August 2013 Introduction to Moonshot
Apr 01, 2015
August 2013
Introduction to Moonshot
Why Moonshot?
•Within education, there are a number of specialised federations:– UK federation - Access to web-based resources– eduroam - International wireless roaming– edugain - Access to resources worldwide
•To build a single unified federation, we need a common interface, to allow us to federate anything and everything.
Federations: Why Federate?
•Costs can be reduced and shared•Users take better care of a single, reusable credential
•Adding services is simple•Offers enhanced privacy to users•Access decisions can be delegated to the identity provider
Federations: Why Federate?
•The ATM doesn’t decide whether you get your money or not - that’s decided by your own bank
•The ATM doesn’t validate your PIN and card either - again, that’s checked by your own bank
ABFABApplication Bridging for Federated Access Beyond web
Interface: GSS
•GSS-API is used by Moonshot to interface between applications and the relying party.– GSS is not the only API supported here - SASL and SSPI work
too!
Transport
Credentials are transmitted from the end user to the RP using GSS - but how do the credentials then move credentials from the RP to the IdP?
Transport: RadSec
RadSec is a security focused evolution of RADIUS - a proven technology that you could be using right now.
Moonshot uses RadSec to transport credentials between a Relying Party and the Identity Provider.
Transport: RadSec
•eduroam has been operating using RADIUS for 10 years
•In the UK alone, there are currently 229 members
•Last month, the UK saw 200,000 unique devices, and handled almost 10,000,000 successful authentications
•54 countries worldwide
Confidentiality
One weakness that may be apparent is that credentials are sent to the RP - they could potentially alter them or worse, steal them.
Confidentiality: EAP
EAP provides a standard to encapsulate credentials, and protect them from being read by anything but the IdP - even the RP.
EAP also provides “Channel Bindings” - allowing the IdP to verify the user is connecting to the RP they think they are.
Rich Identity: SAML
SAML provides a language to describe the properties a user might have - their role, email address, or name for example.
Moonshot supports SAML, allowing the IdP to give this information to the RP.
Moonshot Architecture
13
SSH client SSH server RADIUS server
(2) SSH negotiation
(3) Authentication
(4) RADIUS
(1) Credentialing
(5) Attributes(6) SSH session
OpenSSH used as example of application; many others also apply
Scaling
•Moonshot brings together a number of technologies:– GSS - a common interface between applications and services– RadSec - Secure AAA Transport– EAP - Protection for credentials– SAML - Rich identity information
•How can these technologies be scaled for use beyond a single institution?
Scaling: The Trust Router
The trust router uses the concept of a “Web of Trust” to find a trusted path to a resource.You don’t necessarily trust the person holding the resource - but you do trust the judgement of someone that can vouch for them.
Scaling: The Trust Router
University of
Camford
Blue Book Publishing
Inc.
Internet2
Janet
Oxfordshire NHS Trust
Jisc Collections
Scaling: The Trust Router
RadSecRadSec
RadSecRadSec
TrustRouter
RadSecRadSec
RadSecRadSec
TPQTPQTPQTPQ
Temporary IdentityTemporary IdentityTemporary IdentityTemporary Identity
GSSGSSGSSGSS EAPEAPEAPEAP
EAPEAP
EAPEAP
RelyingParty
Client
TrustRouter
TrustRouter
RPProxy
IdPProxy
T.I.T.I.T.I.T.I.
Access-AcceptAccess-Accept
Access-AcceptAccess-Accept
Access-AcceptAccess-Accept
Access-AcceptAccess-Accept
SessionSessionSessionSession
Moonshot and Trust Router Architecture
Using Moonshot: UX
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Using Moonshot: UX
Using Moonshot: Why?
•Enhanced UX and privacy– Improved SSO: users can access more resources more easily
•No credential management– Home institution is responsible for provisioning credentials
and support
•Fine-grained security policies with minimal effort•Reduced management overhead
Using Moonshot: Use Cases
•Primarily Janet is supporting research users•Strong demand from local and central government, health, education and research for a federated desktop experience–Many desktops in these institutions run Windows– Janet’s SSPI provides this functionality already, but UX could
be improved even further by tighter integration
Using Moonshot: Use Cases
“We aim to streamline access services using Moonshot technology, which will take the burden of authentication out of the hands of our users.”
-- Dr Peter Oliver, Group Leader
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Using Moonshot: Use Cases
“Moonshot is a valuable enabler for Cancer Research across the UK. It will make collaboration systems easy to build internally so that we can quickly share large data sets ,between institutes without complicating the management of that system.”
-- Peter Maccallum, Head of IT & Scientific Computing
CRUK Cambridge Research Institute
Using Moonshot: Use Cases
“Moonshot technology will give our university a better means of cooperating for research purposes using High Performance Computing”
-- Alex Brulo, Senior Server Engineer (HPC)
Aston University
Using Moonshot: How
•Anything that understands GSS or Kerberos can already support Moonshot.
•Web based applications will be able to implement the Moonshot web plugin.
•Non web applications - integrate GSS, SASL or SSPI directly.– Doing this will mean that it will work with not just Moonshot,
but Kerberos/Active Directory, and more
Janet’s Moonshot Pilot
Moonshot Pilot Service
•To assist pilot sites in implementing Moonshot to solve real use cases.•To fully test Janet support and infrastructure operations.•To develop, test & refine documentation, training and policies.•To inform and shape the business case for a full production service.
Janet Pilot Sites
• London Research Institute
• Norfolk County Council
• Loughborough University
• Swansea University• Newcastle University• QCIF (also working
with Monash Uni) • Deutsches Elektronen-
Synchrotron • Universidade do Porto • University of Leicester • Georgia Tech • University of Leeds • University of
Nottingham • Universidade Lusofona• University of
Westminster • CANARIE Inc..• London Metropolitan
University
• Francis Crick Institute• E2BN (East of
England RBC) • University of
Edinburgh• Research Data, ISD,
UCL • Queen Mary,
University of London • Wellcome Trust
Sanger Institute • GSI Darmstadt • University of Liverpoo• l University of Kent • University of Glasgow • University of
Cambridge• University for the
Creative Arts • Cardiff University and
LIGO Scientific Collaboration
• University of Leicester
• STFC
• Brunel University
• Harper Adams University
• University of Huddersfield
• University of Southampton
• Brunel University
• Coleg Sir Gar
• University of Sussex
• University of Exeter
• University of South Australia
• Arkivum
• Microsoft
GÉANT GN3+ MOONSHOT PILOT
GN3+ Pilot
2 year project to implement an eduGAIN pilot service to:
•investigate the peering requirements between different NREN Trust Router infrastructures;•promote uptake of a standard non-web SSO solution across eduGAIN members; •implement non-web SSO for specific user-defined problems;•establish a policy framework within eduGAIN for pilot Communities of Interest
Further Information
Moonshot Community website:•https://community.ja.net/groups/moonshot
Software:•https://community.ja.net/groups/moonshot/wiki/getting-started-moonshot-using-live-dvd
Standards:•https://tools.ietf.org/wg/abfab
THANK YOUJanet, Lumen House Library Avenue, Harwell OxfordDidcot, Oxfordshiret: +44 (0) 1235 822200f: +44 (0) 1235 822399e: [email protected]