KDF API review, round 2

[Michael StJohns]

On 11/17/2017 1:07 PM, Adam Petcher wrote:
> On 11/17/2017 10:04 AM, Michael StJohns wrote:
>
>> On 11/16/2017 2:15 PM, Adam Petcher wrote:
>>> So it seems like they could all be supplied to init. Alternatively, 
>>> algorithm names could specify more concrete algorithms that include 
>>> the mode/PRF/etc. Can you provide more information to explain why 
>>> these existing patterns won't work in this case?
>> What I need to do is provide a lifecycle diagram, but its hard to do 
>> in text.  But basically, the .getInstance() followed by 
>> .setParameters() builds a concrete engine while the .init() 
>> initializes that engine with a key and the derivation parameters. 
>> Think about a TLS 1.2 instance - the PRF is selected once, but the 
>> KDF may be used multiple times.
>
> This is the information I was missing. There are two sets of 
> parameters, and the first set should be fixed, but the second set 
> should be changed on each init.
>
>>
>> I considered the mode/PRF/etc stuff but that works for things like 
>> Cipher and Signature because most of those have exactly the same 
>> pattern.  For the KDF pattern we;ve got fully specified KDFs (e.g. 
>> TLS 1.1 and before, IPSEC), almost fully specified KDFs (TLS 1.2 and 
>> HDKF needs a PRF) and then the SP800 style KDFs which are defined to 
>> be *very* flexible.  So translating that into a naming convention is 
>> going to be restrictive and may not cover all of the possible 
>> approaches.  I'd rather do it as an algorithmparameter instead.  With 
>> a given KDF implementation having a default if nothing is specified 
>> during instantiation.
>
> I agree that this is challenging because there is so much variety in 
> KDFs. But I don't think that SP 800-108 is a good example of something 
> that should be exposed as an algorithm in JCA, because it is too 
> broad. SP 800-108 is more of a toolbox that can be used to construct 
> KDFs. Particular specializations of SP 800-108 are widely used, and 
> they will get names that can be used in getInstance. For example, 
> HKDF-Expand is a particular specialization of SP 800-108.

>
> So I think the existing pattern of using algorithm names to specify 
> concrete algorithms should work just as well in this API as it does in 
> the rest of JCA. Of course, more flexibility in the API is a nice 
> feature, but supporting this level of generality may be out of scope 
> for this effort.


The more I think about it the more I think you're mostly right.  But 
let's split this slightly as almost every KDF allows for the 
specification of the PRF.  So

<kdfname>/<prf>    as the standard naming convention.

Or TLS13/HMAC-SHA256 and HKDF/HMAC-SHA256 (which are different because 
of the mandatory inclusion of "L" in the derivation parameters and each 
component object for TLS13)

Still - let's include the .setParameters() call as a failsafe as looking 
forward I can see the need for flexibility rearing its ugly head (e.g. 
adding PSS parameters to RSA signatures way late in the game.....) and 
it does match the pattern for Signature so its not a new concept. A 
given provider need not support the call, but its there if needed.

Mike

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