X.509 Alternative Public Key and Signature
For people who work in the world of PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and security protocols, when you think of certificates, RFC 5280 instantly comes to mind. However, it is interesting to note that this document was written in 2008 and is the IETF’s specification of X.509 which is itself a standard that is maintained by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). The X.509 standard was updated in 2019.
One of the additions to X.509 made in 2019 is the concept of alternative cryptographic digital signature algorithm extensions. They are defined and discussed in technical detail in section 9.8 of the 2019 update to X.509.
Briefly, it introduces 3 new non-critical X.509 certificate extensions:
- Subject Alternative Public Key Information
- Alternative Signature Algorithm
- Alternative Signature Value
The main purpose of these extensions is to allow for 2 algorithms to be used in a certificate chain. The reason this is needed is to help ease the migration to post-quantum cryptography.
Do you think having an optional second alternative digital signature algorithm public key and signature in your certificates would be useful? If so, send a message to facts@wolfSSL.com and let us know your needs and use case for these X.509 extensions!
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
wolfSSL Support for the Espressif ESP-IDF v5.2 Beta
Recently Espressif announced their ESP-IDF v5.2 Beta 1 on GitHub. The same day we found out about this exciting new version, we confirmed that all the wolfSSL Espressif ESP32 Examples are working in that environment. So far the “beta” looks to be well polished from our perspective. Last week, we learned about the ESP-IDF v5.2 Beta 2 on GitHub. The final release should be quite nice.
We have both core performance, benchmark, and client-server examples as well as additional examples for the ESP32.
Incorporating wolfSSL in your Espressif project has never been easier. As announced in the summer of 2023 – wolfSSL is now available in the Espressif ESP Registry of managed components: this one line adds wolfSSL to your project:
# Add wolfSSL component to existing ESP-IDF project idf.py add-dependency "wolfssl/wolfssl"
Get Started with wolfSSL
Additional information on getting Started with wolfSSL on the Espressif environment is available on the wolfSSL GitHub repository as well as this YouTube recording:
Find out more
If you have any feedback, questions, or require support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247, or open an issue on GitHub.
Download wolfSSL Now
wolfSSH – Now Available as an Espressif Managed Component Includes SSH Echo Server Example
Not long ago, we announced preview support for new Espressif Managed Components. This is in addition to the core wolfssl managed component. Today you can add SSH capabilities to your toolbox by visiting this link:
https://components.espressif.com/components/wolfssl/wolfssh
If the ESP Registry page does not fully load with all the text, try holding down the “ctrl” key when pressing the refresh button in your browser. The CDN seems to occasionally cache incomplete web content.
Getting started with wolfSSL and wolfSSH has never been easier! You can add wolfSSH to your project with this command:
idf.py add-dependency “wolfssl/wolfssh”
We’ve also included a complete example project to connect to the AWS IoT MQTT. Just click the little “copy” icon and paste into a command prompt after the ESP-IDF has been installed:
Try it
Here’s an example of how the example can be created, built, and flashed onto your ESP32:
# Setup the ESP-IDF Environment (your actual path may vary)
. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
# Download and create the example
idf.py create-project-from-example “wolfssl/wolfssh:wolfssh_echoserver”
cd wolfssl_echoserver
# Set your SSID and wifi Password in Example Connection Configuration
idf.py menuconfig
# Flash the code to your ESP32
idf.py -p /dev/ttyS9 -b 115200 flash monitor
The full wolfSSL repository for wolfSSH contains even more examples for not only this Echo Server Example, but many other target platforms as well.
Get Started with wolfSSL
Additional information on getting Started with wolfSSL on the Espressif environment is available on the wolfSSL GitHub repository as well as this YouTube recording:
Find out more
If you have any feedback, questions, or require support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via facts@wolfSSL.com, call us at +1 425 245 8247, or open an issue on GitHub.
Download wolfSSL Now
Live Webinar: Getting Started with wolfSSH in 2024
Join us for a webinar on ‘Getting Started with wolfSSH‘ scheduled for January 18th at 10 am PT. The latest release, wolfSSH v1.4.15, has just been unveiled as part of our Christmas releases! Packed with numerous features and improvements, this version promises an enriching experience.
wolfSSL Software Developer, Jacob Barthelmeh, will be your guide, starting from foundational knowledge and leading you to explore advanced features essential for initiating your journey with wolfSSH!
Watch the webinar here: Getting Started with wolfSSH
Sneak Peek of the webinar:
- SSH Overview
- Specifications supported by wolfSSH
- wolfSSH Architecture
- Configuration and Build Proces
- wolfSSH Examples and Applications
… and much more
Given that 2024 has just begun, this is an ideal moment to be part of our ‘Getting Started’ series! Don’t miss this chance to leverage the expertise of wolfSSL and harness wolfSSH’s potential for your projects! Bring all your wolfSSH-related questions; Jacob is ready to address them.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
wolfMQTT – Now Available as an Espressif Managed Component Includes AWS IoT MQTT Example
Not long ago, we announced preview support for new Espressif Managed Components in addition to the core wolfssl managed component. Today you can add MQTT capabilities to your toolbox by visiting this link:
https://components.espressif.com/components/wolfssl/wolfmqtt
If the ESP Registry page does not fully load with all the text, try holding down the “ctrl” key when pressing the refresh button in your browser. The CDN seems to occasionally cache incomplete web content.
Getting started with wolfSSL and wolfMQTT has never been easier! You can add wolfMQTT to your project with this command:
idf.py add-dependency “wolfssl/wolfmqtt”
We’ve also included a complete example project to connect to the AWS IoT MQTT. Just click the little “copy” icon and paste into a command prompt after the ESP-IDF has been installed:
Try it
Here’s an example of how the example can be created, built, and flashed onto your ESP32:
# Setup the ESP-IDF Environment (your actual path may vary)
. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
# Download and create the example
idf.py create-project-from-example “wolfssl/wolfmqtt:AWS_IoT_MQTT”
cd AWS_IoT_MQTT
# Set your SSID and wifi Password in Example Connection Configuration
idf.py menuconfig
# Flash the code to your ESP32
idf.py -p /dev/ttyS9 -b 115200 flash monitor
Tada! You have your very own sample MQTT AWS IoT device! Upon a successful connection, output similar to this should be displayed on the serial port being monitored:
I (17096) wolfmqtt main: Initial Stack Used (before wolfSSL Server): 2244 bytes
I (17104) wolfmqtt main: Starting awsiot_main...
AwsIoT Client: QoS 1, Use TLS 1
MQTT Net Init: Success (0)
MQTT Init: Success (0)
NetConnect: Host a2dujmi05ideo2-ats.iot.us-west-2.amazonaws.com, Port 8883, Timeout 5000 ms, Use TLS 1
MQTT TLS Setup (1)
MQTT TLS Verify Callback: PreVerify 0, Error -188 (ASN no signer error to confirm failure)
Subject's domain name is Starfield Services Root Certificate Authority - G2
Allowing cert anyways
MQTT Socket Connect: Success (0)
MQTT Connect: Proto (v3.1.1), Success (0)
MQTT Connect Ack: Return Code 0, Session Present 0
MQTT Subscribe: Success (0)
Topic $aws/things/demoDevice/shadow/update, Qos 1, Return Code 1
MQTT Publish: Topic $aws/things/demoDevice/shadow/update, ID 2, Success (0)
MQTT Waiting for message...
MQTT Message: Topic $aws/things/demoDevice/shadow/update, Qos 1, Len 92
Payload (0 - 92) printing 80 bytes:
{"state":{"reported":{"hardware":{"type":"wolf_aws_iot_demo","firmware_version":
MQTT Message: Done
The full wolfSSL repository for wolfMQTT contains even more examples for not only this Espressif AWS example, but many other target platforms as well.
Get Started with wolfSSL
Additional information on getting Started with wolfSSL on the Espressif environment is available on the wolfSSL GitHub repository as well as this YouTube recording:
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
Everything cURL: Your Comprehensive Guide
Get ready to delve into the latest edition of Everything cURL. Daniel Stenberg, the driving force behind cURL, has meticulously crafted the most recent release.
In this comprehensive update of Everything cURL, he’ll take you on an exciting journey through the vast landscape of cURL. Discover not just the technical knowledge but also delve into the origin stories that make this tool a favorite among developers globally.
Everything cURL equips you with a collection of tools, mastering cURL command lines, options, and functionalities at a master level. Whether you seek guidance on crafting HTTP requests or wish to master cURL scripting for automation, this edition covers it all.
It’s your sign to step into the world of cURL. Explore the pages of Everything cURL and uncover the key elements necessary to elevate your development journey with this recent update.
Are you ready to embrace the future of cURL?
Dive into Everything cURL today to kickstart your journey into the world of advanced cURL commands, API usage, and more.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
Protecting wolfSSH from Passive SSH Key Compromise
About the Compromise
Recently, a team led by Keegan Ryan from UCSD discovered that several implementations of the SSH protocol have been potentially leaking information about their keys and they came up with a way of exploiting it.
Every now and then, an RSA signature is made with a combination of padding and data that doesn’t verify correctly. If one saves billions of SSH signatures they can analyze the broken signatures and work out some keys.
The team released a paper [1] describing the issue and how it can be analyzed to obtain keys.
The wolfSSH Vulnerability
While wolfSSL verifies an RSA signature after producing it, and erroring out if it doesn’t verify, wolfSSH does not do this process. The compromise has not been proven against wolfSSH, the assumption is that it is possible. wolfSSH did not verify the RSA signatures after generation.
The Fix
As of wolfSSH v1.4.15, just released, we have added the verify step for RSA signatures. Luckily the time to verify an RSA signature is short compared to signing so there shouldn’t be a noticeable slowdown during the key exchange process.
References
- Keegan Ryan, Kaiwen He, George Arnold Sullivan, and Nadia Heninger. 2023. Passive SSH Key Compromise via Lattices. Cryptology ePrint Archive, Report 2023/1711. https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1711.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
wolfSSL Using an fTPM with Xilinx FPGA Microblaze
Have you ever needed a TPM but only had an FPGA available, or needed a TPM for a project and had additional requirements that are not supported by current hardware available? wolfSSL is working on the use of a fTPM (Firmware Trusted Platform Module) running on a Xilinx FPGA Microblaze that is also capable of being used with measured boot. This is unique, in that it can benefit from the additional redundancy that naturally comes with running code on an FPGA while leveraging an existing piece of the hardware on many Xilinx boards rather than requiring additional hardware be added. Use of the fTPM for measured boot will improve sanity checks on the integrity of the boot up process by doing TPM 2.0 PCR extend operations on the initial ROM, FSBL, and partitions loaded.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now
Espressif RISC-V Hardware Accelerated Cryptographic Functions Up to 1000% Faster than Software
We at wolfSSL continue to embrace the IoT market and congratulate all of the Espressif staff and partners on reaching the 1 Billion Device milestone in 2023. All of those devices need serious, commercial grade security with up to 7×24 support. We are here to help you do that! Of course, wolfSSL software cryptography works on any embedded device, but we’ve also added additional hardware acceleration support to Espressif SoC devices.
Recently our wolfSSL library has been upgraded to support the cryptographic hardware acceleration capabilities on Espressif ESP32 RISC-V SoC boards, specifically the ESP32-C2, ESP32-C3 and the ESP32-C6. The feature set is parity with our ESP32 and ESP32-S2/ESP32-S3 hardware acceleration capabilities which includes SHA (hash), RSA (big number math), and AES encryption. Additional new acceleration hardware capabilities specific to the newer Espressif chipsets are actively in development.
Although we are very proud of our software implementation, no programmatic algorithm can beat the brute strength of hardware acceleration. See below for some of the benchmark performance characteristics. The difference can be up to 10 times faster than equivalent software algorithms.
For instance: The ESP32-C6 has SHA acceleration implemented in hardware for SHA, SHA-224 and SHA-256, all of which are commonly used in TLS hashes. Here’s a comparison of the differences in performance for the ESP32C6:
Taller bars represent more data hashed per second: KiB/s
Note the Espressif GitHub Issue #10423 for the latest ESP32-C6 support status. Silicon version 0.0 was used for testing and benchmarks noted above. Actual production values may differ.
See also our recent blogs:
- Secure Your Apple HomeKit Espressif ESP32 Devices with wolfSSL
- wolfSSL DTLS1.3 ESP32 Examples Now Available
- wolfSSL on the Espressif ESP32-C3 RISC-V
- wolfSSL on the Xtensa ESP32-S3 Linux
Additional information on getting Started with wolfSSL on the Espressif environment is available on the wolfSSL GitHub repository as well as a webinar recording, Getting Started with wolfSSL on the Espressif ESP32.
Try it yourself
If you’d like to see the benchmarks on your own device, ensure you have the ESP-IDF installed and follow these steps:
cd [your workspace directory] # Clone wolfSSL into a local directory git clone https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl.git cd wolfssl/IDE/Espressif/ESP-IDF/examples/wolfssl_benchmark # Set your directory for ESP-IDF, shown here for VisualDGB and WSL WRK_IDF_PATH=/mnt/c/SysGCC/esp32/esp-idf/v5.1 # Run your ESP-IDF export.sh . ${WRK_IDF_PATH}/export.sh # or . $HOME/esp/esp-idf/export.sh # Set project target SoC idf.py set-target esp32c3 # optionally erase your device (substitute /dev/ttyS36 with your port) idf.py erase-flash -p /dev/ttyS36 -b 115200 # Build and flash the app onto your SoC (substitute /dev/ttyS36) idf.py build flash -p /dev/ttyS36 -b 115200 monitor -b 115200
Benchmark metrics for the ESP32-C6, Hardware Encryption Enabled:
Chip is ESP32-C6 (revision v0.0), Crystal is 40MHz, cpu freq: 160000000 Hz (160MHz)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ wolfSSL version 5.6.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ wolfCrypt Benchmark (block bytes 1024, min 1.0 sec each) RNG 1375 KiB took 1.005 seconds AES-128-CBC-enc 4450 KiB took 1.004 seconds AES-128-CBC-dec 4325 KiB took 1.004 seconds AES-192-CBC-enc 1450 KiB took 1.014 seconds AES-192-CBC-dec 1425 KiB took 1.010 seconds AES-256-CBC-enc 4425 KiB took 1.001 seconds AES-256-CBC-dec 4300 KiB took 1.001 seconds AES-128-GCM-enc 450 KiB took 1.044 seconds AES-128-GCM-dec 450 KiB took 1.044 seconds AES-192-GCM-enc 425 KiB took 1.002 seconds AES-192-GCM-dec 425 KiB took 1.002 seconds AES-256-GCM-enc 425 KiB took 1.004 seconds AES-256-GCM-dec 425 KiB took 1.005 seconds GMAC Default 602 KiB took 1.000 seconds 3DES 400 KiB took 1.051 seconds MD5 10775 KiB took 1.000 seconds SHA 12675 KiB took 1.000 seconds SHA-224 12625 KiB took 1.001 seconds SHA-256 12625 KiB took 1.001 seconds SHA-384 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA-512 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA-512/224 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA-512/256 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA3-224 925 KiB took 1.005 seconds SHA3-256 875 KiB took 1.008 seconds SHA3-384 675 KiB took 1.010 seconds SHA3-512 475 KiB took 1.019 seconds SHAKE128 1075 KiB took 1.009 seconds SHAKE256 875 KiB took 1.008 seconds RIPEMD 4325 KiB took 1.001 seconds HMAC-MD5 10650 KiB took 1.001 seconds HMAC-SHA 12475 KiB took 1.001 seconds HMAC-SHA224 12425 KiB took 1.001 seconds HMAC-SHA256 12425 KiB took 1.001 seconds HMAC-SHA384 1275 KiB took 1.019 seconds HMAC-SHA512 1275 KiB took 1.019 seconds PBKDF2 1 KiB took 1.005 seconds RSA 1024 key gen 1 ops took 1.262 sec, avg 1262.000 ms RSA 2048 key gen 1 ops took 1.680 sec, avg 1680.000 ms RSA 2048 public 6 ops took 1.415 sec, avg 235.833 ms RSA 2048 private 2 ops took 1.040 sec, avg 520.000 ms ECC [ SECP256R1] 256 key gen 4 ops took 1.290 sec, avg 322.500 ms ECDHE [ SECP256R1] 256 agree 4 ops took 1.280 sec, avg 320.000 ms ECDSA [ SECP256R1] 256 sign 4 ops took 1.296 sec, avg 324.000 ms ECDSA [ SECP256R1] 256 verify 2 ops took 1.240 sec, avg 620.000 ms CURVE 25519 key gen 4 ops took 1.276 sec, avg 319.000 ms CURVE 25519 agree 4 ops took 1.275 sec, avg 318.750 ms ED 25519 key gen 88 ops took 1.008 sec, avg 11.455 ms ED 25519 sign 78 ops took 1.022 sec, avg 13.103 ms ED 25519 verify 52 ops took 1.009 sec, avg 19.404 ms Benchmark complete
Benchmark metrics for the ESP32-C6, Hardware Encryption Disabled:
Chip is ESP32-C6 (revision v0.0), Crystal is 40MHz, cpu freq: 160000000 Hz (160MHz)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ wolfSSL version 5.6.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ wolfCrypt Benchmark (block bytes 1024, min 1.0 sec each) RNG 600 KiB took 1.023 seconds AES-128-CBC-enc 1725 KiB took 1.004 seconds AES-128-CBC-dec 1700 KiB took 1.010 seconds AES-192-CBC-enc 1500 KiB took 1.014 seconds AES-192-CBC-dec 1475 KiB took 1.013 seconds AES-256-CBC-enc 1325 KiB took 1.017 seconds AES-256-CBC-dec 1300 KiB took 1.012 seconds AES-128-GCM-enc 475 KiB took 1.041 seconds AES-128-GCM-dec 475 KiB took 1.042 seconds AES-192-GCM-enc 450 KiB took 1.030 seconds AES-192-GCM-dec 450 KiB took 1.030 seconds AES-256-GCM-enc 425 KiB took 1.012 seconds AES-256-GCM-dec 425 KiB took 1.012 seconds GMAC Default 621 KiB took 1.000 seconds 3DES 400 KiB took 1.051 seconds MD5 10750 KiB took 1.000 seconds SHA 5525 KiB took 1.002 seconds SHA-224 1450 KiB took 1.002 seconds SHA-256 1450 KiB took 1.001 seconds SHA-384 1275 KiB took 1.004 seconds SHA-512 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA-512/224 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA-512/256 1275 KiB took 1.003 seconds SHA3-224 925 KiB took 1.006 seconds SHA3-256 875 KiB took 1.008 seconds SHA3-384 675 KiB took 1.011 seconds SHA3-512 475 KiB took 1.019 seconds SHAKE128 1075 KiB took 1.009 seconds SHAKE256 875 KiB took 1.008 seconds RIPEMD 4325 KiB took 1.000 seconds HMAC-MD5 10650 KiB took 1.002 seconds HMAC-SHA 5475 KiB took 1.002 seconds HMAC-SHA224 1450 KiB took 1.010 seconds HMAC-SHA256 1450 KiB took 1.010 seconds HMAC-SHA384 1275 KiB took 1.019 seconds HMAC-SHA512 1275 KiB took 1.018 seconds PBKDF2 0 KiB took 1.075 seconds RSA 1024 key gen 1 ops took 7.733 sec, avg 7733.000 ms RSA 2048 key gen 1 ops took 28.050 sec, avg 28050.000 ms RSA 2048 public 58 ops took 1.028 sec, avg 17.724 ms RSA 2048 private 2 ops took 7.051 sec, avg 3525.500 ms ECC [ SECP256R1] 256 key gen 4 ops took 1.231 sec, avg 307.750 ms ECDHE [ SECP256R1] 256 agree 4 ops took 1.225 sec, avg 306.250 ms ECDSA [ SECP256R1] 256 sign 4 ops took 1.241 sec, avg 310.250 ms ECDSA [ SECP256R1] 256 verify 2 ops took 1.178 sec, avg 589.000 ms CURVE 25519 key gen 4 ops took 1.277 sec, avg 319.250 ms, 3.132 ops/sec CURVE 25519 agree 4 ops took 1.276 sec, avg 319.000 ms, 3.135 ops/sec ED 25519 key gen 87 ops took 1.001 sec, avg 11.506 ms, 86.913 ops/sec ED 25519 sign 78 ops took 1.018 sec, avg 13.051 ms, 76.621 ops/sec ED 25519 verify 52 ops took 1.023 sec, avg 19.673 ms, 50.831 ops/sec Benchmark complete
Find out more
If you have any feedback, questions, or require support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via facts@wolfSSL.com, call us at +1 425 245 8247, or open an issue on GitHub.
Download wolfSSL Now
wolfMQTT: support for curl easy socket backend
Do you have a need for using MQTT with an http proxy? Users of libcurl know that they can leverage wolfSSL to provide TLS for their applications, and thus enjoy the advantages of both libcurl for data transport and handling http proxies, and wolfSSL for transport security. In this vein, we’ve created a new network layer interface for wolfMQTT that uses libcurl’s easy interface as an optional backend. When enabled, wolfMQTT will use the libcurl easy API (such as curl_easy_send) for the socket backend, while libcurl in turn will use wolfSSL to negotiate TLS. Currently both TLS and mTLS are supported.
You can find our newly added curl easy socket example in examples/mqttnet.c. To try it out, simply build wolfMQTT with –enable-curl. The only prerequisites for this are that wolfSSL has been built with –enable-curl, and curl built with –enable-wolfssl. Supported options with wolfMQTT’s –enable-curl include multithreading (–enable-mt), nonblocking (–enable-nonblock), and as previously mentioned TLS.
If you’re curious for more details, you can look at our updated readme and pull request.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.
Download wolfSSL Now