, users are
               notoriously prone to selection of poor passwords. A
               method may be said to be dictionary attack resistant if,
               when there is a weak password in the secret,  the method
               does not allow an attack more efficient than brute force.

Fast reconnect The ability, in the case where a security association has
               been previously established, to create a new or refreshed
               security association in a smaller number of round-trips.

Man-in-the-Middle resistance
               The ability for the peer to demonstrate to the
               authenticator that it has acted as the peer for each
               method within a sequence of methods or tunnel. Similarly,
               the authenticator demonstrates to the peer that it has
               acted as the authenticator for each method within the
               sequence or tunnel. If this is not possible, then the
               authentication sequence or tunnel may be vulnerable to a
               man-in-the-middle attack.

Acknowledged result indications
               The ability of the authenticator to provide the peer with
               an indication of whether the peer has successfully
               authenticated to it, and for the peer to acknowledge
               receipt, as well as providing an indication of whether
               the authenticator has successfully authenticated to the
               peer.  Since cleartext success/failure indications can be
               spoofed, making this claim requires that the result
               exchange be integrity protected.