RFR: Proposed HKDF API (JDK-8145255)

Jamil Nimeh jamil.j.nimeh at oracle.com
Fri Apr 15 18:06:53 UTC 2016


Hello all,

We are looking to add HKDF support as a KeyGenerator into OpenJDK 9.  
This will be available for general-purpose use.  I've documented the 
proposed API below.

RFE: https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8145255
Proof-of-concept implementation: 
http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~jnimeh/reviews/8145255/webrev.1/

A set of new standard algorithm names would be created that define the 
HMAC algorithm used with HKDF: HkdfSHA224, HkdfSHA256, HkdfSHA384 and 
HkdfSHA512.  We can at a later date include HKDF variants that use other 
supported HMAC algorithms.

Instantiation:
--------------
In order to do HKDF derivations, a KeyGenerator of the appropriate type 
must be obtained.  This is done using one of the 
KeyGenerator.getInstance methods, specifying the underlying HMAC type 
using one of the names listed above.

Initialization:
---------------
The resulting HKDF KeyGenerator, in order to be compliant with the 
KeyGenerator API, may be used to generate a key without any further 
initialization.  In this case, the Extract-then-Expand operation will be 
performed using null salt and application-specific information, and a 
random input key.  The resulting output key will be sized to the output 
length of the underlying HMAC.  This can be used as a way to obtain a 
random key.

The HKDF KeyGenerator supports all five flavors of the init method.  The 
resulting behavior differs between each flavor however.

KeyGenerator.init(SecureRandom):
--------------------------------
If this version of the init method is used, the KeyGenerator will behave 
similarly to the default initialization, with the exception that the 
caller may provide their own SecureRandom source for the input key.  A 
null value is allowed, in which case the implementation will obtain the 
default SecureRandom implementation for generating the input key.

KeyGenerator.init(int);
KeyGenerator.init(int, SecureRandom);
-------------------------------------
These two versions of the KeyGenerator allow the caller to provide the 
resulting key length and, in the second case provide a SecureRandom 
source.  The caller must provide a non-negative length value in bytes. 
  A value of zero is allowed and returns a key of the same length as the 
underlying HMAC.  In both forms the Extract-then-Expand operation will 
be performed with null salt and application-specific information, and a 
random input key.  If a SecureRandom value is provided, its behavior is 
similar to KeyGenerator.init(SecureRandom).

KeyGenerator.init(AlgorithmParameterSpec);
KeyGenerator.init(AlgorithmParameterSpec, SecureRandom);
--------------------------------------------------------
These versions of the init method allow the caller to customize the 
input parameters to the HKDF generator as well as select the HKDF 
function to perform.

Users desiring a specific HKDF function would initialize it using one of 
three new AlgorithmParameterSpec classes: HkdfExtractParameterSpec, 
HkdfExpandParameterSpec, or HkdfParameterSpec.  These three parameter 
spec classes are used to initialize the HKDF key generator to perform 
the HKDF-Expand, HKDF-Extract or a combination HKDF-Extract-then-Expand 
operation, respectively.

The init(AlgorithmParameterSpec, SecureRandom) ignores the SecureRandom 
parameter, and requires that input key material (IKM) or a pseudorandom 
key (PRK) is provided.

Key Generation:
---------------
Once initialized (default or via one of the init methods) a key is 
generated by calling KeyGenerator.generateKey().


The Specification:
------------------
Three new AlgorithmParameterSpec classes will be created to initialize 
HKDF KeyGenerator objects:
HkdfParameterSpec: For performing the Extract-then-Expand operation
HkdfExtractParameterSpec: For performingthe HKDF-Extract operation
HkdfExpandParameterSpec: For performing the HKDF-Expand operation


/**
  * Parameters for the Extract operation of the HMAC-based 
Extract-and-Expand
  * Key Derivation Function (HKDF). The HKDF function is defined in
  * <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5869">RFC 5869</a>.
  * This class is used to initialize KeyGenerators in the HKDF family of
  * generators, specifically for the HKDF Extract function.
  * <p>
  * Here is an example of how an HkdfExtractParameterSpec would be used to
  * initialize an HKDF KeyGenerator:
  * <pre>
  *     byte[] salt;
  *     SecretKey inputKey;
  *     SecretKey resultingPRK;
  *
  *     // salt and inputKey values populated with data
  *     ...
  *
  *     // Get an instance of the HKDF KeyGenerator
  *     hkdfGen = KeyGenerator.getInstance("HkdfSHA256");
  *
  *     // Create the spec object and use it to initialize the generator.
  *     hkdfGen.init(new HkdfExtractParameterSpec(salt, inputKey));
  *
  *     // Generate the PRK
  *     resultingPRK = hkdfGen.generateKey();
  * </pre>
  *
  * @since 9
  */
public final class HkdfExtractParameterSpec implements 
AlgorithmParameterSpec {

     /**
      * Constructs a new HkdfExtractParameterSpec with the given salt value
      * and key material
      *
      * @param salt the salt value, or {@code null} if not specified.  The
      *      contents of the array are copied to protect against subsequent
      *      modification.
      * @param inputKey the Input Keying Material (IKM).
      *
      * @throws NullPointerException if {@code inputKey} is {@code null}.
      */
     public HkdfExtractParameterSpec(byte[] salt, SecretKey inputKey);

     /**
      * Returns the Input Keying Material (IKM).
      *
      * @return the Input Keying Material.
      */
     public SecretKey getIKM();

     /**
      * Returns the salt value.
      *
      * @return a copy of the salt value or {@code null} if no salt was 
provided.
      */
     public byte[] getSalt();
}

HkdfExpandParameterSpec:
------------------------
/**
  * Parameters for the Expand operation of the HMAC-based Extract-and-Expand
  * Key Derivation Function (HKDF). The HKDF function is defined in
  * <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5869">RFC 5869</a>.
  * <p>
  * Here is an example of how an HkdfExpandParameterSpec would be used to
  * initialize an HKDF KeyGenerator:
  * <pre>
  *     byte[] info;
  *     SecretKey pseudoRandomKey;
  *     SecretKey resultingKey;
  *
  *     // pseudoRandomKey and context info values populated with data
  *     ...
  *
  *     // Get an instance of the HKDF KeyGenerator
  *     hkdfGen = KeyGenerator.getInstance("HkdfSHA256");
  *
  *     // Create the spec object and use it to initialize the generator.
  *     // Ask for a 64-byte key to be output.
  *     hkdfGen.init(new HkdfExpandParameterSpec(pseudoRandomKey, info, 
64));
  *
  *     // Generate the key
  *     resultingKey = hkdfGen.generateKey();
  * </pre>
  *
  * @since 9
  */
public final class HkdfExpandParameterSpec implements 
AlgorithmParameterSpec {

     /**
      * Constructs a new HkdfExpandParameterSpec.
      *
      * @param prk the pseudorandom key used for HKDF-Expand.
      * @param info optional context and application specific information or
      *      {@code null} if no info data is provided.  The contents of the
      *      array are copied to protect against subsequent modification.
      * @param outLen the length in bytes of the output data
      *
      * @throws NullPointerException if {@code prk} is {@code null}.
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code outLen} is a
      *      non-positive value.
      */
     public HkdfExpandParameterSpec(SecretKey prk, byte[] info, int outLen);

     /**
      * Returns a {@link SecretKey} object containing the pseudorandom 
key (PRK).
      *
      * @return a {@link SecretKey} object containing the pseudorandom key.
      */
     public SecretKey getPRK();

     /**
      * Returns a copy of the context and application specific information.
      *
      * @return a copy of the context and application specific information.
      *      This may be {@code null} or empty if no specific 
information was
      *      provided.
      */
     public byte[] getInfo();

     /**
      * Returns the length in bytes of the output key to be produced.
      *
      * @return the length in bytes of the output key to be produced.
      */
     public int getOutputLength();
}


HkdfParameterSpec:
------------------

/**
  * Parameters for the combined Extract-then-Expand operation of the 
HMAC-based
  * Extract-and-Expand Key Derivation Function (HKDF). The HKDF function
  * is defined in <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5869">RFC 5869</a>.
  * <p>
  * Here is an example of how an HkdfParameterSpec would be used to 
initialize
  * an HKDF KeyGenerator:
  * <pre>
  *     byte[] salt;
  *     byte[] info;
  *     SecretKey inputKey;
  *     SecretKey resultingKey;
  *
  *     // salt, info and inputKey values populated with data
  *     ...
  *
  *     // Get an instance of the HKDF KeyGenerator
  *     hkdfGen = KeyGenerator.getInstance("HkdfSHA256");
  *
  *     // Create the spec object and use it to initialize the generator.
  *     // Ask for a 64-byte key to be output.
  *     hkdfGen.init(new HkdfParameterSpec(inputKey, salt, info, 64));
  *
  *     // Generate the key
  *     resultingKey = hkdfGen.generateKey();
  * </pre>
  *
  * @since 9
  */
public final class HkdfParameterSpec implements AlgorithmParameterSpec {

     /**
      * Constructs a new HkdfParameterSpec.
      *
      * @param inputKey the input keying material used for the
      *      HKDF-Extract-then-Expand operation.
      * @param salt the salt value, or {@code null} if not specified.  The
      *      contents of the array are copied to protect against subsequent
      *      modification.
      * @param info optional context and application specific information or
      *      {@code null} if no info data is provided.  The contents of the
      *      array are copied to protect against subsequent modification.
      * @param outLen the length in bytes of the output data
      *
      * @throws NullPointerException if {@code inputKey} is {@code null}.
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code outLen} is a
      *      non-positive value.
      */
     public HkdfParameterSpec(SecretKey inputKey, byte[] salt, byte[] info,
             int outLen);

     /**
      * Returns the Input Keying Material (IKM).
      *
      * @return the Input Keying Material.
      */
     public SecretKey getIKM();

     /**
      * Returns the salt value.
      *
      * @return a copy of the salt value or {@code null} if no salt was 
provided.
      */
     public byte[] getSalt();

     /**
      * Returns a copy of the context and application specific information.
      *
      * @return a copy of the context and application specific information.
      *      This may be {@code null} or empty if no specific 
information was
      *      provided.
      */
     public byte[] getInfo();

     /**
      * Returns the length in bytes of the output key to be produced.
      *
      * @return the length in bytes of the output key to be produced.
      */
     public int getOutputLength();
}



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