VE 07KeyMgmt: Difference between revisions

# Private keys and secret keys are stored in the private key database. At Security Level 1, the operating system is restricted to a single operator mode of operation, which protects against unauthorized disclosure, modification, and substitution of the private keys and secret keys stored in the private key database. At Security Level 2, we use the discretionary access control mechanism of the operating system on the private key database to protect against unauthorized disclosure, modification, and substitution of the private keys and secret keys stored in the private key database. <div class=note>The private keys and secret keys stored in the private key database are actually encrypted using three-key Triple DES in CBC mode (DES-EDE3-CBC) to provide additional protection against unauthorized disclosure, modification, and substitution. Although Triple DES is an Approved security function, the key encrypting key is derived from the user's password using an extension of the PKCS #5 PBKDF1 key derivation function (see the <code>[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/fips/nss-source/mozilla/security/nss/lib/softoken/lowpbe.c.dep.html#nsspkcs5_PBKDF1Extended nsspkcs5_PBKDF1Extended]</code> function) with an 8-octet salt, an iteration count of 1, and SHA-1 as the underlying hash function. Since password-based encryption such as PKCS #5 is not FIPS Approved, the private and secret keys in the private key database are considered in plaintext form by FIPS 140-2 (see FIPS 140-2 Section 4.7 and FIPS 140-2 IG 7.1). For more information on how the secret and private keys in the private key database are password-encrypted, see the <code>[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/fips/nss-source/mozilla/security/nss/lib/softoken/lowpbe.c.dep.html#nsspkcs5_CipherData nsspkcs5_CipherData]</code> function.</div>