Signing SAML Metadata

Signing SAML Metadata

To sign SAML 2.0 metadata, you should first ensure that the document element (the outermost EntitiesDescriptor or EntityDescriptor element) has an appropriate ID attribute.  This must contain a valid XML ID value that is not being used as an ID elsewhere in the document.  Note that XML ID values may not start with a digit.

One common pattern is to give the document element an ID attribute containing a value based on the date and time of signing:

Signing the metadata document will involve the following options, as well as options specifying the signing credential:

Signing Using Specific Digest and Signature Algorithms

The XML Digital Signature standard operates as a two-part process:

1. The document to be signed is processed to generate a SignedInfo element.  This processing involves using a cryptographic hash function to reduce the final result to a shorter message digest.  We will refer to the selected hash function as the digest algorithm.

2. The SignedInfo element is digitally signed using a signature algorithm appropriate for the type of credential used.  For example, in the case of an RSA credential the signature algorithm used combines the RSA private key operation with a second cryptographic hash function used to produce a second message digest of the SignedInfo element.

By default, XmlSecTool selects the following digest and signature algorithms for each of the credential types:

To select a different hash function, XmlSecTool provides the --digest option, which takes the name of a hash function as parameter.  For example:

Allowable values for the --digest option are SHA-1 (not recommended), SHA-256 (the default), SHA-384 and SHA-512.  You may use the hash function's name with or without the hyphen in each case, so that SHA512 is a synonym for SHA-512.

Selecting a value for the --digest option changes both the digest algorithm and, for RSA and Elliptic Curve credentials, the appropriate component of the signature algorithm.  For example, selecting –digest SHA-512 would result in the following algorithms being selected for each credential type:

In some situations, this simplified selection process does not allow you to use the digest and signature algorithms you need for a particular application.  For example, hash functions such as MD5 are not included because they are regarded as being too weak for regular use.  In these cases, you can override the digest algorithm and signature algorithms selected based on the --digest option using the --digestAlgorithm and --signatureAlgorithm options.  These each take as parameter the full URI identifier of the algorithm to use, so that any algorithm supported by the Apache Santuario cryptographic library in use can be specified.  You can mix these fine-grained options with --digest, as in the following example:

You should use the --digestAlgorithm and --signatureAlgorithm options, either together or individually, only if you understand the full implications of using non-standard algorithm combinations.

Signature Verification Algorithms Restrictions

As the state of the art in cryptanalysis progresses, algorithms that were once acceptable for use in digital signatures become first deprecated and then disallowed.  For example, the SHA-1 cryptographic hash function is now regarded as weak. NIST deprecated the use of SHA-1 in digital signatures from 2011, and disallows its use entirely from 2014. In order to guard against attacks on algorithms once regarded as strong but since determined to be weak, xmlsectool provides a mechanism to disallow weak algorithms; a signature being verified will be rejected if it makes use of an algorithm on the disallowed list.

By default, xmlsectool version 3.0.0 disallowed algorithms related to the MD5 and SHA-1 message digest functions.  This may be extended in future releases to include additional algorithms when appropriate.

If the default behaviour is not suitable, whether because it disallows an algorithm you need xmlsectool to accept or because it does disallow algorithms you regard as too weak, you can manipulate it using the following command-line options:

• --allowAllDigests removes the default disallowed algorithms, so that all algorithms are allowed.  Do this only if you are sure that you need to use one of the algorithms that are disallowed by default, and therefore need complete control over behaviour. It is better to use, e.g., "–-allowDigest SHA-1" if you can (see below). 

• --disallowDigest disallows algorithms related to the given digest function.  For example, --disallowDigest SHA256 would disallow algorithms related to the SHA-256 digest function. This option may appear any number of times.

• --allowDigest allows algorithms related to the given digest function to be used during signature verification. For example, --allowDigest SHA1 would permit signatures based on the SHA-1 digest function to be verified. This option may appear any number of times.

• --listAlgorithms is an action option you can use to display the algorithms which are currently disallowed. See the examples below.

These options can appear on the command line in any order, but will always be processed in the order given above.  Note also that these options only change the behaviour of xmlsectool for a single invocation; you must include them in the command line every time you want to override the defaults.

Example: viewing the default blacklist.

Example: extending the default list of disallowed algorithms.

Example: removing algorithms from the default list of disallowed algorithms.

Example: full control (NOT RECOMMENDED).