FreeTDS Development Group

[Frediano Ziglio <freddy77 AT gmail.com>]

2015-04-06 16:54 GMT+01:00 Peter Deacon <peterd AT iea-software.com>:
> On Mon, 6 Apr 2015, Frediano Ziglio wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>  this is my last stopover before release. I wrote a patch to start
>> doing certificate verification, see
>>
>> https://github.com/freddy77/freetds/commit/557caf0e0af1c385d6cfd1602f593f9683ed6fc8.
>>
>> Now the problem is when to check. If a mssql is installed without
>> certificate a dummy certificate (self signed with a
>> "Self_Signed_Fallback" common name) is generate every time the sql
>> instance is started (not during the install so you cannot cache the
>> certificate of a given server). So there is no way to check these
>> certificates, FreeTDS (and MSSQL driver too) has to accept by default
>> these certificates.
>> The patch add two options to freetds.conf, "ca file" and "crl file",
>> respectively the file containing the root authorities and the
>> certificates revocation list (list of certificates to not accept). So
>> the key of the patch is: if you specify CA list you want to check
>> certificate, if not accept any certificates sent. Now, the questions
>> are:
>
>
>> - should FreeTDS check the common name (with server name inside) of
>> the certificate?
>
>
> Important if a global CA is used.  Without checking an attacker can buy a
> cert from that CA and compromise security.
>
> Might also be important for company-wide CAs.  Company might hand out a cert
> for a test server in a satellite office that compromises an important
> production server without the name checking.
>

Mmm... perhaps would be nice to have a "ca files" instead with a list
of filenames like "file1:file2" were fileX is a file or "system" for
global system CAs.

> Ususally hostname TDS is using (e.g. sqlserver.mydomain.com) would match CN
> of servers public key.
>
> In OpenSSL after you SSL_accept connection fetching CN might look something
> like:
>
> peer = SSL_get_peer_certificate(myconnection);
> X509_NAME_get_text_by_NID(X509_get_subject_name(peer),NID_commonName,output_cn_goes_here...)
> X509_free(peer);
>
>
> Sometimes CN can contain wildcards *.mydomain.com or additional valid hosts
> present in subject alternate name attributes of servers public key.. not
> sure either is needed/useful here.
>
>> - should I add an option to disable name verification?
>

I think this can be useful, but default should be enabled.

>
>> - should I read system CA list so to check the global list installed
>> in the system? I don't know if this is useful, are mssql with proper
>> certificate using a public CA?
>
>
> Dunno might be useful for someone connecting to a commercially hosted
> server..?
>
> Have Fun!
> Peter

Thanks

Frediano