The DBMS, when utilizing PKI-based authentication, must validate certificates by constructing a certification path with status information to an accepted trust anchor.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-220291	O121-C2-015300	SV-220291r879612_rule		Medium

Description
A trust anchor is an authoritative entity represented via a public key and associated data. It is used in the context of public key infrastructures, X.509 digital certificates, and DNSSEC. When there is a chain of trust, usually the top entity to be trusted becomes the trust anchor; it can be for example a Certification Authority (CA). A certification path starts with the Subject certificate and proceeds through a number of intermediate certificates up to a trusted root certificate, typically issued by a trusted CA. Path validation is necessary for a relying party to make an informed trust decision when presented with any certificate not already explicitly trusted. Status information for certification paths includes certificate revocation lists or online certificate status protocol responses. Database Management Systems that do not validate certificates to a trust anchor are in danger of accepting certificates that are invalid and/or counterfeit. This could allow unauthorized access to the database. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the successor protocol to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Although the Oracle configuration parameters have names including 'SSL', such as SSL_VERSION and SSL_CIPHER_SUITES, they refer to TLS.

Description

A trust anchor is an authoritative entity represented via a public key and associated data. It is used in the context of public key infrastructures, X.509 digital certificates, and DNSSEC. When there is a chain of trust, usually the top entity to be trusted becomes the trust anchor; it can be for example a Certification Authority (CA). A certification path starts with the Subject certificate and proceeds through a number of intermediate certificates up to a trusted root certificate, typically issued by a trusted CA. Path validation is necessary for a relying party to make an informed trust decision when presented with any certificate not already explicitly trusted. Status information for certification paths includes certificate revocation lists or online certificate status protocol responses. Database Management Systems that do not validate certificates to a trust anchor are in danger of accepting certificates that are invalid and/or counterfeit. This could allow unauthorized access to the database. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the successor protocol to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Although the Oracle configuration parameters have names including 'SSL', such as SSL_VERSION and SSL_CIPHER_SUITES, they refer to TLS.

STIG	Date
Oracle Database 12c Security Technical Implementation Guide	2023-12-27

Details

Check Text ( C-22006r799975_chk )
If all accounts are authenticated by the OS or an enterprise-level authentication/access mechanism and not by Oracle, this is not a finding. Review DBMS configuration to verify the certificates being accepted by the DBMS have a valid certification path with status information to an accepted trust anchor. If certification paths are not being validated back to a trust anchor, this is a finding. - - - - - The database supports PKI-based authentication by using digital certificates over TLS in addition to the native encryption and data integrity capabilities of these protocols. Oracle provides a complete PKI that is based on RSA Security, Inc., Public-Key Cryptography Standards, and which interoperates with Oracle servers and clients. The database uses a wallet that is a container that is used to store authentication and signing credentials, including private keys, certificates, and trusted certificates needed by TLS. In an Oracle environment, every entity that communicates over TLS must have a wallet containing an X.509 version 3 certificate, private key, and list of trusted certificates. If the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/sqlnet.ora contains the following entries, TLS is installed. WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE= (METHOD = FILE) (METHOD_DATA = DIRECTORY=/wallet) SSL_CIPHER_SUITES=(SSL_cipher_suiteExample) SSL_VERSION = 1.2 SSL_CLIENT_AUTHENTICATION=TRUE (Note: This assumes that a single sqlnet.ora file, in the default location, is in use. Please see the supplemental file "Non-default sqlnet.ora configurations.pdf" for how to find multiple and/or differently located sqlnet.ora files.)

Check Text ( C-22006r799975_chk )

If all accounts are authenticated by the OS or an enterprise-level authentication/access mechanism and not by Oracle, this is not a finding.

Review DBMS configuration to verify the certificates being accepted by the DBMS have a valid certification path with status information to an accepted trust anchor.

If certification paths are not being validated back to a trust anchor, this is a finding.
- - - - -
The database supports PKI-based authentication by using digital certificates over TLS in addition to the native encryption and data integrity capabilities of these protocols.

Oracle provides a complete PKI that is based on RSA Security, Inc., Public-Key Cryptography Standards, and which interoperates with Oracle servers and clients. The database uses a wallet that is a container that is used to store authentication and signing credentials, including private keys, certificates, and trusted certificates needed by TLS. In an Oracle environment, every entity that communicates over TLS must have a wallet containing an X.509 version 3 certificate, private key, and list of trusted certificates.

If the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/sqlnet.ora contains the following entries, TLS is installed.

WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE=
(METHOD = FILE)
(METHOD_DATA =
DIRECTORY=/wallet)

SSL_CIPHER_SUITES=(SSL_cipher_suiteExample)
SSL_VERSION = 1.2
SSL_CLIENT_AUTHENTICATION=TRUE

(Note: This assumes that a single sqlnet.ora file, in the default location, is in use. Please see the supplemental file "Non-default sqlnet.ora configurations.pdf" for how to find multiple and/or differently located sqlnet.ora files.)

Fix Text (F-21998r392005_fix)
Configure the DBMS to validate certificates by constructing a certification path with status information to an accepted trust anchor. Configure the database to support Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols and the Oracle Wallet to store authentication and signing credentials, including private keys.