Oracle® Fusion Middleware
Part 17. Encryption Filters

The API Gateway can XML encrypt an XML message so that only certain specified recipients can decrypt the message. XML encryption is a W3C standard that enables data to be encrypted and decrypted at the application layer of the OSI stack, thus ensuring complete end-to-end confidentiality of data.

The XML-Encryption Settings should be used in conjunction with the XML-Encryption filter, which performs the encryption. The XML-Encryption Settings generates the encryption.properties message attribute, which is required by the XML-Encryption filter.

XML encryption facilitates the secure transmission of XML documents between two application endpoints. Whereas traditional transport-level encryption schemes, such as SSL and TLS, can only offer point-to-point security, XML encryption guarantees complete end-to-end security. Encryption takes place at the application-layer, and so the encrypted data can be encapsulated in the message itself. The encrypted data can therefore remain encrypted as it travels along its path to the target Web service.

Before explaining how to configure the API Gateway to encrypt XML messages, it is useful to examine an XML encrypted message. The following example shows a SOAP message containing information about Oracle:

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
 <s:Body>
  <getCompanyInfo xmlns="http://www.oracle.com">
   <name>Company</name>
   <description>XML Security Company</description>
  </getCompanyInfo>
 </s:Body>
</s:Envelope>

After encrypting the SOAP Body, the message is as follows:

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
 <s:Header>
  <Security xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2003/06/secext" s:actor="Enc">
   <!-- Encapsulates the recipient's key details -->
   <enc:EncryptedKey xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#"
           Id="00004190E5D1-7529AA14" MimeType="text/xml">
    <enc:EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04xmlenc#rsa-1_5">
     <enc:KeySize>256</enc:KeySize>
    </enc:EncryptionMethod>
    <enc:CipherData>
     <!-- The session key encrypted with the recipient's public key -->
     <enc:CipherValue>
         AAAAAJ/lK ... mrTF8Egg==
     </enc:CipherValue>
    </enc:CipherData>
    <dsig:KeyInfo xmlns:dsig="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
     <dsig:KeyName>sample</dsig:KeyName>
     <dsig:X509Data>
      <!-- The recipient's X.509 certificate -->
      <dsig:X509Certificate>
          MIIEZzCCA0 ... fzmc/YR5gA
      </dsig:X509Certificate>
     </dsig:X509Data>
    </dsig:KeyInfo>
    <enc:CarriedKeyName>Session key</enc:CarriedKeyName>
    <enc:ReferenceList>
     <enc:DataReference URI="#00004190E5D1-5F889C11"/>
    </enc:ReferenceList>
   </enc:EncryptedKey>
  </Security>
 </s:Header>
 <enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#"
         Id="00004190E5D1-5F889C11" MimeType="text/xml"
         Type="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#Element">
  <enc:EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04xmlenc#aes256-cbc">
   <enc:KeySize>256</enc:KeySize>
  </enc:EncryptionMethod>
  <enc:CipherData>
   <!-- The SOAP Body encrypted with the session key -->
   <enc:CipherValue>
       E2ioF8ib2r ... KJAnrX0GQV
   </enc:CipherValue>
  </enc:CipherData>
  <dsig:KeyInfo xmlns:dsig="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
   <dsig:KeyName>Session key</dsig:KeyName>
  </dsig:KeyInfo>
 </enc:EncryptedData>
<s:Envelope>

The most important elements are as follows:

Now that you have seen how encrypted data can be encapsulated in an XML message, it is important to discuss how the data is encrypted. When a message is encrypted, it is encrypted in such a manner that only the intended recipients of the message can decrypt it. By encrypting the message with the recipient public key, the sender can be guaranteed that only the intended recipient can decrypt the message using his private key, to which he has sole access. This is the basic principle behind asymmetric cryptography.

In practice, however, encrypting and decrypting data with a public-private key pair is a notoriously CPU-intensive and time consuming affair. Because of this, asymmetric cryptography is seldom used to encrypt large amounts of data. The following steps show a more typical encryption process:

Now that you understand the structure and mechanics of XML Encryption, you can configure the API Gateway to encrypt egress XML messages. The next section describes how to configure the tabs on the XML Encryption Settings screen.

The settings on the Encryption Key tab determine the key to use to encrypt the message, and how this key is referred to in the encrypted data. The following configuration options are available:

Generate Encryption Key:

Select this option to generate a symmetric key to encrypt the data with.

Encryption Key from Selector Expression:

If you have already used a symmetric key in a previous filter (for example, a Sign Message filter), you can reuse that key to encrypt data by selecting this option and specifying a selector expression to obtain the key (for example, ${symmetric.key}). Using a selector enables settings to be evaluated and expanded at runtime based on metadata (for example, in a message attribute, a Key Property Store (KPS), or environment variable). For more details, see Selecting configuration values at runtime.

Include Encryption Key in Message:

Select this option if you want to include the encryption key in the message. The encryption key is encrypted for the recipient so that only the recipient can access the encryption key. You may choose not to include the symmetric key in the message if the API Gateway and recipient have agreed on the symmetric encryption key using some other means.

Specify Method of Associating the Encryption Key with the Encrypted Data:

This section enables you to configure the method by which the encrypted data references the key used to encrypt it. The following options are available:

Use Derived Key:

Select this option if you want to derive a key from the symmetric key configured above to encrypt the data. The <enc:EncryptedData> has a <wsse:SecurityTokenReference> to the <wssc:DerivedKeyToken>. The <wssc:DerivedKeyToken> refers to the <enc:EncryptedKey>. Both <wssc:DerivedKeyToken> and <enc:EncryptedKey> are placed inside a <wsse:Security> element.

The Key Info tab configures the content of the <KeyInfo> section of the generated <EncryptedData> block. Configure the following fields on this tab:

Do Not Include KeyInfo Section:

This option enables you to omit all information about the certificate that contains the public key that was used to encrypt the data from the <EncryptedData> block. In other words, the <KeyInfo> element is omitted from the <EncryptedData> block. This is useful where a downstream Web service uses an alternative method to decide what key to use to decrypt the message. In such cases, adding certificate information to the message may be regarded as an unnecessary overhead.

Include Certificate:

This is the default option, which places the certificate that contains the encryption key inside the <EncryptedData>. The following example, shows an example of a <KeyInfo> that has been produced using this option:

<enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">      
 <dsig:KeyInfo>
  <dsig:X509Data>
   <dsig:X509SubjectName>CN=Sample...</dsig:X509SubjectName>
   <dsig:X509Certificate>
       MIIEZDCCA0yg
       ....
       RNp9aKD1fEQgJ
   </dsig:X509Certificate>
  </dsig:X509Data>
 </dsig:KeyInfo>
</enc:EncryptedData>

Expand Public Key:

The details of the public key used to encrypt the data are inserted into a <KeyValue> block. The <KeyValue> block is only inserted when this option is selected.

<enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
   ...
 <dsig:KeyInfo>
  <dsig:X509Data>
   <dsig:X509SubjectName>CN=Sample...</dsig:X509SubjectName>
   <dsig:X509Certificate>
      MIIE ....... EQgJ
   </dsig:X509Certificate>
  </dsig:X509Data>
  <dsig:KeyValue>
   <dsig:RSAKeyValue>
    <dsig:Modulus>
       AMfb2tT53GmMiD
       ...
       NmrNht7iy18=
    </dsig:Modulus>
    <dsig:Exponent>AQAB</dsig:Exponent>
   </dsig:RSAKeyValue>
  </dsig:KeyValue>
 </dsig:KeyInfo>
</enc:EncryptedData>

Include Distinguished Name:

If this checkbox is selected, the Distinguished Name of the certificate that contains the public key used to encrypt the data is inserted in an <X509SubjectName> element as shown in the following example:

<enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
  ...
 <dsig:KeyInfo>
  <dsig:X509Data>
   <dsig:X509SubjectName>CN=Sample,C=IE...</dsig:X509SubjectName>
   <dsig:X509Certificate>
       MIIEZDCCA0yg
       ....
       RNp9aKD1fEQgJ
   </dsig:X509Certificate>
  </dsig:X509Data>
 </dsig:KeyInfo>
</enc:EncryptedData>

Include Key Name:

This option enables you insert a key identifier, or <KeyName>, to allow the recipient to identify the key to use to decrypt the data. Enter an appropriate value for the <KeyName> in the Value field. Typical values include Distinguished Names (DName) from X.509 certificates, key IDs, or email addresses. Specify whether the specified value is a Text value of a Distinguished name attribute by selecting the appropriate radio button.

<enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
   ...
 <dsig:KeyInfo>
  <dsig:KeyName>test@oracle.com</dsig:KeyName>
 </dsig:KeyInfo>
</enc:EncryptedData>

Put Certificate in an Attachment:

The API Gateway supports SOAP messages with attachments. By selecting this option, you can save the certificate containing the encryption key to the file specified in the input field. This file can then be sent along with the SOAP message as a SOAP attachment.

From previous examples, it is clear that the user's certificate is usually placed inside a <KeyInfo> element. However, in this example, the certificate is contained in an attachment, and not in the <EncryptedData>. Clearly, you need a way to reference the certificate from the <EncryptedData> block, so that the recipient can determine what key it should use to decrypt the data. This is the role of the <SecurityTokenReference> block.

The <SecurityTokenReference> block provides a generic mechanism for applications to retrieve security tokens in cases where these tokens are not contained in the SOAP message. The name of the security token is specified in the URI attribute of the <Reference> element.

<enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
   ...
 <dsig:KeyInfo>
  <wsse:SecurityTokenReference xmlns:wsse="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/...">
   <wsse:Reference URI="c:\myCertificate.txt"/>
  </wsse:SecurityTokenReference>
 </dsig:KeyInfo>
</enc:EncryptedData>

When the message is sent, the certificate attachment is given a Content-Id corresponding to the URI attribute of the <Reference> element. The following example shows the wire format of the complete multipart MIME SOAP message. It should help illustrate how the <Reference> element refers to the Content-ID of the attachment:

POST /adoWebSvc.asmx HTTP/1.0
Content-Length: 3790
User-Agent: API Gateway
Accept-Language: en
Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/xml";
              boundary="----=Multipart-SOAP-boundary"

------=Multipart-SOAP-boundary
Content-Id: soap-envelope
Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8";
SOAPAction=getQuote

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
   ...
 <enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
    ...
  <dsig:KeyInfo>
   <ws:SecurityTokenReference xmlns:ws="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/...">
    <ws:Reference URI="c:\myCertificate.txt"/>
   </ws:SecurityTokenReference>
  </dsig:KeyInfo>
 </enc:EncryptedData>
    ...
</s:Envelope>

------=Multipart-SOAP-boundary
Content-Id: c:\myCertificate.txt
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

MIIEZDCCA0ygAwIBAgIBAzANBgkqhki
....
7uFveG0eL0zBwZ5qwLRNp9aKD1fEQgJ
------=Multipart-SOAP-boundary-

Security Token Reference:

A <wsse:SecurityTokenReference> element can be used to point to the security token used to encrypt the data. If you wish to use a <wsse:SecurityTokenReference>, enable this option, and select a Security Token Reference type from Reference Type drop-down list.

The <wsse:SecurityTokenReference>, (in the <dsig:KeyInfo>), may contain a <wsse:Embedded> security token. Alternatively, the <wsse:SecurityTokenReference>, (in the <dsig:KeyInfo>), may refer to a certificate using a <dsig:X509Data>. Select the appropriate button, Embed or Refer, depending on whether you want to use an embedded security token or a referred one.

If you have configured the SecurityContextToken (sct) mechanism from the Security Token Reference drop-down list, you can select to use an Attached SCT or an Unattached SCT. The default option is to use an Attached SCT, which should be used in cases where the SCT refers to a security token inside the <wsse:Security> header. If the SCT is located outside the <wsse:Security> header, you should select the Unattached SCT option.

You can make sure to include a <BinarySecurityToken> (BST) that contains the certificate (that contains the encryption key) in the message by selecting the Include BinarySecurityToken option. The BST is inserted into the WS-Security header regardless of the type of Security Token Reference selected from the dropdown.

Select Include TokenType if you want to add the TokenType attribute to the SecurityTokenReference element.

If the API Gateway is acting as the recipient of a secure transaction, it can also use the Kerberos session keys to encrypt the message returned to the client. However, in this case, the KeyInfo must be configured to use a Security Token Reference with ValueType of Kerberosv5_APREQSHA1. When this is selected, the Kerberos token is not contained in the message. The Security Token Reference contains a SHA1 digest of the original Kerberos token received from the client, which identifies the session keys to the client.

When using the WS-Trust for SPENGO standard, the Kerberos session keys are not used directly to encrypt messages because a security context with an associated symmetric key is negotiated. This symmetric key is shared by both client and service and can be used to encrypt messages on both sides.

XML Messages can be encrypted for multiple recipients. In such cases, the symmetric encryption key is encrypted with the public key of each intended recipient and added to the message. Each recipient can then decrypt the encryption key with their private key and use it to decrypt the message.

The following SOAP message has been encrypted for 2 recipients ( oracle_1 and oracle_2). The encryption key has been encrypted twice: once for oracle_1 using its public key, and a second time for oracle_2 using its public key:

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
 <s:Header>
  <Security xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2003/06/secext" 
      s:actor="Enc Keys">
   <enc:EncryptedKey xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#"
        Id="0000418BBB61-A692675C" MimeType="text/xml">
    ...
    <enc:CipherData>
     <!-- Enc key encrypted with oracle_1's public key and base64-encoded -->
     <enc:CipherValue>AAAAAExx1A ... vuAhCgMQ==</enc:CipherValue>
    </enc:CipherData>
    <dsig:KeyInfo xmlns:dsig="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
     <dsig:KeyName>oracle_1</dsig:KeyName>
    </dsig:KeyInfo>
    <enc:CarriedKeyName>Session key</enc:CarriedKeyName>
     <enc:ReferenceList>
   <enc:DataReference URI="#0000418BBB61-D4495D9B"/>
    </enc:ReferenceList>
   </enc:EncryptedKey>
   <enc:EncryptedKey xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#"
        Id="#0000418BBB61-D4495D9B" MimeType="text/xml">
    ...
    <enc:CipherData>
     <!-- Enc key encrypted with oracle_2's public key and base64-encoded -->
     <enc:CipherValue>AAAAABZH+U ... MrMEEM/Ps=</enc:CipherValue>
    </enc:CipherData>
    <dsig:KeyInfo xmlns:dsig="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
     <dsig:KeyName>oracle_2</dsig:KeyName>
    </dsig:KeyInfo>
    <enc:CarriedKeyName>Session key</enc:CarriedKeyName>
    <enc:ReferenceList>
   <enc:DataReference URI="#0000418BBB61-D4495D9B"/>
    </enc:ReferenceList>
   </enc:EncryptedKey>
  </Security>
 </s:Header>
 <enc:EncryptedData xmlns:enc="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#"
      Id="0000418BBB61-D4495D9B" MimeType="text/xml"
      Type="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#Element">
  <enc:EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04xmlenc#aes256-cbc">
   <enc:KeySize>256</enc:KeySize>
  </enc:EncryptionMethod>
  <enc:CipherData>
   <!-- SOAP Body encrypted with symmetric enc key and base64-encoded -->
   <enc:CipherValue>WD0TmuMk9 ... GzYFeq8SM=</enc:CipherValue>
  </enc:CipherData>
  <dsig:KeyInfo xmlns:dsig="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
   <dsig:KeyName>Session key</dsig:KeyName>
  </dsig:KeyInfo>
 </enc:EncryptedData>
</s:Envelope>

There are two <EncryptedKey> elements, one for each recipient. The <CipherValue> element contains the symmetric encryption key encrypted with the recipient's public key. The encrypted symmetric key must be Base64-encoded so that it can be represented as the textual contents of an XML element.

The <EncryptedData> element contains the encrypted data, along with information about the encryption process, including the encryption algorithm used, the size of the encryption key, and the type of data that was encrypted (for example, whether an element or the contents of an element was encrypted).

Click the Add button to add a new recipient for which the data will be encrypted. Configure the following fields on the XML Encryption Recipient dialog:

Recipient Name:

Enter a name for the recipient. This name can then be selected on the main Recipients tab of the filter.

Actor:

The <EncryptedKey> for this recipient is inserted into the specified SOAP actor/role.

Use Key in Message Attribute:

Specify the message attribute that contains the recipient's public key that is used to encrypt the data. By default, the certificate attribute is used. Typically, this attribute is populated by the Find Certificate filter, which retrieves a certificate from any one of a number of locations, including the Certificate Store, an LDAP directory, HTTP header, or from the message itself.

If you want to encrypt the message for multiple recipients, you must configure multiple Find Certificate filters (or some other filter that can retrieve certificates). Each Find Certificate filter retrieves a certificate for a single recipient and store it in a unique message attribute.

For example, a Find Certificate filter called Find Certificate for Recipient1 filter could locate Recipient1's certificate from the Certificate Store and store it in a certificate_recip1 message attribute. You would then configure a second Find Certificate filter called Find Certificate for Recipient2, which could retrieve Recipient2's certificate from the Certificate Store and store it in a certificate_recip2 message attribute.

On the Recipients tab of the XML Encryption Settings filter, you would then configure two recipients. For the first recipient (Recipient1), you would enter certificate_recip1 as the location of the encryption key, while for the second recipient (Recipient2), you would specify certificate_recip2 as the location of the encryption key.

The What to Encrypt tab is used to identify parts of the message that must be encrypted. Each encrypted part will be replaced by an <EncryptedData> block, which contains all information required to decrypt the block.

You can use any combination of Node Locations, XPaths, and the nodes contained in a Message Attribute to specify the nodes that are required to be encrypted. Please refer to the Locate XML Nodes filter for more information on how to use these node selectors.

Element encryption is more suitable when encrypting security blocks, (for example, WS-Security Username tokens and SAML assertions) that may appear in a WS-Security header of a SOAP message. In such cases, replacing the element content (for example, a <UsernameToken> element) with an <EncryptedData> block will not affect the semantics of the WS-Security header.

If you wish to encrypt the SOAP Body, you should use element content encryption, where the children of the element are replaced by the <EncryptedData> block. In this way, the message can still be validated against the SOAP schema.

When using Node Locations to identify nodes that are to be encrypted, you can configure whether to encrypt the element or the element contents on the Locate XML Nodes dialog. To encrypt the element, select the Encrypt Node radio button. Alternatively, to encrypt the element contents, select the Encrypt Node Content radio button.

If you are using XPath expressions to specify the nodes that are to be signed, be careful not to use an expression that returns a node and all its contents. The Encrypt Node and Encrypt Node Content options are also available when configuring XPath expressions on the Enter XPath Expression dialog.

The Advanced tab on the main XML-Encryption Settings screen enables you to configure some of the more complicated settings regarding XML-Encryption. The following settings are available:

Algorithm Suite Tab:

The following fields can be configured on this tab:

Algorithm Suite:

WS-Security Policy defines a number of algorithm suites that group together a number of cryptographic algorithms. For example, a given algorithm suite uses specific algorithms for asymmetric encryption, symmetric encryption, asymmetric key wrap, and so on. Therefore, by specifying an algorithm suite, you are effectively selecting a whole suite of cryptographic algorithms to use.

If you want to use a particular WS-Security Policy algorithm suite, you can select it here. The Encryption Algorithm and Key Wrap Algorithm fields are automatically populated with the corresponding algorithms for that suite.

Encryption Algorithm:

The encryption algorithm selected is used to encrypt the data. The following algorithms are available:

Key Wrap Algorithm:

The key wrap algorithm selected here is used to wrap (encrypt) the symmetric encryption key with the recipient's public key. The following key wrap algorithms are available:

Settings Tab:

The following advanced settings are available on this tab:

Generate a Reference List in WS-Security Block:

When this option is selected, a <xenc:ReferenceList> that holds a reference to all encrypted data elements is generated. The <xenc:ReferenceList> element is inserted into the WS-Security block indicated by the specified actor.

Insert Reference List into EncryptedKey:

When this option is selected, a <xenc:ReferenceList> that holds a reference to all encrypted data elements is generated. The <xenc:ReferenceList> element is inserted into the <xenc:EncryptedKey> element.

Layout Type:

Select the WS-SecurityPolicy layout type that you want the generated tokens to adhere to. This includes elements such as the <EncryptedData>, <EncryptedKey>, <ReferenceList>, <BinarySecurityToken>, and <DerivedKeyToken> tokens, among others.

Fail if no Nodes to Encrypt:

Select this option if you want the filter to fail if any of the nodes specified on the What to Encrypt tab are found in the message.

Insert Timestamp:

This option enables you to insert a WS-Security Timestamp as an encryption property.

Indent:

This option enables you to format the inserted <EncryptedData> and <EncryptedKey> blocks by indenting the elements.

Insert CarriedKeyName for EncryptedKey:

Select this option to insert a <CarriedKeyName> element into the generated <EncryptedKey> block.

Because the XML-Encryption Settings filter must always be used in conjunction with the XML-Encryption and Find Certificate filters, the Policy Studio provides a wizard that can generate these three filters at the same time. Right-click a policy under the Policies node in the Policy Studio, and select XML Encryption Settings.

For more information on how to configure the XML Encryption Settings Wizard see the XML encryption wizard topic.