[DNSSEC] Resolver behavior with broken DS records

[Marc Lampo]

Hello,

Just tried with Bind 9.7.2-P3 (in our course environment for our DNSSEC
workshop).
I can *not* confirm this behaviour there :
 1 correct DS record,
 1 DS record, correct in everything but the algorithm
--> validating caching name servers nicely return answers with "AD" bit
set.

All name servers in this environment are 9.7.2-P3, by the way.
The correct DS was referring to algorithm 5,
the wrong DS to algorithm 8 (the corresponding algorithm in the DNSKEY
record was 5)

Kind regards,

Marc


-----Original Message-----
From: Stephane Bortzmeyer [mailto:bortzmeyer at nic.fr] 
Sent: 06 May 2011 03:40 PM
To: bind-users at lists.isc.org
Subject: [DNSSEC] Resolver behavior with broken DS records

In an (involuntary) experiment under .FR, I discovered that the rule
"at least one DS must match for a child zone to be authenticated" is
wrong if a broken DS is present. In our case, the field Algorithm in
the DS did not match the one in the DNSKEY. While there was another
correct DS for the child zone, BIND 9.6 and 9.8 servfail. So, the
incorrect DS made the child zone bogus.

If there are DS and that one of them is dangling (going to an
unexisting key) or unknown (new algorithm), BIND validates if there is
at least one DS it can process.

I won't discuss the legality of this behaviour (my reading of the RFC
on this point is that a resolver can do what it wants) but I believe
that the current BIND behaviour is:

* inconsistent: BIND uses a "at least one DS" policy when there are
dangling DS but a "all the DS" when there are broken DS.

* dangerous: a simple mistake in one of the DS will make the zone
bogus.