draft-ietf-tls-extended-key-update
Extended Key Update for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3
TLS 1.3 ensures forward secrecy by performing an ephemeral Diffie-
Hellman key exchange during the initial handshake, protecting past
communications even if a party's long-term keys (typically a private
key with a corresponding certificate) are later compromised. While
the built-in KeyUpdate mechanism allows application traffic keys to
be refreshed during a session, it does not incorporate fresh entropy
from a new key exchange and therefore does not provide post-
compromise security. This limitation can pose a security risk in
long-lived sessions, such as those found in industrial IoT or
telecommunications environments.
To address this, this specification defines an extended key update
mechanism that performs a fresh Diffie-Hellman exchange within an
active session, thereby ensuring post-compromise security. By
forcing attackers to exfiltrate new key material repeatedly, this
approach mitigates the risks associated with static key compromise.
Regular renewal of session keys helps contain the impact of such
compromises. The extension is applicable to both TLS 1.3 and DTLS
1.3.