Difference between revisions of "OpenSSL: Membuat RootCA di Ubuntu"
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Let’s take a look at the hostname: | Let’s take a look at the hostname: | ||
− | vmware@ca:~$ hostname | + | vmware@ca:~$ hostname |
− | ca | + | ca |
My hostname is “ca”. Let’s check the FQDN: | My hostname is “ca”. Let’s check the FQDN: | ||
− | vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f | + | vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f |
− | ca | + | ca |
It’s also “ca”. Let’s change the FQDN; you need to edit the following file for this: | It’s also “ca”. Let’s change the FQDN; you need to edit the following file for this: | ||
− | $ sudo vim /etc/hosts | + | $ sudo vim /etc/hosts |
Change the following line: | Change the following line: | ||
− | 127.0.1.1 ca | + | 127.0.1.1 ca |
To: | To: | ||
− | 127.0.1.1 ca.networklessons.local ca | + | 127.0.1.1 ca.networklessons.local ca |
Let’s verify the hostname and FQDN again: | Let’s verify the hostname and FQDN again: | ||
− | vmware@ca:~$ hostname | + | vmware@ca:~$ hostname |
− | ca | + | ca |
− | vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f | + | vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f |
− | ca.networklessons.local | + | ca.networklessons.local |
Our hostname and FQDN is now looking good. | Our hostname and FQDN is now looking good. | ||
Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
We could configure the time/date manually, but it might be a better idea to use NTP. You can synchronize the time/date with this command: | We could configure the time/date manually, but it might be a better idea to use NTP. You can synchronize the time/date with this command: | ||
− | $ sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org | + | $ sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org |
− | 29 Mar 19:46:44 ntpdate[16478]: adjust time server 149.210.205.44 offset 0.062135 sec | + | 29 Mar 19:46:44 ntpdate[16478]: adjust time server 149.210.205.44 offset 0.062135 sec |
But it might be a better idea to synchronize periodically. Let’s install the NTP tools: | But it might be a better idea to synchronize periodically. Let’s install the NTP tools: | ||
− | $ sudo apt-get install ntp | + | $ sudo apt-get install ntp |
Your Ubuntu server will use the following NTP server pools by default: | Your Ubuntu server will use the following NTP server pools by default: | ||
− | $ cat /etc/ntp.conf | grep server | + | $ cat /etc/ntp.conf | grep server |
− | # Specify one or more NTP servers. | + | # Specify one or more NTP servers. |
− | # Use servers from the NTP Pool Project. Approved by Ubuntu Technical Board | + | # Use servers from the NTP Pool Project. Approved by Ubuntu Technical Board |
− | server 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org | + | server 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org |
− | server 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org | + | server 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org |
− | server 2.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org | + | server 2.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org |
− | server 3.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org | + | server 3.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org |
You can verify which servers it is currently using with the following command: | You can verify which servers it is currently using with the following command: | ||
− | $ ntpq -p | + | $ ntpq -p |
− | + | remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter | |
− | ============================================================================== | + | ============================================================================== |
− | + | notax.pointpro. 193.79.237.14 2 u 14 64 3 13.607 16.002 31.631 | |
− | + | ntp.luna.nl 193.67.79.202 2 u 12 64 3 11.728 13.030 32.101 | |
− | + | ntp1.edutel.nl 80.94.65.10 2 u 11 64 3 16.193 12.460 31.346 | |
− | + | dsl-083-247-002 193.67.79.202 2 u 9 64 3 13.893 11.284 32.550 | |
− | + | juniperberry.ca 193.79.237.14 2 u 9 64 3 20.803 11.177 31.101 | |
Our server is now configured correctly. | Our server is now configured correctly. | ||
+ | |||
OpenSSL Configuration | OpenSSL Configuration | ||
OpenSSL uses a configuration file that is easy to read. There are a couple of things that we will change in it: | OpenSSL uses a configuration file that is easy to read. There are a couple of things that we will change in it: | ||
− | # vim /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf | + | # vim /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf |
Look for the following section: | Look for the following section: | ||
− | [ CA_default ] | + | [ CA_default ] |
− | + | ||
− | dir = ./demoCA | + | dir = ./demoCA |
And change it, so it looks like this: | And change it, so it looks like this: | ||
− | [ CA_default ] | + | [ CA_default ] |
− | + | ||
− | dir = /root/ca | + | dir = /root/ca |
The “/root/ca” folder is where we will store our private keys and certificates. | The “/root/ca” folder is where we will store our private keys and certificates. | ||
Line 107: | Line 108: | ||
You might also want to take a look at the default policy: | You might also want to take a look at the default policy: | ||
− | [ policy_match ] | + | [ policy_match ] |
− | countryName = match | + | countryName = match |
− | stateOrProvinceName = match | + | stateOrProvinceName = match |
− | organizationName = match | + | organizationName = match |
− | organizationalUnitName = optional | + | organizationalUnitName = optional |
− | commonName = supplied | + | commonName = supplied |
− | emailAddress = optional | + | emailAddress = optional |
Some fields like country, state/province, and organization have to match. If you are building your CA for a lab environment like I am then you might want to change some of these values: | Some fields like country, state/province, and organization have to match. If you are building your CA for a lab environment like I am then you might want to change some of these values: | ||
− | [ policy_match ] | + | [ policy_match ] |
− | countryName = match | + | countryName = match |
− | stateOrProvinceName = optional | + | stateOrProvinceName = optional |
− | organizationName = optional | + | organizationName = optional |
− | organizationalUnitName = optional | + | organizationalUnitName = optional |
− | commonName = supplied | + | commonName = supplied |
− | emailAddress = optional | + | emailAddress = optional |
I’ve changed it so that only the country name has to match. | I’ve changed it so that only the country name has to match. | ||
+ | |||
Root CA | Root CA | ||
Line 132: | Line 134: | ||
Let’s switch to the root user: | Let’s switch to the root user: | ||
− | $ sudo su | + | $ sudo su |
We will create a new folder which stores all keys and certificates: | We will create a new folder which stores all keys and certificates: | ||
− | # mkdir /root/ca | + | # mkdir /root/ca |
In this new folder we have to create some additional sub-folders: | In this new folder we have to create some additional sub-folders: | ||
− | # cd /root/ca | + | # cd /root/ca |
− | # mkdir newcerts certs crl private requests | + | # mkdir newcerts certs crl private requests |
We also require two files. The first one is called “index.txt”. This is where OpenSSL keeps track of all signed certificates: | We also require two files. The first one is called “index.txt”. This is where OpenSSL keeps track of all signed certificates: | ||
− | # touch index.txt | + | # touch index.txt |
The second file is called “serial”. Each signed certificate will have a serial number. I will start with number 1234: | The second file is called “serial”. Each signed certificate will have a serial number. I will start with number 1234: | ||
− | # echo '1234' > serial | + | # echo '1234' > serial |
All folders and files are in place. Let’s generate the root private key: | All folders and files are in place. Let’s generate the root private key: | ||
− | # openssl genrsa -aes256 -out private/cakey.pem 4096 | + | # openssl genrsa -aes256 -out private/cakey.pem 4096 |
− | Generating RSA private key, 4096 bit long modulus | + | Generating RSA private key, 4096 bit long modulus |
− | ..++ | + | ..++ |
− | ..................++ | + | ..................++ |
− | e is 65537 (0x10001) | + | e is 65537 (0x10001) |
− | Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem: | + | Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem: |
− | Verifying - Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem: | + | Verifying - Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem: |
The root private key that I generated is 4096 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. It is stored in the private folder using the “cakey.pem” filename. | The root private key that I generated is 4096 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. It is stored in the private folder using the “cakey.pem” filename. | ||
Line 166: | Line 168: | ||
We can now use the root private key to create the root certificate: | We can now use the root private key to create the root certificate: | ||
− | # openssl req -new -x509 -key /root/ca/private/cakey.pem -out cacert.pem -days 3650 -set_serial 0 | + | # openssl req -new -x509 -key /root/ca/private/cakey.pem -out cacert.pem -days 3650 -set_serial 0 |
− | Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: | + | Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: |
− | You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated | + | You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated |
− | into your certificate request. | + | into your certificate request. |
− | What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. | + | What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. |
− | There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank | + | There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank |
− | For some fields there will be a default value, | + | For some fields there will be a default value, |
− | If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. | + | If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. |
− | ----- | + | ----- |
− | Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL | + | Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL |
− | State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant | + | State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant |
− | Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg | + | Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg |
− | Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons | + | Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons |
− | Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: | + | Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: |
− | Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:CA.networklessons.local | + | Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:CA.networklessons.local |
− | Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local | + | Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local |
The root certificate will be saved as the “cacert.pem” filename and is valid for 10 years. | The root certificate will be saved as the “cacert.pem” filename and is valid for 10 years. | ||
+ | |||
Create a certificate | Create a certificate | ||
Line 198: | Line 201: | ||
Let’s use the requests folder for this: | Let’s use the requests folder for this: | ||
− | # cd /root/ca/requests/ | + | # cd /root/ca/requests/ |
First, we have to generate a private key: | First, we have to generate a private key: | ||
− | # openssl genrsa -aes256 -out some_serverkey.pem 2048 | + | # openssl genrsa -aes256 -out some_serverkey.pem 2048 |
− | Generating RSA private key, 2048 bit long modulus | + | Generating RSA private key, 2048 bit long modulus |
− | ..............................+++ | + | ..............................+++ |
− | ....+++ | + | ....+++ |
− | e is 65537 (0x10001) | + | e is 65537 (0x10001) |
− | Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem: | + | Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem: |
− | Verifying - Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem: | + | Verifying - Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem: |
The private key will be 2048 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. With the private key, we can create a CSR: | The private key will be 2048 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. With the private key, we can create a CSR: | ||
− | root@ca:~/ca/requests# openssl req -new -key some_serverkey.pem -out some_server.csr | + | root@ca:~/ca/requests# openssl req -new -key some_serverkey.pem -out some_server.csr |
− | Enter pass phrase for some_serverkey.pem: | + | Enter pass phrase for some_serverkey.pem: |
− | You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated | + | You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated |
− | into your certificate request. | + | into your certificate request. |
− | What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. | + | What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. |
− | There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank | + | There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank |
− | For some fields there will be a default value, | + | For some fields there will be a default value, |
− | If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. | + | If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. |
− | ----- | + | ----- |
− | Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL | + | Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL |
− | State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant | + | State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant |
− | Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg | + | Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg |
− | Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons | + | Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons |
− | Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: | + | Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: |
− | Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:some_server.networklessons.local | + | Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:some_server.networklessons.local |
− | Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local | + | Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local |
− | + | ||
− | Please enter the following 'extra' attributes | + | Please enter the following 'extra' attributes |
− | to be sent with your certificate request | + | to be sent with your certificate request |
− | A challenge password []: | + | A challenge password []: |
− | An optional company name []: | + | An optional company name []: |
Now we can sign the CSR that we just created: | Now we can sign the CSR that we just created: | ||
− | # openssl ca -in some_server.csr -out some_server.pem | + | # openssl ca -in some_server.csr -out some_server.pem |
− | Using configuration from /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf | + | Using configuration from /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf |
− | Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: | + | Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: |
− | Check that the request matches the signature | + | Check that the request matches the signature |
− | Signature ok | + | Signature ok |
− | Certificate Details: | + | Certificate Details: |
− | + | Serial Number: 4660 (0x1234) | |
− | + | Validity | |
− | + | Not Before: Apr 1 09:08:59 2016 GMT | |
− | + | Not After : Apr 1 09:08:59 2017 GMT | |
− | + | Subject: | |
− | + | countryName = NL | |
− | + | stateOrProvinceName = North-Brabant | |
− | + | organizationName = Networklessons | |
− | + | commonName = some_server.networklessons.local | |
− | + | emailAddress = admin@networklessons.local | |
− | + | X509v3 extensions: | |
− | + | X509v3 Basic Constraints: | |
− | + | CA:FALSE | |
− | + | Netscape Comment: | |
− | + | OpenSSL Generated Certificate | |
− | + | X509v3 Subject Key Identifier: | |
− | + | 57:A7:7A:41:3E:3F:B3:EE:0D:CF:46:D0:A7:A5:9B:46:92:D1:F0:AD | |
− | + | X509v3 Authority Key Identifier: | |
− | + | keyid:1B:38:B6:9F:82:46:72:5A:04:07:76:C2:DA:A5:5D:EB:95:83:81:30 | |
− | + | ||
− | Certificate is to be certified until Apr 1 09:08:59 2017 GMT (365 days) | + | Certificate is to be certified until Apr 1 09:08:59 2017 GMT (365 days) |
− | Sign the certificate? [y/n]:y | + | Sign the certificate? [y/n]:y |
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | 1 out of 1 certificate requests certified, commit? [y/n]y | + | 1 out of 1 certificate requests certified, commit? [y/n]y |
− | Write out database with 1 new entries | + | Write out database with 1 new entries |
− | Data Base Updated | + | Data Base Updated |
That’s all there is to it. The “some_server.pem” file is the signed digital certificate for our web server. If you want you can delete the CSR, move the private key to the “private” folder, and move the new certificate to the “certs” folder: | That’s all there is to it. The “some_server.pem” file is the signed digital certificate for our web server. If you want you can delete the CSR, move the private key to the “private” folder, and move the new certificate to the “certs” folder: | ||
− | # rm some_server.csr | + | # rm some_server.csr |
− | # mv some_serverkey.pem /root/ca/private/ | + | # mv some_serverkey.pem /root/ca/private/ |
− | # mv some_server.pem /root/ca/certs/ | + | # mv some_server.pem /root/ca/certs/ |
The “some_server.pem” certificate can now be installed on your web server. | The “some_server.pem” certificate can now be installed on your web server. | ||
+ | |||
Security | Security | ||
Line 283: | Line 287: | ||
One of the things you should do is reducing the permissions on the entire /root/ca folder so that only our root user can access it: | One of the things you should do is reducing the permissions on the entire /root/ca folder so that only our root user can access it: | ||
− | # chmod -R 600 /root/ca | + | # chmod -R 600 /root/ca |
In this example, we used the root CA to sign the certificate of an imaginary web server directly. This is fine for a lab environment but for a production network, you should use an intermediate CA. | In this example, we used the root CA to sign the certificate of an imaginary web server directly. This is fine for a lab environment but for a production network, you should use an intermediate CA. | ||
Line 290: | Line 294: | ||
The root CA signs the certificate of the intermediate CA. You can then take the root CA offline which reduces the chance of anyone getting their hands on your root private key. | The root CA signs the certificate of the intermediate CA. You can then take the root CA offline which reduces the chance of anyone getting their hands on your root private key. | ||
+ | |||
Verification | Verification | ||
Line 296: | Line 301: | ||
Here’s the index.txt file: | Here’s the index.txt file: | ||
− | # cat /root/ca/index.txt | + | # cat /root/ca/index.txt |
− | V 170401090859Z 1234 unknown /C=NL/ST=North-Brabant/O=Networklessons/CN=some_server.networklessons.local/emailAddress=admin@networklessons.local | + | V 170401090859Z 1234 unknown /C=NL/ST=North-Brabant/O=Networklessons/CN=some_server.networklessons.local/emailAddress=admin@networklessons.local |
Above you can see the certificate that we created for our web server. It also shows the serial number that I stored in the serial file. The next certificate that we sign will get another number: | Above you can see the certificate that we created for our web server. It also shows the serial number that I stored in the serial file. The next certificate that we sign will get another number: | ||
− | # cat /root/ca/serial | + | # cat /root/ca/serial |
− | 1235 | + | 1235 |
Let’s take a closer look at the certificates. We can verify them with OpenSSL, but it might be nice to see them on your computer. I’ll use a Windows computer for this. | Let’s take a closer look at the certificates. We can verify them with OpenSSL, but it might be nice to see them on your computer. I’ll use a Windows computer for this. |
Revision as of 18:29, 6 June 2017
sumber: https://networklessons.com/uncategorized/openssl-certification-authority-ca-ubuntu-server/
OpenSSL is a free, open-source library that you can use for digital certificates. One of the things you can do is build your own CA (Certificate Authority).
A CA is an entity that signs digital certificates. An example of a well-known CA is Verisign. Many websites on the Internet use certificates for their HTTPS connections that were signed by Verisign.
Besides websites and HTTPS, there are some other applications/services that can use digital certificates. For example:
VPNs: instead of using a pre-shared key you can use digital certificates for authentication. Wireless: WPA 2 enterprise uses digital certificates for client authentication and/or server authentication using PEAP or EAP-TLS.
Instead of paying companies like Verisign for all your digital certificates. It can be useful to build your own CA for some of your applications. In this lesson, you will learn how to create your own CA. Configuration
In my examples, I will use a Ubuntu server, the configuration of openSSL will be similar though on other distributions like CentOS.
Prerequisites
Before we configure OpenSSL, I like to configure the hostname/FQDN correctly and make sure that our time, date and timezone is correct.
Let’s take a look at the hostname:
vmware@ca:~$ hostname ca
My hostname is “ca”. Let’s check the FQDN:
vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f ca
It’s also “ca”. Let’s change the FQDN; you need to edit the following file for this:
$ sudo vim /etc/hosts
Change the following line:
127.0.1.1 ca
To:
127.0.1.1 ca.networklessons.local ca
Let’s verify the hostname and FQDN again:
vmware@ca:~$ hostname ca
vmware@ca:~$ hostname -f ca.networklessons.local
Our hostname and FQDN is now looking good.
We could configure the time/date manually, but it might be a better idea to use NTP. You can synchronize the time/date with this command:
$ sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org 29 Mar 19:46:44 ntpdate[16478]: adjust time server 149.210.205.44 offset 0.062135 sec
But it might be a better idea to synchronize periodically. Let’s install the NTP tools:
$ sudo apt-get install ntp
Your Ubuntu server will use the following NTP server pools by default:
$ cat /etc/ntp.conf | grep server # Specify one or more NTP servers. # Use servers from the NTP Pool Project. Approved by Ubuntu Technical Board server 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org server 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org server 2.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org server 3.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org
You can verify which servers it is currently using with the following command:
$ ntpq -p remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== notax.pointpro. 193.79.237.14 2 u 14 64 3 13.607 16.002 31.631 ntp.luna.nl 193.67.79.202 2 u 12 64 3 11.728 13.030 32.101 ntp1.edutel.nl 80.94.65.10 2 u 11 64 3 16.193 12.460 31.346 dsl-083-247-002 193.67.79.202 2 u 9 64 3 13.893 11.284 32.550 juniperberry.ca 193.79.237.14 2 u 9 64 3 20.803 11.177 31.101
Our server is now configured correctly.
OpenSSL Configuration
OpenSSL uses a configuration file that is easy to read. There are a couple of things that we will change in it:
# vim /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf
Look for the following section:
[ CA_default ] dir = ./demoCA
And change it, so it looks like this:
[ CA_default ] dir = /root/ca
The “/root/ca” folder is where we will store our private keys and certificates.
You might also want to take a look at the default policy:
[ policy_match ] countryName = match stateOrProvinceName = match organizationName = match organizationalUnitName = optional commonName = supplied emailAddress = optional
Some fields like country, state/province, and organization have to match. If you are building your CA for a lab environment like I am then you might want to change some of these values:
[ policy_match ] countryName = match stateOrProvinceName = optional organizationName = optional organizationalUnitName = optional commonName = supplied emailAddress = optional
I’ve changed it so that only the country name has to match.
Root CA
The first thing we have to do is to create a root CA. This consists of a private key and root certificate. These two items are the “identity” of our CA.
Let’s switch to the root user:
$ sudo su
We will create a new folder which stores all keys and certificates:
# mkdir /root/ca
In this new folder we have to create some additional sub-folders:
# cd /root/ca # mkdir newcerts certs crl private requests
We also require two files. The first one is called “index.txt”. This is where OpenSSL keeps track of all signed certificates:
# touch index.txt
The second file is called “serial”. Each signed certificate will have a serial number. I will start with number 1234:
# echo '1234' > serial
All folders and files are in place. Let’s generate the root private key:
# openssl genrsa -aes256 -out private/cakey.pem 4096 Generating RSA private key, 4096 bit long modulus ..++ ..................++ e is 65537 (0x10001) Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem: Verifying - Enter pass phrase for private/cakey.pem:
The root private key that I generated is 4096 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. It is stored in the private folder using the “cakey.pem” filename. Anyone that has the root private key will be able to create trusted certificates. Keep this file secure!
We can now use the root private key to create the root certificate:
# openssl req -new -x509 -key /root/ca/private/cakey.pem -out cacert.pem -days 3650 -set_serial 0 Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated into your certificate request. What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank For some fields there will be a default value, If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. ----- Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:CA.networklessons.local Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local
The root certificate will be saved as the “cacert.pem” filename and is valid for 10 years.
Create a certificate
Our root CA is now up and running. Normally when you want to install a certificate on a device (a web server for example), then the device will generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request). This CSR is created by using the private key of the device.
On our CA, we can then sign the CSR and create a digital certificate for the device.
Another option is that we can do everything on our CA. We can generate a private key, CSR and then sign the certificate…everything “on behalf” of the device.
That’s what I am going to do in this example; it’s a good way to test if your CA is working as expected.
I’ll generate a private key, CSR and certificate for an imaginary “web server”.
Let’s use the requests folder for this:
# cd /root/ca/requests/
First, we have to generate a private key:
# openssl genrsa -aes256 -out some_serverkey.pem 2048 Generating RSA private key, 2048 bit long modulus ..............................+++ ....+++ e is 65537 (0x10001) Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem: Verifying - Enter pass phrase for some_server.pem:
The private key will be 2048 bit and uses AES 256 bit encryption. With the private key, we can create a CSR:
root@ca:~/ca/requests# openssl req -new -key some_serverkey.pem -out some_server.csr Enter pass phrase for some_serverkey.pem: You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated into your certificate request. What you are about to enter is what is called a Distinguished Name or a DN. There are quite a few fields but you can leave some blank For some fields there will be a default value, If you enter '.', the field will be left blank. ----- Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:NL State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:North-Brabant Locality Name (eg, city) []:Tilburg Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:Networklessons Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []: Common Name (e.g. server FQDN or YOUR name) []:some_server.networklessons.local Email Address []:admin@networklessons.local Please enter the following 'extra' attributes to be sent with your certificate request A challenge password []: An optional company name []:
Now we can sign the CSR that we just created:
# openssl ca -in some_server.csr -out some_server.pem Using configuration from /usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf Enter pass phrase for /root/ca/private/cakey.pem: Check that the request matches the signature Signature ok Certificate Details: Serial Number: 4660 (0x1234) Validity Not Before: Apr 1 09:08:59 2016 GMT Not After : Apr 1 09:08:59 2017 GMT Subject: countryName = NL stateOrProvinceName = North-Brabant organizationName = Networklessons commonName = some_server.networklessons.local emailAddress = admin@networklessons.local X509v3 extensions: X509v3 Basic Constraints: CA:FALSE Netscape Comment: OpenSSL Generated Certificate X509v3 Subject Key Identifier: 57:A7:7A:41:3E:3F:B3:EE:0D:CF:46:D0:A7:A5:9B:46:92:D1:F0:AD X509v3 Authority Key Identifier: keyid:1B:38:B6:9F:82:46:72:5A:04:07:76:C2:DA:A5:5D:EB:95:83:81:30 Certificate is to be certified until Apr 1 09:08:59 2017 GMT (365 days) Sign the certificate? [y/n]:y 1 out of 1 certificate requests certified, commit? [y/n]y Write out database with 1 new entries Data Base Updated
That’s all there is to it. The “some_server.pem” file is the signed digital certificate for our web server. If you want you can delete the CSR, move the private key to the “private” folder, and move the new certificate to the “certs” folder:
# rm some_server.csr # mv some_serverkey.pem /root/ca/private/ # mv some_server.pem /root/ca/certs/
The “some_server.pem” certificate can now be installed on your web server.
Security
Protecting your CA is important. Anyone that has access to the private key of the CA will be able to create trusted certificates.
One of the things you should do is reducing the permissions on the entire /root/ca folder so that only our root user can access it:
# chmod -R 600 /root/ca
In this example, we used the root CA to sign the certificate of an imaginary web server directly. This is fine for a lab environment but for a production network, you should use an intermediate CA.
The intermediate CA is another server that signs certificates on behalf of the root CA.
The root CA signs the certificate of the intermediate CA. You can then take the root CA offline which reduces the chance of anyone getting their hands on your root private key.
Verification
We created some private keys and generated some certificates. Let’s take a closer look at some of our work.
Here’s the index.txt file:
# cat /root/ca/index.txt V 170401090859Z 1234 unknown /C=NL/ST=North-Brabant/O=Networklessons/CN=some_server.networklessons.local/emailAddress=admin@networklessons.local
Above you can see the certificate that we created for our web server. It also shows the serial number that I stored in the serial file. The next certificate that we sign will get another number:
# cat /root/ca/serial 1235
Let’s take a closer look at the certificates. We can verify them with OpenSSL, but it might be nice to see them on your computer. I’ll use a Windows computer for this.
Windows doesn’t recognize the .PEM file extension so you might want to rename your certificates to .CRT.
Here’s the root certificate:
OpenSSL Root Certificate
Above you can see the name of our root CA and the validity (10 years). If we want to trust certificates that are signed by our root CA, then we’ll have to install this certificate. Here’s how:
OpenSSL install root certificate
Hit the Install Certificate button and you will see this wizard:
openssl user or machine
It’s up to you if you want to install it for your current user or the entire computer. Click Next to continue:
openssl trusted root certificate store
Make sure you select the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store and click Next and Finish:
openssl finish install root certificate
Windows will give you one more big security warning, click Yes to continue:
openssl root certificate security warning
The root certificate is now installed and trusted. Now open the certificate that we assigned to “some server”:
openssl server certificate trusted
Above you can see that it was issued by our root CA, it’s valid for one year. When you look at the certification path then you can see that Windows trusts the certificate:
openssl server certification path
This is looking good. If a web server would present this certificate to your computer, then it will trust it from now on.
Conclusion
You have now learned how to build your own CA using OpenSSL and are ready to sign certificates for your servers, routers, firewalls, clients or any other devices that you have.
I hope you enjoyed this lesson, if you have any questions feel free to ask!