Securing IP Fax - A New Standard Approach

Securing IP Fax
A New Standard Approach
James Rafferty
President, Human Communications
SIPNOC 2014 - Securing IP Fax
Copyright - James Rafferty - 2014
1

Overview
• Background
• What does Security mean for Fax?
• What are the Threats?
• IETF proposed solution
• Impact for Customers
• Summary
2

Background
• Facsimile is an immensely popular solution
– Has evolved from an office equipment approach to one which is
widely distributed on networks using computer-based solutions
– Network rapidly migrating to IP and the Cloud
– T.38 IP fax over UDPTL is the widely deployed, standard solution
• Issues:
– UDPTL is specific to fax; missing security tools found for RTP
• T.38 over RTP is also standard, but has minimal implementation
– Previous attempts to adopt security for fax not adopted in the
marketplace
• Annexes found in ITU-T T.30 created in 1996, but not used
– Realization of need for security now much more obvious
• Real time fax now often going over IP networks
• Concern by IT managers and service providers about securing all of their
message traffic, including fax
3

What Does Security Mean for Fax?
• Security solutions typically based on assessment
of threats
• Examples of Threats for Real Time Fax:
– Preserve Confidentiality
• Stop 3rd parties from being able to decode the contents of a
fax if intercepted on the network
– Maintain Integrity
• Prevent 3rd parties from manipulating the contents of fax
messages
– Confirm Identity
• Ensure that the identity of the fax sender can be verified
4

How to Address the Threats?
• Often confusion between solutions and
threats
• Common Perception that encryption solves all
security problems, but it’s more complicated
than that
– There’s no one single “magic bullet” that solves all
security issues
• Encryption useful, but threat model still needs
to be understood to meet security goals
5

Threat: Breach Confidentiality
• Much of the information conveyed by fax is
private
– Individual’s financial and health information
– Business financial or other proprietary data
• A confidentiality solution needs to keep the
fax data confidential while it traverses the
network
Eavesdrop
or steal
content
6

Threat: Change the Content
• Faxes are used to send images coded using
particular compression methods
• Not easy to do, but pages could be
intercepted in route and then changed
• Example:
– Provide disinformation to disrupt competitor
Inject New
ContentSIPNOC 2014 - Securing IP Fax
7

Threat: Spoof Identity
• Internet services are under increased attack
by rogue users who create SPAM, send fake
messages and impersonate identities
• We’ve all received emails that say they’re
from somebody we know, but are really SPAM
• How? The intruders are spoofing identities.
Spoof
Identity
8

Proposed Standard from IETF
• 3GPP and IP Fax Community wanted to add security for T.38 IP Fax
– Work originated due to demand from service providers for secure fax
solutions
• MMUSIC working group of IETF has been working on related draft
since Summer, 2013
– draft-ietf-mmusic-udptl-dtls-07.txt
• Co-authors Christer Holmberg, Ivo Sedlacek and Gonzalo Salgueiro
• Wide variety of comments from both fax and Internet communities
• Also vetted by the Fax over IP working group of the SIP Forum
• Approval Status
• Has passed working group last call; now being reviewed for approval (IESG)
• Potential for publication as standards track document later this year
• 3GPP will also reference in their upcoming specifications (Release 12)
9

Why DTLS?
• Draft uses existing security standard DTLS
• RFC 6347 – Datagram Transport Layer Security
Version 1.2
• DTLS builds on well-known practices in the
Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS)
– TLS suitable for session protocols running over TCP
– DTLS extends TLS concepts, but is adapted for use
with datagram protocols (such as UDP)
• DTLS can be used to secure media centric protocols such as
RTP and UDPTL
10

Protocol Stack Layers
T.38 IP Fax Protocol
UDPTL
DTLS
UDP
IP
Adds Transport
Security Layer
to T.38 over UDPTL
11

Does New Spec Address the Threats?
Let’s take a closer look
12

Protect Confidentiality
• T.38 over UDPTL provides no protection vs. 3rd
parties that want to eavesdrop on a fax
• DTLS provides strong encryption; messages
can’t be decoded without access to keys used
in the selected Cipher
Eavesdrop
or steal
content XSIPNOC 2014 - Securing IP Fax Copyright
- James Rafferty - 2014
13

Protect Integrity
• In T.38 over UDPTL, it is possible to modify the
image content
• Addition of DTLS layer provides data integrity
– DTLS computes Message Authentication Codes (MACs)
using hashing algorithms to protect against changes to
message content
– If message content changes, hash totals will be invalid
Inject New
Content
XSIPNOC 2014 - Securing IP Fax
14

Prevent Identity Spoofing
• In T.38 over UDPTL, there is no protection vs.
spoofed identities
• New draft spec recommends using PKIX
Certificates to authenticate the two sides (per
RFC 5280)
– checks name on certificate vs. domain name
Spoof
Identity
X SIPNOC 2014 - Securing IP Fax
15

Impact for Customers
• Addition of Security for T.38 IP fax should be
valuable to customers both in the enterprise and
service provider markets
• But:
– Often slow rampup from standardization to
deployment
• Can be jumpstarted through support by industry groups
• Vendors can gain an edge by deploying the standard solution
early
• Later, vendors will need to have interworking
implementations of the standard
16

Accelerating the Rampup
• 3GPP targets adding to IP Multimedia Subsystem / LTE
standards as of Release 12
– This endorsement will help drive additional deployment on
IMS / VoLTE networks, notably for service providers
– Fax and SIP Trunking service providers are also likely
adopters
• Adoption Acceleration Opportunities via Forums
– SIP Forum supports early adoption of standards via:
• SIPit – Interop activities for SIP protocol in general
• SIPConnect – interop and compliance activities for SIP Trunking
• Fax over IP Working Group – members can monitor status of early
implementations
– Other forums such as I3 may also be interested
17

Enterprise to the Cloud and Beyond
• New standard will be an excellent fit for Cloud
implementations, managed within the
Enterprise or via managed service providers
• Will also have value for enterprise networks
which interconnect premises, or hybrid
networks between premise and the Cloud
• Should also fit SIP Trunking use cases for IP Fax
• Could result in future extensions to
agreements such as SIP Connect
18

Summary
• IETF is close to standardizing a new security standard
for IP Fax
• Should address the most likely threats that would
compromise fax use over IP networks
• Likely first implementers will be back to back
deployments by single vendor
• Endorsement by 3GPP will help drive mid to longer
term deployments on IMS / LTE networks
• New standard should also be good fit for Enterprise
uses such as SIP Trunking and the Cloud
• Participation in Forums can help accelerate the
adoption rampup once the standard is approved
19

About James Rafferty
• Versatile Product Management and
Marketing Leader
• Blog:
http://blog2.humancomm.com
• Twitter: @jrafferty11
• Email: jayAthumancommDotcom
• LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/ja
mes-rafferty/0/917/474
20

Securing IP Fax - A New Standard Approach

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