| NETCONF Working Group | K.W. Watsen |
| Internet-Draft | Juniper Networks |
| Updates: 4253 (if approved) | June 21, 2013 |
| Intended status: Standards Track | |
| Expires: December 23, 2013 |
Reverse Secure Shell (Reverse SSH)
draft-ietf-netconf-reverse-ssh-01
This memo presents a technique for a NETCONF server to initiate a SSH connection to a NETCONF client. This is accomplished by the NETCONF client listening on IANA-assigned TCP port YYYY and starting the SSH client protocol immediately after accepting a TCP connection on it. This role-reversal is necessary as the NETCONF server must also be the SSH Server, in order for the NETCONF client to open the IANA-assigned SSH subsystem "netconf".
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The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].
This memo presents a technique for a NETCONF [RFC6241] server to initiate a Secure Shell (SSH) [RFC4251] connection to a NETCONF client. This is accomplished by the NETCONF client listening on IANA-assigned TCP port YYYY and starting the SSH client protocol immediately after accepting a TCP connection on it. This role-reversal is necessary as the NETCONF server must also be the SSH Server, in order for the NETCONF client to open the IANA-assigned SSH subsystem "netconf" [RFC6242].
While the motivation for this work is for the NETCONF protocol, the solution is not specific to NETCONF and is applicable any time it is desired for a SSH server to initiate a connection to a SSH client. For this reason, the solution is given the generic name "Reverse SSH" and the port the remote peer listens on is the Reverse SSH port.
The SSH protocol is nearly ubiquitous for device management, as it is the transport for the command-line applications `ssh`, `scp`, and `sftp` and is the required transport for the NETCONF protocol [RFC6241]. However, all these SSH-based protocols expect the managed device to be the SSH server.
Reverse SSH enables the managed device to consistently be the SSH server regardless of which peer initiates the underlying TCP connection. Maintaining the role of SSH Server is both necessary and desirable. It is necessary because SSH channels and subsystems can only be opened on the SSH Server. It is desirable because it conviently leverages infrastructure that may be deployed for host-key verification and user authentication.
Reverse SSH is useful for both initial deployment and on-going device management and may be used to enable any of the following scenarios:
One key benefit of using SSH as the transport protocol is its ability to multiplex an unspecified number of independently flow-controlled TCP sessions [RFC4254]. This is valuable as the managed device only needs to be configured to initiate a single Reverse SSH connection regardless the number of TCP-based protocols the application wishes to support. For instance, the application may "pin up" a channel for each distinct type of asynchronous notification the managed device supports (logs, traps, backups, etc.) and dynamically open/close channels as needed by its runtime.
The NETCONF server's perspective
The NETCONF client's perspective
This document updates the SSH Transport Layer Protocol [RFC4253] only by removing the restriction in Section 4 (Connection Setup) of [RFC4252] that the SSH Client must initiate the transport connection. Security implications related to this change are discussed in the Security Considerations [sec-con] section.
For first-time connections, in order for the NETCONF client to authenticate the NETCONF server, a public host key algorithm that certifies the the NETCONF server's identity and host-key SHOULD be used. Examples of suitable public host key algorithms are the x509v3-* algorithms defined in [RFC6187].
For devices supporting NETCONF, this section defines a YANG [RFC6020] module to configure Reverse SSH on the device. For devices that do not support NETCONF, this section illustrates what its configuration data model SHOULD include.
This YANG module enables a NETCONF client to generically manage a NETCONF server's Reverse SSH configuration. Key aspects of this YANG module include support for more than one application, more than one server per application, and a reconnection strategy.
This RFC does not attempt to define any strategy for how an initial deployment might obtain its bootstrapping "call home" configuration, as defined by this YANG module. That said, implementations may consider fetching configuration from a server identified via the DHCP protocol or loading it off a USB drive plugged into the device before being powered on.
Configuration Example
<config xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<reverse-ssh xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-reverse-ssh">
<applications>
<application>
<name>config-mgr</name>
<description>
This entry requests the device to periodically
connect to the Configuration Manager application
</description>
<servers>
<server>
<host>config-mgr1.acme.com</host>
<port>7022</port>
</server>
<server>
<host>config-mgr2.acme.com</host>
<port>7022</port>
</server>
</servers>
<periodic-connection>
<timeout-mins>5</timeout-mins>
<linger-secs>20</linger-secs>
</periodic-connection>
<host-keys>
<host-key>
<name>ssh_host_key_cert</name>
</host-key>
<host-key>
<name>ssh_host_key_cert2</name>
</host-key>
</host-keys>
<keep-alive-strategy>
<interval-secs>5</interval-secs>
<count-max>3</count-max>
</keep-alive-strategy>
<reconnect-strategy>
<start-with>last-connected</start-with>
<interval-secs>10</interval-secs>
<count-max>4</count-max>
</reconnect-strategy>
</application>
<application>
<name>log-monitor</name>
<description>
This entry requests the device to mantain a
persistent connection to the Log Monitoring
application
</description>
<servers>
<server>
<host>log-mon1.acme.com</host>
<port>7514</port>
</server>
<server>
<host>log-monitor2.acme.com</host>
<port>7514</port>
</server>
</servers>
<persistent-connection/>
<host-keys>
<host-key>
<name>ssh_host_key_hmac</name>
</host-key>
</host-keys>
<keep-alive-strategy>
<interval-secs>5</interval-secs>
<count-max>3</count-max>
</keep-alive-strategy>
<reconnect-strategy>
<start-with>last-connected</start-with>
<interval-secs>10</interval-secs>
<count-max>4</count-max>
</reconnect-strategy>
</application>
</applications>
</reverse-ssh>
</config>
The YANG Module
module ietf-reverse-ssh {
namespace "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-reverse-ssh";
prefix "rssh";
import ietf-inet-types { prefix inet; }
organization
"IETF NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol) Working Group";
contact
"WG Web: <http://tools.ietf.org/wg/netconf/>
WG List: <mailto:netconf@ietf.org>
WG Chair: Bert Wijnen
<mailto:bertietf@bwijnen.net>
WG Chair: Mehmet Ersue
<mailto:mehmet.ersue@nsn.com>
Editor: Kent Watsen
<mailto:kwatsen@juniper.net>";
revision 2013-06-18 {
description "Initial conception";
reference "RFC XXXX: Reverse SSH";
}
// RFC Ed.: replace XXXX with actual
// RFC number and remove this note
container reverse-ssh {
container applications {
description
"All the application that the device
initiates Reverse SSH connections to";
list application {
key name;
min-elements 1;
leaf name {
mandatory true;
type string {
length 1..32;
}
description
"The name of the application the device is
connecting to";
}
leaf description {
type string;
description
"An optional description for the application";
}
container servers {
description
"An ordered listing of the application's
servers that the device should attempt
connecting to.";
list server {
key host;
min-elements 1;
ordered-by user;
leaf host {
mandatory true;
type inet:host;
description
"IP address or domain-name for
the server";
}
leaf port {
type inet:port-number;
description
"The IP port for this server.
The device will use the
IANA-assigned port if not
specified.";
}
}
}
choice connection-type {
description "Indicates the application's
preference for how the device's
connection is maintained.";
default persistent-connection;
leaf persistent-connection {
type empty;
}
container periodic-connection {
leaf timeout-mins {
type uint8;
default 5;
units minutes;
description
"The maximum amount of unconnected
time the device will wait until
establishing a connection to the
applications again to send it.
The device may establish a
connection before this time if
it has data it needs to send to
the device.";
}
leaf linger-secs {
type uint8;
default 30;
units seconds;
description
"The amount of time the device should
wait after last receiving data from
or sending data to the device before
closing its connection to the app.";
}
}
}
container host-keys {
description
"An ordered listing of the SSH host keys the
device should advertise to the application.";
list host-key {
key name;
min-elements 1;
ordered-by user;
leaf name {
mandatory true;
type string {
length 1..64;
}
description
"The name of a host key the device
should advertise during the SSH
key exchange.";
}
}
}
container keep-alive-strategy {
leaf interval-secs {
type uint8;
units seconds;
default 15;
description
"Sets a timeout interval in seconds after
which if no data has been received from
the client, a message will be sent to
request a response from the SSH client.
A value of '0' indicates that no messages
should be sent.";
}
leaf count-max {
type uint8;
default 3;
description
"Sets the number of keep alive messages
that may be sent without receiving any
response from the SSH client before
assuming the SSH client is no longer
alive. If this threshold is reached
the device will disconnect the SSH
session. The keep alive interval timer
is reset after each transmission. Thus,
an unresponsive SSH client will be
disconnected after approximately
'count-max * interval-secs' seconds.";
}
}
container reconnect-strategy {
leaf start-with {
default first-listed;
type enumeration {
enum first-listed;
enum last-connected;
}
}
leaf interval-secs {
type uint8;
units seconds;
default 5;
description
"time delay between connection attempts";
}
leaf count-max {
type uint8;
default 3;
description
"num times try to connect to a server";
}
}
}
}
}
}
This RFC deviates from standard SSH protocol usage by allowing the SSH server to initiate the TCP connection. This conflicts with section 4 of the SSH Transport Layer Protocol RFC [RFC4253], which states "The client initiates the connection". However this statement is made without rationalization and it's not clear how it impacts the security of the protocol, so this section analyzes the security offered by the having the client initiate the connection.
First, assuming the SSH server is not using a public host key algorithm that certifies its identity, the security of the protocol doesn't seem to be sensitive to which peer initiates the connection. That is, it is still the case that reliable distribution of host keys (or their fingerprints) should occur prior to first connection and that verification for subsequent connections happens by comparing the host keys in locally cached database. It does not seem to matter if the SSH Server's host name is derived from user-input or extracted from the TCP layer, potentially via a reverse-DNS lookup. Once the host name-to-key association is stored in a local database, no man-in-the-middle attack is possible due to the attacker being unable to guess the real SSH server's private key (Section 9.3.4 (Man-in-th-middle) of [RFC4251]).
That said, this RFC recommends implementations use a public host key algorithm that certifies the SSH server's identity. The identity can be any unique identifier, such as a device's serial number or a deployment-specific value. If this recommendation is followed, then no information from the TCP layer would be needed to lookup the device in a local database and therefore the directionality of the TCP layer is clearly inconsequential.
The SSH protocol negotiates which algorithms it will use during key exchange (Section 7.1 (Algortihm Negotition) in [RFC4253]). The algorithm selected is essentially the first compatible algorithm listed by the SSH client that is also listed by the SSH server. For a network management application, there may be a need to advertise a large number of algorithms to be compatible with the various devices it manages. It is RECOMMENDED that the SSH client orders its list of public host key algorithms such that all the certifiable public host key algorithms are listed first. Additionally, when possible, SSH servers SHOULD only list certifiable public host key algorithms. Note that since the SSH server would have to be configured to know which IP address it needs to connect to, it is expected that it will also be configured to know which host key algorithm to use for the particular application, and hence only needs to list just that one public host key algorithm.
This RFC suggests implementations can use a device's serial number as a form of identity. A potential concern with using a serial number is that the SSH protocol passes the SSH server's host-key in the clear and many times serial numbers encode revealing information about the device, such as what kind of device it is and when it was manufactured. While there is little security in trying to hide this information from an attacker, it is understood that some deployments may want to keep this information private. If this is a concern, deployments MAY consider using instead a hash of the device's serial number or an application-specified unique identifier.
An attacker could DoS the application by having it to perform computationally expensive operations, before deducing that the attacker doesn't posses a valid key. This is no different than any secured service and all common precautions apply (e.g. blacklisting the source address after a set number of unsuccessful login attempts).
This document requests that IANA assigns a TCP port number in the "Registered Port Numbers" range with the service name "reverse-ssh". This port will be the default port for the Reverse SSH protocol and will be used when the NETCONF server needs to initiate a connection to a NETCONF client using SSH. Below is the registration template following the rules in [RFC6335].
Service Name: reverse-ssh Transport Protocol(s): TCP Assignee: IESG <iesg@ietf.org> Contact: IETF Chair <chair@ietf.org> Description: Reverse SSH (call home) Reference: RFC XXXX Port Number: YYYY