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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Rick, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Just so I understand your question more fully, you’re talking about an external sub CA relying on name constraints and not an “Enterprise RA” or internal sub CA that is technically constrained in other ways? When the BRs use the phrase “Delegated Third Party” (including in Section 11), that term means “a natural person or Legal Entity that is not the CA.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Ben <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> public-bounces@cabforum.org [mailto:public-bounces@cabforum.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Rick Andrews<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 21, 2012 11:43 AM<br><b>To:</b> public@cabforum.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [cabfpub] 17.5 Audit of Delegated Functions<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>CABF members,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>It’s come to our attention that several people are interpreting this section of BR:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>17.5 Audit of Delegated Functions</span></b><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>If a Delegated Third Party is not currently audited in accordance with Section 17 and is not an Enterprise RA, then</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>prior to certificate issuance the CA SHALL ensure that the domain control validation process required under Section</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>11.1 has been properly performed by the Delegated Third Party by either (1) using an out-of-band mechanism</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>involving at least one human who is acting either on behalf of the CA or on behalf of the Delegated Third Party to</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>confirm the authenticity of the certificate request or the information supporting the certificate request or (2)</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>performing the domain control validation process itself.</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>to mean that a Delegated Third Party that runs an External SubCA can avoid audit indefinitely if it simply has a name constraint in the SubCA limiting the domain names that it can issue to. The CA would be complying with “(2) performing the domain control validation itself” before it put the name constraint in the SubCA.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This seems like a loophole to us, because without an audit, there’s no way to be sure that the Delegated Third Party is putting properly vetted info in the Subject DN field, and populating certs with the required extensions.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I doubt this was the intent, because I had the impression that most people thought External SubCAs were a risky practice that needed to be more tightly controlled. This seems to allow them to be less tightly controlled. Comments?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>-Rick<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> </span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>