ADC

Support for TLS 1.3 protocol

July 11, 2023

Contributed by:

S S

The NetScaler VPX and NetScaler MPX appliances now support the TLS 1.3 protocol, specified in RFC 8446.

Notes:

TLS 1.3 hardware acceleration is supported on the following platforms:

MPX 5900

MPX/SDX 8900

MPX/SDX 9100

MPX/SDX 15000

MPX/SDX 15000-50G

MPX/SDX 16000

MPX/SDX 26000

MPX/SDX 26000-50S

MPX/SDX 26000-100G

Software-only support for the TLS 1.3 protocol is available on all other NetScaler MPX and SDX appliances except NetScaler FIPS appliances.

TLS 1.3 is only supported with the enhanced profile. To enable the enhanced profile, see Enable the default profile. The terms “default” and “enhanced” are used interchangeably for SSL profile.

To use TLS 1.3, you must use a client that conforms to the RFC 8446 specification.

Supported NetScaler features

The following SSL features are supported:

SSL features	Support on the front end	Support on the back end
Cipher suite TLS 1.3-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (0x1302)	Yes	Yes
Cipher suite TLS 1.3_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256 (0x1303)	Yes	Yes
Cipher suite TLS 1.3-AES128_GCM-SHA256 (0x1301)	Yes	Yes
ECC curve P_256 for ephemeral DH key exchange	Yes	Yes
ECC curve P_384 for ephemeral DH key exchange	Yes	Yes
ECC curve P_521 for ephemeral DH key exchange	Yes	Yes
Abbreviated handshakes when ticket-based session resumption is enabled	Yes	No
0-RTT early application data	Yes	No
Replay attack protection for 0-RTT early application data	Yes	*NA
Optional or mandatory certificate-based client authentication, with support for OCSP and CRL validation of peer certificates	Yes	Yes
Server name extension: server certificate selection by using SNI	Yes	*NA
Application protocol negotiation (ALPN) by using the application_level_protocol_negotiation extension	Yes	Yes
OCSP stapling	Yes	*NA
Log messages and AppFlow records are produced for TLS 1.3 handshakes	Yes	Yes
Optional logging of TLS 1.3 traffic secrets by the `nstrace` packet capture utility	Yes	Yes
Interoperability with TLS peers implementing RFC 8446. For example, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and OpenSSL.	Yes	Yes

*NA - not applicable

Configuration

TLS 1.3 is disabled by default on an SSL profile. Although you can enable TLS 1.3 on the legacy profile, some features, such as abbreviated handshakes when ticket-based session resumption is enabled and 0-RTT early application data are not supported on the legacy profile.

Add a front-end SSL profile by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

add ssl profile tls13profile -tls13 ENABLED
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Example:

sh ssl profile tls13profile
1)  Name: tls13profile           (Front-End)
    SSLv3: DISABLED               TLSv1.0: ENABLED  TLSv1.1: ENABLED  TLSv1.2: ENABLED  TLSv1.3: ENABLED
    Client Auth: DISABLED
    Use only bound CA certificates: DISABLED
    Strict CA checks:   NO
    Session Reuse: ENABLED                       Timeout: 120 seconds
    DH: DISABLED
    DH Private-Key Exponent Size Limit: DISABLED   Ephemeral RSA: ENABLED                            Refresh Count: 0
    Deny SSL Renegotiation                                ALL
    Non FIPS Ciphers: DISABLED
    Cipher Redirect: DISABLED
    SSL Redirect: DISABLED
    Send Close-Notify: YES
    Strict Sig-Digest Check: DISABLED
    Zero RTT Early Data: DISABLED
    DHE Key Exchange With PSK: NO
    Tickets Per Authentication Context: 1
    Push Encryption Trigger: Always
    PUSH encryption trigger timeout:             1 ms
    SNI: DISABLED
    OCSP Stapling: DISABLED
    Strict Host Header check for SNI enabled SSL sessions: NO
    Push flag:            0x0 (Auto)
    SSL quantum size:                            8 kB
    Encryption trigger timeout           100 mS
    Encryption trigger packet count:               45
    Subject/Issuer Name Insertion Format: Unicode

    SSL Interception: DISABLED
    SSL Interception OCSP Check: ENABLED
    SSL Interception End to End Renegotiation: ENABLED
    SSL Interception Maximum Reuse Sessions per Server:  10
    Session Ticket: DISABLED
    HSTS: DISABLED
    HSTS IncludeSubDomains: NO
    HSTS Max-Age: 0

    ECC Curve: P_256, P_384, P_224, P_521

1)  Cipher Name: DEFAULT Priority :1
    Description: Predefined Cipher Alias
Done
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Add a front-end SSL profile by using the GUI

Navigate to System > Profiles. Select SSL Profiles.
Click Add and specify a name for the profile.
In Protocol, select TLSv13.
Click OK and then click Done.

Add a back-end SSL profile by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

add ssl profile profile1 -sslprofileType BackEnd -tls13 ENABLED
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Example:

add ssl profile tls13profile2 -sslprofileType BackEnd

sh ssl profile tls13profile2

1) Name: tls13profile2 (Back-End)

    SSLv3: DISABLED TLSv1.0: ENABLED  TLSv1.1: ENABLED  TLSv1.2: ENABLED  TLSv1.3: ENABLED
    Server Auth: DISABLED
    Use only bound CA certificates: DISABLED
    Strict CA checks: NO
    Session Reuse: ENABLED Timeout: 300 seconds
    DH: DISABLED
    Ephemeral RSA: DISABLED
    Deny SSL Renegotiation ALL
    Non FIPS Ciphers: DISABLED
    Cipher Redirect: DISABLED
    SSL Redirect: DISABLED
    Send Close-Notify: YES
    Strict Sig-Digest Check: DISABLED
    Push Encryption Trigger: Always
    PUSH encryption trigger timeout: 1 ms
    SNI: DISABLED
    OCSP Stapling: DISABLED
    Strict Host Header check for SNI enabled SSL sessions: NO
    Push flag: 0x0 (Auto)
    SSL quantum size: 8 kB
    Encryption trigger timeout 100 mS
    Encryption trigger packet count: 45
    Allow Extended Master Secret: NO
    ECC Curve: P_256, P_384, P_224, P_521

1) Cipher Name: DEFAULT_BACKEND Priority :1
    Description: Predefined Cipher Alias

 Done
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Add a back-end SSL profile by using the GUI

Navigate to System > Profiles. Select SSL Profiles.
Click Add and specify a name for the profile.
In SSL Profile Type, select BackEnd.
In Protocol, select TLSv13.
Click OK and then click Done.

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL virtual server by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

set ssl vserver <vserverName> -sslProfile <profile-name>

Example:

set ssl vserver ssl-vs -sslProfile tls13profile

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL virtual server by using the GUI

Navigate to Traffic Management > Load Balancing > Virtual Servers, and select an SSL virtual server.
Click Edit.
In Advanced Settings, click SSL Profile.
Select the TLS 1.3 profile created earlier.
Click OK and then click Done.

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL service by using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

set ssl service <serviceName> -sslProfile <profile-name>

Example:

set ssl service ssl-service -sslProfile tls13profile2

Note:

A warning appears if you bind a front-end profile to an SSL service.

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL service by using the GUI

Navigate to Traffic Management > Load Balancing > Services, and select an SSL service.
Click Edit.
In Advanced Settings, click SSL Profile.
Select the TLS 1.3 profile created earlier.
Click OK and then click Done.

SSL profile parameters for TLS 1.3 protocol

Note:

Only tls13 applies to a back-end SSL profile.

Enable or disable TLS 1.3 parameters in an SSL profile.

tls13: State of TLS 1.3 protocol support for the SSL profile.

Possible values: ENABLED, DISABLED

Default value: DISABLED
```
set ssl profile tls13profile -tls13 enable

```
```
set ssl profile tls13profile -tls13 disable

```
Set the number of session tickets issued.

tls13SessionTicketsPerAuthContext: Number of tickets the SSL virtual server issues when TLS 1.3 is negotiated, ticket-based resumption is enabled, and either (1) a handshake completes or (2) client authentication completes after the handshake.

This value can be increased to enable peers to open multiple parallel connections using a fresh ticket for each connection.

No tickets are sent if resumption is disabled.

Default value: 1

Minimum value: 1

Maximum value: 10
```
set ssl profile tls13profile -tls13sessionTicketsPerAuthContext 1

set ssl profile tls13profile -tls13sessionTicketsPerAuthContext 10

```
Set DH key exchange.

dheKeyExchangeWithPsk: Specifies whether an SSL virtual server requires a DHE key exchange to occur when a preshared key is accepted during a TLS 1.3 session resumption handshake. A DHE key exchange ensures forward secrecy, even if ticket keys are compromised, at the expense of extra resources required to carry out the DHE key exchange.

Available settings work as follows, if session ticket is enabled:

YES: DHE key exchange is required when a pre-shared key is accepted, regardless of whether the client supports the key exchange. The handshake is aborted with a fatal alert, if the client does not support DHE key exchange when offering a pre-shared key.

NO: DHE key exchange is performed when a pre-shared key is accepted, only if requested by the client.

Possible values: YES, NO

Default value: NO
```
set ssl profile tls13profile dheKeyExchangeWithPsk yes

set ssl profile tls13profile dheKeyExchangeWithPsk no

```
Enable or disable 0-RTT early data acceptance.

zeroRttEarlyData: State of TLS 1.3 early application data. Applicable settings work as follows:

ENABLED: Early application data might be processed before the handshake is complete.

DISABLED: Early application data is ignored.

Possible values: ENABLED, DISABLED

Default value: DISABLED
```
set ssl profile tls13profile -zeroRttEarlyData ENABLED

set ssl profile tls13profile -zeroRttEarlyData DISABLED

```

Default cipher group

The default cipher group includes TLS 1.3 ciphers.

sh cipher DEFAULT
1) Cipher Name: TLS1-AES-256-CBC-SHA    Priority : 1
    Description: SSLv3 Kx=RSA      Au=RSA  Enc=AES(256)  Mac=SHA1   HexCode=0x0035

2)  Cipher Name: TLS1-AES-128-CBC-SHA    Priority : 2
    Description: SSLv3 Kx=RSA      Au=RSA  Enc=AES(128)  Mac=SHA1   HexCode=0x002f
…
…
27) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3-AES256-GCM-SHA384         Priority : 27
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=AES-GCM(256) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1302

28) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256     Priority : 28
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=CHACHA20/POLY1305(256) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1303

29) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3-AES128_GCM-SHA256        Priority : 29
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=AES-GCM(128) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1301
Done
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sh cipher DEFAULT_BACKEND
1)  Cipher Name: TLS1-AES-256-CBC-SHA   Priority : 1
    Description: SSLv3 Kx=RSA      Au=RSA  Enc=AES(256)  Mac=SHA1   HexCode=0x0035
2)  Cipher Name: TLS1-AES-128-CBC-SHA   Priority : 2
    Description: SSLv3 Kx=RSA      Au=RSA  Enc=AES(128)  Mac=SHA1   HexCode=0x002f
...
...
27) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3-AES256-GCM-SHA384   Priority : 27
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=AES-GCM(256) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1302
28) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3-CHACHA20-POLY1305-SHA256    Priority : 28
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=CHACHA20/POLY1305(256) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1303
29) Cipher Name: TLS 1.3-AES128-GCM-SHA256   Priority : 29
    Description: TLS 1.3 Kx=any      Au=any  Enc=AES-GCM(128) Mac=AEAD   HexCode=0x1301
 Done
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Limitations

TLS 1.3 is not supported on a NetScaler FIPS appliance.
Only RSA certificates with 1024-bit and larger keys are supported in a TLS 1.3 handshake.

Security restrictions

TLS 1.3 server operators must keep in mind the following security restrictions for backward compatibility outlined in RFC 8446. The default configuration on a NetScaler appliance is compliant with these restrictions. However, a NetScaler appliance does not enforce these rules.

The security of RC4 cipher suites is considered insufficient as described in RFC7465. Implementations must not offer or negotiate RC4 cipher suites for any version of TLS.
Old versions of TLS allowed the use of low strength ciphers. Ciphers with a strength less than 112 bits must not be offered or negotiated for any version of TLS.
The security of SSL 3.0 [SSLv3] is considered insufficient as described in RFC7568, and must not be negotiated. Disable SSLv3 when TLS 1.3 is enabled (SSLv3 is disabled by default).

Note:

For information about troubleshooting protocols that run over TLS 1.3, see Decrypting TLS 1.3 traffic from packet trace.

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Support for TLS 1.3 protocol

July 11, 2023

Contributed by:

S S

July 11, 2023

Contributed by:

S S

Support for TLS 1.3 protocol

Supported NetScaler features

Configuration

Add a front-end SSL profile by using the CLI

Add a front-end SSL profile by using the GUI

Add a back-end SSL profile by using the CLI

Add a back-end SSL profile by using the GUI

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL virtual server by using the CLI

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL virtual server by using the GUI

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL service by using the CLI

Bind an SSL profile to an SSL service by using the GUI

SSL profile parameters for TLS 1.3 protocol

Default cipher group

Limitations

Security restrictions

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