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rfc:rfc4532

Network Working Group K. Zeilenga Request for Comments: 4532 OpenLDAP Foundation Category: Standards Track June 2006

            Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
                       "Who am I?" Operation

Status of This Memo

 This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
 Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
 improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
 Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
 and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).

Abstract

 This specification provides a mechanism for Lightweight Directory
 Access Protocol (LDAP) clients to obtain the authorization identity
 the server has associated with the user or application entity.  This
 mechanism is specified as an LDAP extended operation called the LDAP
 "Who am I?" operation.

1. Background and Intent of Use

 This specification describes a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
 (LDAP) [RFC4510] operation that clients can use to obtain the primary
 authorization identity, in its primary form, that the server has
 associated with the user or application entity.  The operation is
 called the "Who am I?" operation.
 This specification is intended to replace the existing Authorization
 Identity Controls [RFC3829] mechanism, which uses Bind request and
 response controls to request and return the authorization identity.
 Bind controls are not protected by security layers established by the
 Bind operation that includes them.  While it is possible to establish
 security layers using StartTLS [RFC4511][RFC4513] prior to the Bind
 operation, it is often desirable to use security layers established
 by the Bind operation.  An extended operation sent after a Bind
 operation is protected by the security layers established by the Bind
 operation.

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

 There are other cases where it is desirable to request the
 authorization identity that the server associated with the client
 separately from the Bind operation.  For example, the "Who am I?"
 operation can be augmented with a Proxied Authorization Control
 [RFC4370] to determine the authorization identity that the server
 associates with the identity asserted in the Proxied Authorization
 Control.  The "Who am I?" operation can also be used prior to the
 Bind operation.
 Servers often associate multiple authorization identities with the
 client, and each authorization identity may be represented by
 multiple authzId [RFC4513] strings.  This operation requests and
 returns the authzId that the server considers primary.  In the
 specification, the term "the authorization identity" and "the
 authzId" are generally to be read as "the primary authorization
 identity" and the "the primary authzId", respectively.

1.1. Conventions Used in This Document

 The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
 "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
 document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119].

2. The "Who am I?" Operation

 The "Who am I?" operation is defined as an LDAP Extended Operation
 [RFC4511] identified by the whoamiOID Object Identifier (OID).  This
 section details the syntax of the operation's whoami request and
 response messages.
    whoamiOID ::= "1.3.6.1.4.1.4203.1.11.3"

2.1. The whoami Request

 The whoami request is an ExtendedRequest with a requestName field
 containing the whoamiOID OID and an absent requestValue field.  For
 example, a whoami request could be encoded as the sequence of octets
 (in hex):
    30 1e 02 01 02 77 19 80  17 31 2e 33 2e 36 2e 31
    2e 34 2e 31 2e 34 32 30  33 2e 31 2e 31 31 2e 33

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 2] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

2.2. The whoami Response

 The whoami response is an ExtendedResponse where the responseName
 field is absent and the response field, if present, is empty or an
 authzId [RFC4513].  For example, a whoami response returning the
 authzId "u:xxyyz@EXAMPLE.NET" (in response to the example request)
 would be encoded as the sequence of octets (in hex):
    30 21 02 01 02 78 1c 0a  01 00 04 00 04 00 8b 13
    75 3a 78 78 79 79 7a 40  45 58 41 4d 50 4c 45 2e
    4e 45 54

3. Operational Semantics

 The "Who am I?" operation provides a mechanism, a whoami Request, for
 the client to request that the server return the authorization
 identity it currently associates with the client.  It also provides a
 mechanism, a whoami Response, for the server to respond to that
 request.
 Servers indicate their support for this extended operation by
 providing a whoamiOID object identifier as a value of the
 'supportedExtension' attribute type in their root DSE.  The server
 SHOULD advertise this extension only when the client is willing and
 able to perform this operation.
 If the server is willing and able to provide the authorization
 identity it associates with the client, the server SHALL return a
 whoami Response with a success resultCode.  If the server is treating
 the client as an anonymous entity, the response field is present but
 empty.  Otherwise, the server provides the authzId [RFC4513]
 representing the authorization identity it currently associates with
 the client in the response field.
 If the server is unwilling or unable to provide the authorization
 identity it associates with the client, the server SHALL return a
 whoami Response with an appropriate non-success resultCode (such as
 operationsError, protocolError, confidentialityRequired,
 insufficientAccessRights, busy, unavailable, unwillingToPerform, or
 other) and an absent response field.
 As described in [RFC4511] and [RFC4513], an LDAP session has an
 "anonymous" association until the client has been successfully
 authenticated using the Bind operation.  Clients MUST NOT invoke the
 "Who am I?" operation while any Bind operation is in progress,
 including between two Bind requests made as part of a multi-stage

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 3] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

 Bind operation.  Where a whoami Request is received in violation of
 this absolute prohibition, the server should return a whoami Response
 with an operationsError resultCode.

4. Extending the "Who am I?" Operation with Controls

 Future specifications may extend the "Who am I?" operation using the
 control mechanism [RFC4511].  When extended by controls, the "Who am
 I?" operation requests and returns the authorization identity the
 server associates with the client in a particular context indicated
 by the controls.

4.1. Proxied Authorization Control

 The Proxied Authorization Control [RFC4370] is used by clients to
 request that the operation it is attached to operate under the
 authorization of an assumed identity.  The client provides the
 identity to assume in the Proxied Authorization request control.  If
 the client is authorized to assume the requested identity, the server
 executes the operation as if the requested identity had issued the
 operation.
 As servers often map the asserted authzId to another identity
 [RFC4513], it is desirable to request that the server provide the
 authzId it associates with the assumed identity.
 When a Proxied Authorization Control is be attached to the "Who am
 I?"  operation, the operation requests the return of the authzId the
 server associates with the identity asserted in the Proxied
 Authorization Control.  The authorizationDenied (123) result code is
 used to indicate that the server does not allow the client to assume
 the asserted identity.

5. Security Considerations

 Identities associated with users may be sensitive information.  When
 they are, security layers [RFC4511][RFC4513] should be established to
 protect this information.  This mechanism is specifically designed to
 allow security layers established by a Bind operation to protect the
 integrity and/or confidentiality of the authorization identity.
 Servers may place access control or other restrictions upon the use
 of this operation.  As stated in Section 3, the server SHOULD
 advertise this extension when it is willing and able to perform the
 operation.
 As with any other extended operations, general LDAP security
 considerations [RFC4510] apply.

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 4] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

6. IANA Considerations

 The OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.4203.1.11.3 is used to identify the LDAP "Who am
 I?" extended operation.  This OID was assigned [ASSIGN] by the
 OpenLDAP Foundation, under its IANA-assigned private enterprise
 allocation [PRIVATE], for use in this specification.
 Registration of this protocol mechanism [RFC4520] has been completed
 by the IANA.
 Subject: Request for LDAP Protocol Mechanism Registration
 Object Identifier: 1.3.6.1.4.1.4203.1.11.3
 Description: Who am I?
 Person & email address to contact for further information:
      Kurt Zeilenga <kurt@openldap.org>
 Usage: Extended Operation
 Specification: RFC 4532
 Author/Change Controller: IESG
 Comments: none

7. Acknowledgement

 This document borrows from prior work in this area, including
 "Authentication Response Control" [RFC3829] by Rob Weltman, Mark
 Smith, and Mark Wahl.
 The LDAP "Who am I?" operation takes it's name from the UNIX
 whoami(1) command.  The whoami(1) command displays the effective user
 ID.

8. References

8.1. Normative References

 [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
           Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
 [RFC4370] Weltman, R., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
           Proxied Authorization Control", RFC 4370, February 2006.
 [RFC4510] Zeilenga, K., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
           (LDAP): Technical Specification Road Map", RFC 4510, June
           2006.
 [RFC4511] Sermersheim, J., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access
           Protocol (LDAP): The Protocol", RFC 4511, June 2006.

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 5] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

 [RFC4513] Harrison, R., Ed., "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
           (LDAP): Authentication Methods and Security Mechanisms",
           RFC 4513, June 2006.

8.2. Informative References

 [RFC3829] Weltman, R., Smith, M., and M. Wahl, "Lightweight Directory
           Access Protocol (LDAP) Authorization Identity Request and
           Response Controls", RFC 3829, July 2004.
 [RFC4520] Zeilenga, K., "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
           Considerations for the Lightweight Directory Access
           Protocol (LDAP)", BCP 64, RFC 4520, June 2006.
 [ASSIGN]  OpenLDAP Foundation, "OpenLDAP OID Delegations",
           http://www.openldap.org/foundation/oid-delegate.txt.
 [PRIVATE] IANA, "Private Enterprise Numbers",
           http://www.iana.org/assignments/enterprise-numbers.

Author's Address

 Kurt D. Zeilenga
 OpenLDAP Foundation
 EMail: Kurt@OpenLDAP.org

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 6] RFC 4532 LDAP "Who am I?" Operation June 2006

Full Copyright Statement

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).
 This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
 contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
 retain all their rights.
 This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
 "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
 OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
 ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
 INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
 WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

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Acknowledgement

 Funding for the RFC Editor function is provided by the IETF
 Administrative Support Activity (IASA).

Zeilenga Standards Track [Page 7]

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