Sorry, I think I should make clear that I'm using two different
setups... one for the CA and another for the end user certificate.
For example, my CA is in /etc/pki_MessageNet/CA while my end-user is in
/etc/pki_MessageNet/tls --- so when I generate my CA keys, it has its
own config file / scope... and when I generate my end user CSR, it has
its own config file / scope. I am, however, granting my CSR from within
the scope of my CA and its configuration. In other words, I'm
replicating a "real world" type situation -- or that is the hope!
Chris Rider wrote:
I think we're on to something here... thank you for your time and
attention, btw!
I still can't see anything about the AIA thing, but I took another go
at the basicConstraints and keyUsage, and seem to have slightly better
results. I changed basicConstraints to True (it was FALSE by default),
so that makes sense. I also just tacked on certSign to the end of the
keyUsage string. Now, when I generate the keys and install the CA's
certificate on the client, even IE will automatically detect/install
as a trusted root... which it wasn't before. So I think we're onto
something with my CA.
But now, when I go to sign the server certificate using my CA, I am
getting the following errors: (using the exact same process --
scripted -- as before, so the only thing changed is the CA config file
/ CA keys)
Error Loading extension section usr_cert
14488:error:02001002:system library:fopen:No such file or
directory:bss_file.c:122:fopen('/etc/pki_MessageNet/CA/index.txt.attr','rb')
14488:error:2006D080:BIO routines:BIO_new_file:no such
file:bss_file.c:125:
14488:error:0E078072:configuration file routines:DEF_LOAD:no such
file:conf_def.c:197:
14488:error:0E06D06C:configuration file routines:NCONF_get_string:no
value:conf_lib.c:329:group=CA_default name=email_in_dn
14488:error:2206E068:X509 V3 routines:X509V3_get_value_bool:invalid
boolean string:v3_utl.c:229:section:,name:CA,value:True
14488:error:22098080:X509 V3 routines:X509V3_EXT_nconf:error in
extension:v3_conf.c:93:name=basicConstraints, value=CA:True
What is the best way to include my file contents for you? (worried
about posting something a mile long)
Patrick Patterson wrote:
Hi Chris:
On 2010-09-22, at 4:13 PM, Chris Rider wrote:
For now, I've just copied the CA's public .crt file to a public_html
type directory and downloading on the client ~ from there, depending
on whether I use FireFox or IE, I go into the respective
certificates manager and import the one I downloaded. I've been very
deliberate in making sure it actually gets installed under the
root/trusted category, and not some other category.
I haven't investigated the AIA field... (didn't even know about it)
Would that be specified when creating the CA's keys? Is that best
specified in my CA's cnf file somewhere?
Yes - it would.
Barring all else, it seems to me like the browser is hanging up on
the fact that the CA's certificate is self-signed. (??)
Things that would make the browser hang include:
CA cert not including basicConstraints: CA=True, or keyUsage not
including certSign.
and
User Certs that DO include either of those values.
Also, what could be happening is a mismatch between AKI and SKI
values in the CA and Server certs.
That's why I requested you to send along a copy of the certs that you
are using - the values need to be set correctly, just having one key
signed by the other, which happens to be self signed, is not enough.
Unless you have extensively edited your openssl.cnf file, you are
probably not generating correct CA or end entity certs.
Have fun.
Patrick.
-Chris
Hugo Garza wrote:
Hi Chris, how are you installing the root CA on the client machines?
In windows once you double click the root certificate you get a
message dialog box and click the install certificate button. On the
following screen press next and on the next screen tell it to
install the certificate to the Trusted Root Certificate
Authorities, hit next then finish. You should get a Windows dialog
warning saying that you are adding a root certificate, and you just
say yes.
Now the other possible problem is that on the server certificate
that you created you aren't including the Authority Information
Access (AIA) field. This is crucial so that your customers only
have to install the root CA and implicitly trust any certificates
signed by the root.
On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 2:29 PM, Chris Rider
<chris.ri...@messagenetsystems.com
<mailto:chris.ri...@messagenetsystems.com>> wrote:
We have a client/server architecture based product that needs to
allow SSL communication between our server (CentOS) and various
clients' web browsers (and additionally, other devices, but that's
beyond the scope of this post).
We've been able to get SSL working in both of two different ways
(self-signed certificate & self-signed CA with certificates signed
by that) -- so that is not the issue. Rather, our whole issue is
that we don't want the end-users to confronted with a big scary
browser message that says something akin to "There's a Problem
With Security! / Allow Exception, etc." If they must install a
certificate or two, that would be acceptable, though. So I thought
that creating my own CA to sign certificates with would be a
solution.... apparently not. I'm now getting browser messages that
say the certificate's issuer is not trusted!!! Very frustrating.
So, as I said, I've created my own CA (using this link as a guide:
http://www.g-loaded.eu/2005/11/10/be-your-own-ca/ ), and can sign
my own certificates without problem. I then install the root
certificate, followed by a server certificate signed by that CA.
And, while I can click "allow exception" in the browser to make it
all work, that is not the desired way. We just want to be able to
have the end-user install a trusted root certificate and
everything just work from there. Testing in IE and FireFox nets
the same big scary warning message, no matter what combination of
fields I use in the CSR, etc.
We really don't want to go with a third party CA like VeriSign,
for example -- not so much because of the cost, but we just don't
want to deal with updating countless remote installations of our
product whenever the certificate expires. Not to mention the
support that would be associated with doing that! The other issue
is that some/most of these installations do not have outside
internet connectivity with which to query the CA's (for CRL's, or
whatever). We really need to manage our own certificates, all in
all.... but without these warning messages.
Is it possible?
If so, what am I missing?
-- Chris Rider,
Systems Architect
MessageNet Systems
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---
Patrick Patterson
President and Chief PKI Architect
Carillon Information Security Inc.
http://www.carillon.ca
tel: +1 514 485 0789
mobile: +1 514 994 8699
fax: +1 450 424 9559
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