Key Ceremony

Formal procedure for generating CA keys with split responsibility and audit trail.

• Air-gap laptop or HSM
• Smartcards for key shares
• USB drives (new, sealed)
• Camera for documentation
• Tamper-evident bags
• Protocol forms
• Pens (non-erasable)

1. Identify all participants (check ID)
2. Start protocol with:
   - Date, time, location
   - All attendees (name, role, signature)
3. Collect mobile phones
4. Explain purpose of ceremony
5. Confirm roles

# Verify air-gap system
# 1. Network disabled?
ip link show  # No active interfaces
 
# 2. Check BIOS boot log
dmesg | grep -i network
 
# 3. Check HSM status (if used)
/opt/hsm/bin/status
# Expected result: Uninitialized or Ready

#!/bin/bash
# key-ceremony-generate.sh
 
echo "=== ROOT CA KEY GENERATION ==="
echo "Date: $(date -Iseconds)"
echo "System: $(hostname)"
 
# 1. Check entropy quality
echo ""
echo "--- Entropy Check ---"
cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail
# Expected result: > 3000
 
# 2. Generate Root CA key
echo ""
echo "--- Key Generation ---"
 
# ECDSA P-384 (Classic)
openssl ecparam -genkey -name secp384r1 -noout -out root-ca-ecdsa.key
echo "ECDSA P-384: $(openssl ec -in root-ca-ecdsa.key -text -noout 2>&1 | head -1)"
 
# ML-DSA-87 (Post-Quantum) - if OpenSSL 3.6+
openssl genpkey -algorithm ML-DSA-87 -out root-ca-mldsa.key 2>/dev/null
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "ML-DSA-87: Generated"
else
    echo "ML-DSA-87: Not available (OpenSSL < 3.6)"
fi
 
# 3. Record key fingerprints
echo ""
echo "--- Key Fingerprints ---"
openssl ec -in root-ca-ecdsa.key -pubout -outform DER 2>/dev/null | sha256sum
# Record: SHA256 = ...
 
# 4. Create CSR (for cross-certification or self-signed)
echo ""
echo "--- CSR Generation ---"
openssl req -new -key root-ca-ecdsa.key \
    -out root-ca.csr \
    -subj "/CN=Example Organization Root CA/O=Example Organization/C=DE"
 
# 5. Create self-signed root
echo ""
echo "--- Self-Signed Certificate ---"
openssl x509 -req -in root-ca.csr \
    -signkey root-ca-ecdsa.key \
    -out root-ca.pem \
    -days 9125 \
    -extfile root-ca.ext \
    -sha384
 
# Verify certificate
openssl x509 -in root-ca.pem -text -noout | head -30

# Shamir Secret Sharing
echo "=== KEY SPLIT ==="
 
# 5 shares, 3 needed for recovery
cat root-ca-ecdsa.key | ssss-split -t 3 -n 5 -w root-ca-share
 
# Write shares to smartcards/USB
for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
    echo "Share $i -> Smartcard/USB $i"
    # cp root-ca-share-$i /mnt/smartcard-$i/
done
 
# Securely delete original key
shred -vfz -n 3 root-ca-ecdsa.key
rm root-ca-ecdsa.key

# 1. Can certificate sign?
echo "Test signature..."
echo "test" | openssl dgst -sha384 -sign root-ca-ecdsa.key 2>/dev/null && echo "OK"
 
# 2. Can key shares be combined?
ssss-combine -t 3 << EOF
<Share-1>
<Share-2>
<Share-3>
EOF > /tmp/restored.key
 
# Compare
diff <(openssl ec -in /tmp/restored.key -pubout) <(openssl ec -in root-ca-ecdsa.key -pubout)

1. Seal key shares in tamper-evident bags
2. Each crypto officer receives their share
3. Backup shares to safe(s)
4. Record bag serial numbers
5. Collect handover signatures

1. Securely delete all temporary files
   shred -vfz -n 3 /tmp/*.key /tmp/*.pem

2. Shut down system (air-gap)

3. Complete protocol:
   - End time
   - All signatures
   - Photo/video index

4. Seal and archive protocol

KEY CEREMONY PROTOCOL
=====================

Ceremony ID: KC-2024-001
Date: ________________
Start: _______ End: _______
Location: ____________________________

PARTICIPANTS:
| Name | Role | ID No. | Signature |
|------|------|--------|-----------|
|      |      |        |           |
|      |      |        |           |
|      |      |        |           |
|      |      |        |           |

KEY DETAILS:
- Algorithm: ECDSA P-384 / ML-DSA-87
- Key ID: _______________
- Public Key Hash (SHA256): ______________________
- Certificate Serial: _______________
- Validity: _______ to _______

KEY SHARES:
| Share | Bag No. | Custodian | Handover Signature |
|-------|---------|-----------|-------------------|
| 1     |         |           |                   |
| 2     |         |           |                   |
| 3     |         |           |                   |
| 4     |         |           |                   |
| 5     |         |           |                   |

VERIFICATION:
[ ] Entropy > 3000
[ ] Key successfully generated
[ ] Certificate self-signed
[ ] Key shares created (3-of-5)
[ ] Shares verified
[ ] Original key deleted
[ ] Shares distributed and sealed

CLOSING:
[ ] Temporary files deleted
[ ] System shut down
[ ] Protocol complete

_______________________________
Ceremony Lead Signature

_______________________________
Auditor/Witness Signature

# Luna HSM Key Ceremony
/usr/safenet/lunaclient/bin/lunacm << 'EOF'
 
# Create partition
partition create -label "Root-CA"
 
# Generate key
partition contents -slot 0
generateKeyPair -keyType ECDSA -curvetype secp384r1 -label "root-ca-2024"
 
# Create backup
partition backup -serialNumber <HSM-Serial>
 
EOF

• CA Backup/Restore - Key recovery
• Emergency Revocation - On compromise
• Compliance - Regulatory requirements

« <- CA Backup/Restore | -> Emergency Revocation »

Wolfgang van der Stille @ EMSR DATA d.o.o. - Post-Quantum Cryptography Professional