for review: draft -03 of application/samlassertion+xml registration
Jeff.Hodges at KingsMountain.com
Jeff.Hodges at KingsMountain.com
Tue Sep 21 19:34:06 CEST 2004
this rev of the application/samlassertion+xml reflects the enhancements
recently suggested by Martin & Graham. thanks,
JeffH
Registration of MIME media type application/samlassertion+xml
<@@NOTE: This document is:
sstc-saml-2.0-application-samlassertion-registration-03
Jeff Hodges <Jeff.Hodges at Sun.com>
21-Sep-2004
This document supersedes draft-hodges-saml-mediatype-02.txt. It is
intended to be included in sstc-saml-bindings-2.0-cd-02 (ie the next
time [SAMLv2Bind] is rev'd), as an appendix.
Please see http://www.w3.org/2002/06/registering-mediatype.html
for an overview of the intricities involved when a non-IETF organization
registers a MIME media type in the "standards tree" (aka "IETF
tree"). Please also note that that doc is W3C-specific, and is only
pointed to here as a source for overall information rather than
normative procedures.
The below registration material is intended to satisfy the
requirements stated in draft-freed-media-type-reg-01.txt (which
superseded draft-freed-mime-p4-04.txt).
This "NOTE" is intended to be removed upon copying this document's
content into [SAMLv2Bind].
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Ned Freed, Larry Masinter, Graham Klyne,
and Chris Lilley for their comments on prior drafts of this
registration. The security considerations section leverages that of
http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.paos+xml,
by John Kemp.
>
To: ietf-types at iana.org
Subject: Registration of MIME media type
application/samlassertion+xml
Introduction
This document defines a MIME media type --
application/samlassertion+xml -- for use with the XML
serialization of SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language)
assertions.
The SAML specification sets -- [SAMLv1.0], [SAMLv1.1],
[SAMLv2.0] -- are work products of the OASIS Security Services
Technical Committee [SSTC]. The SAML specifications define
XML-based constructs with which one may make, and convey,
security assertions. Using SAML, one can assert that an
authentication event pertaining to some subject has occured and
convey said assertion to a relying party, for example.
SAML assertions, which are explicitly versioned, are defined by
[SAMLv1Core], [SAMLv11Core], and [SAMLv2Core].
MIME media type name: application
MIME subtype name: samlassertion+xml
Required parameters: none
Optional parameters: charset
Same as charset parameter of application/xml [RFC3023].
Encoding considerations:
Same as for application/xml [RFC3023].
Security considerations:
Per their specification, samlassertion+xml typed objects do not
contain executable content. However, SAML assertions are
XML-based objects [XML]. As such, they have all of the general
security considerations presented in section 10 of [RFC3023],
as well as additional ones, since they are explicit security
objects. For example, samlassertion+xml typed objects will
often contain data that may identify or pertain to a natural
person, and may be used as a basis for sessions and access
control decisions.
To counter potential issues, samlassertion+xml typed objects
contain data that should be signed appropriately by the sender.
Any such signature must be verified by the recipient of the
data - both as a valid signature, and as being the signature of
the sender. Issuers of samlassertion+xml objects containing
SAMLv2 assertions may also encrypt all, or portions of, the
assertions [SAMLv2Core].
In addition, SAML profiles and protocol bindings specify use of
secure channels as appropriate.
[SAMLv2.0] incorporates various privacy-protection techniques
in its design. For example: opaque handles, specific to
interactions between specific system entities, may be assigned
to subjects. The handles are mappable to wider-context
identifiers (e.g. email addresses, account identifiers, etc) by
only the specific parties.
For a more detailed discussion of SAML security considerations
and specific security-related design techniques, please refer
to the SAML specifications listed in the below bibliography.
The specifications containing security-specific information
have been explicitly listed for each version of SAML.
Interoperability considerations:
SAML assertions are explicitly versioned. Relying parties
should ensure that they observe assertion version information
and behave accordingly. See "Chapter 4 SAML Versioning" in
[SAMLv1Core], [SAMLv11Core], or [SAMLv2Core], as appropriate.
Published specification:
[SAMLv2Bind] explicitly specifies use of the
application/samlassertion+xml MIME media type. However, it is
conceivable that non-SAMLv2 assertions (i.e. SAMLv1 and/or
SAMLv1.1) might in practice be conveyed using SAMLv2 bindings.
Applications which use this media type:
Potentially any application implementing SAML, as well as those
applications implementing specifications based on SAML, e.g.
those available from the Liberty Alliance [LAP].
Additional information:
Magic number(s):
In general, the same as for application/xml [RFC3023]. In
particular, the XML root element of the returned object
will have a namespace-qualified name with:
- a local name of: Assertion
- a namespace URI of: one of the version-specific
SAML assertion XML namespace URIs, as defined by
the appropriate version-specific SAML "core"
specification (see bibliography).
With SAMLv2.0 specifically, the root element of the
returned object may be either <saml:Assertion> or
<saml:EncryptedAssertion>,where "saml" represents any XML
namespace prefix that maps to the SAMLv2.0 assertion
namespace URI:
urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion
File extension(s): none
Macintosh File Type Code(s): none
Person & email address to contact for further information:
This registration is made on behalf of the OASIS Security
Services Technical Committee (SSTC) Please refer to the SSTC
website for current information on committee chairperson(s) and
their contact addresses:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/. Committee
members should submit comments and potential errata to the
securityservices at lists.oasis-open.org list. Others should
submit them by filling out the web form located at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/comments/form.php?wg_abbrev=
Additionally, the SAML developer community email distribution
list, saml-dev at lists.oasis-open.org, may be employed to discuss
usage of the application/samlassertion+xml MIME media type. The
"saml-dev" mailing list is publicly archived here:
http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/saml-dev/. To post to the
"saml-dev" mailing list, one must subscribe to it. To
subscribe, send a message with the single word "subscribe" in
the message body, to: saml-dev-request at lists.oasis-open.org.
Intended usage: COMMON
Author/Change controller:
The SAML specification sets are a work product of the OASIS
Security Services Technical Committee (SSTC). OASIS and the
SSTC have change control over the SAML specification sets.
Bibliography
[LAP] "Liberty Alliance Project". See
http://www.projectliberty.org/
[OASIS] "Organization for the Advancement of Structured
Information Systems". See
http://www.oasis-open.org/
[RFC3023] M. Murata, S. St.Laurent, D. Kohn, "XML Media Types",
IETF Request for Comments 3023, January 2001.
Available as
http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3023.txt
[SAMLv1.0] OASIS Security Services Technical Committee,
"Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
Version 1.0 Specification Set". OASIS Standard
200205, November 2002. Available as
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php
/2290/oasis-sstc-saml-1.0.zip
[SAMLv1Bind] Prateek Mishra et al., "Bindings and Profiles for
the OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML)", OASIS, November 2002. Document ID
oasis-sstc-saml-bindings-1.0. See
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv1Core] Phillip Hallam-Baker et al., "Assertions and
Protocol for the OASIS Security Assertion Markup
Language (SAML)", OASIS, November 2002. Document
ID oasis-sstc-saml-core-1.0. See
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv1Sec] Chris McLaren et al., "Security Considerations for
the OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML)", OASIS, November 2002. Document ID
oasis-sstc-saml-sec-consider-1.0. See
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv1.1] OASIS Security Services Technical Committee,
"Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
Version 1.1 Specification Set". OASIS Standard
200308, August 2003. Available as
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php
/3400/oasis-sstc-saml-1.1-pdf-xsd.zip
[SAMLv11Bind] E. Maler et al. "Bindings and Profiles for the
OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML)". OASIS, September 2003. Document ID
oasis-sstc-saml-bindings-1.1.
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv11Core] E. Maler et al. "Assertions and Protocol for the
OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML)". OASIS, September 2003. Document ID
oasis-sstc-saml-core-1.1.
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv11Sec] E. Maler et al. "Security Considerations for the
OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML)". OASIS, September 2003. Document ID
oasis-sstc-saml-sec-consider-1.1.
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv2.0] OASIS Security Services Technical Committee,
"Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
Version 2.0 Specification Set". WORK IN
PROGRESS. Available at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv2Bind] S. Cantor et al., "Bindings for the OASIS Security
Assertion Markup Language (SAML) V2.0". OASIS
SSTC, August 2004. Document ID
sstc-saml-bindings-2.0-cd-01, WORK IN PROGRESS.
See http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv2Core] S. Cantor et al., "Assertions and Protocols for
the OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language
(SAML) V2.0". OASIS SSTC, August 2004. Document
ID sstc-saml-core-2.0-cd-01, WORK IN PROGRESS.
See http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv2Prof] S. Cantor et al., "Profiles for the OASIS Security
Assertion Markup Language (SAML) V2.0". OASIS
SSTC, August 2004. Document ID
sstc-saml-profiles-2.0-cd-01, WORK IN PROGRESS.
See http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SAMLv2Sec] F. Hirsch et al., "Security and Privacy
Considerations for the OASIS Security Assertion
Markup Language (SAML) V2.0". OASIS SSTC, August
2004, WORK IN PROGRESS. Document ID
sstc-saml-sec-consider-2.0-cd-01. See
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[SSTC] "OASIS Security Services Technical Committee". See
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/security/
[XML] Bray, T., Paoli, J., Sperberg-McQueen, C.M. and
E. Maler, François Yergeau, "Extensible
Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Third Edition)",
World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation
REC-xml, Feb 2004, Available as
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/
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