Blindfold your TLS Certificates

Objective

This document provides instructions on how to encrypt your TLS certificates using F5® Distributed Cloud Blindfold. This ensures additional security measures for the certificates stored in F5 Distributed Cloud Platform. To know more about Blindfold and secrets management, see Blindfold.

Note: Distributed Cloud Platform supports blindfolding the secrets directly in Console. Use the instructions provided in this document only in the case you want to apply Blindfold to your certificates Offline.

The following image illustrates the sequence of actions performed in securing the certificates.

image4
Figure: F5 Distributed Cloud Blindfold

Using the instructions provided in this guide, you can encrypt TLS certificate with Blindfold and apply it to a virtual host.


Prerequisites

The following prerequisites apply:

Note: If you do not have an account, see Create an Account.

  • A virtual host with a signed TLS certificate

Note: If you do not have a virtual host, see Create a Virtual Host.

  • The vesctl tool. Download vesctl on your local machine as it is used to apply Blindfold to the TLS certificate.

  • Optionally, one or more cloud or edge locations with a Distributed Cloud site

Note: Install the Distributed Cloud node or cluster image in your cloud or edge location. See Site Management for more information.

  • A minimum of monitor role in the Shared namespace is required.

Configuration

The following image shows the configuration sequence of applying Blindfold encryption to your TLS certificate.

image3
Figure: Encrypting TLS-Key using Blindfold

Configuration Sequence

Applying Blindfold to the certificates of your WebApp includes performing the following sequence of actions:

PhaseDescription
Create a Secret PolicyCreate a policy to permit F5 Distributed Cloud Wingman and data plane to access the TLS certificate.
Prepare Credentials and PolicyRetrieve API credentials from Console, derive certificates, derive keys, and obtain policy.
Encrypt TLS CertificatePerform the encryption on a local computer. It is recommended to use an air-gapped computer.
Enable TLS on the Virtual HostUpdate the Virtual Host configuration with the TLS certificate and key encrypted with Blindfold.

Note: The API credentials are required to be downloaded in PKCS #12 file format.


Create a Secret Policy

The secret policy allows Wingman and Distributed Cloud data plane access to the TLS certificate.

Note: You can also use the inbuilt ves-io-allow-volterra policy.

Step 1: Log into Console and start creating new secret policy.
  • From the Home screen, click Multi-Cloud Network Connect under All Services.

  • In the Manage section of the configuration menu, select Secrets from the options pane, and then select Secret Policies to see a list of existing policies. Then click Add secret policy to see the new secret policy form.

  • In the Metadata section,

  • Enter a unique name for the secret policy.

  • Optionally, set labels and description, as necessary.

  • Check Allow F5XC to allow the data plane to decrypt an encrypted TLS private key.

  • Enter Decrypt Cache Timeout to limit the time a decrypted secret is cached in Wingman.

secret pol metadata 2
Figure: Secret Policy Metadata
Step 2: Configure the Secret Policy Rules.

The Secret Policy Rules section lists all the rules for this policy.

To add a new rule, Select Policy Rules > choose Configure link > click + Add item button and fill out the secret policy rule form as outlined below.

secret pol rules 2
Figure: Secret Policy Metadata

In the Metadata section,

  • Enter a unique name for the new rule.

  • Optionally, set labels and description, as necessary.

In the Action section, selecting Allow or Deny determines how to react to a request if all the predicates evaluate to true.

In the Client Selection section, specify the client(s) that will be affected by this rule.

  • Group of Clients by Name - List of client names for which the rule will apply. You can specify them using Exact Values and/or Regex Values. Click Add item and enter exact values or regular expressions for server names. Continue to click either Add item button to build your list.

  • Group of Clients by Label Selector - Specifies the labels associated with the clients to which the rule will apply. To add labels, click in the Selector Expression field, and then for each label you want to add:

    • Select a key from the displayed options or type a key and click Assign Custom Key,
    • Select a displayed operator,
    • Select a displayed value or enter a custom value,
    • Click Apply. If this is the last label, click outside the Selector Expression area or press the tab key.
  • Client Name: Enter a single client name.

When finished entering clients for this rule, click the Apply button.

secret pol action 2
Figure: Secret Policy Action

Click Apply to save the custom rule list.

Step 3: Complete the policy.
  • Click Save and Exit button to complete the secret policy.

    secret pol metadata 2
    Figure: Secret Policy Metadata

Prepare Credentials and Policy

Step 1: Create an API Certificate.
  • Log into F5 Distributed Cloud Platform
  • Create an API certificate using the instructions in the Generate API Certificate chapter of the Credentials document.
  • Download the certificate in the PKCS #12 (P12) format.
Step 2: Create a config file and add P12 bundle and server URLs to that file

Create a file named .vesconfig and add the P12 certificate bundle and the tenant server URLs to that file.

Step 3: Set the environment for P12 password.

Enter the following command:

          export VES_P12_PASSWORD=<p12 password>

        

Note: The password for the P12 file is set during the generation of API certificate.

Step 4: Obtain a public-key using vesctl and store the output to a file.

This example stores the output to a file named demo-api-pubkey.

          vesctl request secrets get-public-key > demo-api-pubkey

        
Step 5: Obtain a policy-document using vesctl and store the output to a file.

This example stores the output to a file named demo-api-policy. You can use the inbuilt policy or the policy created in the previous chapter. This example uses the inbuilt ves-io-allow-volterra policy.

          vesctl request secrets get-policy-document --namespace shared --name ves-io-allow-volterra > demo-api-policy

        

Encrypt TLS Key Using Blindfold

Step 1: Encrypt TLS Key using vesctl and Blindfold.

This example stores the output to a file named bl-enckey.

          vesctl request secrets encrypt --policy-document demo-api-policy --public-key demo-api-pubkey key.pem  > bl-enckey

        

Note: Provide the public key and policy document obtained in the Prepare Credentials and Policy chapter. The key.pem is the TLS key to be encrypted.

Step 2: Save the encrypted TLS Key for future use.

You will need the encrypted key in the Enable TLS on the Virtual Host chapter when adding your TLS key.


Enable TLS on the Virtual Host

This capability has been deprecated.


Enable TLS on a Load Balancer

Follow these steps to cut and paste a blindfolded (or non-blindfolded) TLS certificate to your load balancer.

Step 1: Log into Console and edit your load balancer configuration.
  • Log into Console.

  • Click Web App & API Protection.

Figure: Console Homepage
Figure: Console Homepage
  • Select your namespace from the Namespace drop-down menu.

  • Select Manage > Load Balancers > HTTP Load Balancers.

  • Select ... > Manage Configuration for your load balancer, and then select Edit Configuration in the top right to edit the load balancer's configuration.

Step 2: Configure your load balancer for a custom certificate.
CustomTLS
Figure: Custom TLS
  • Select HTTPS with Custom Certificate from the Load Balancer Type drop-down menu in the Domains and LB Type section.

  • Optionally select HTTP Redirect to HTTPS and Add HSTS Header checkboxes.

  • Use the HTTP Listen Port Choice to select between using a single port or a range of ports, and then enter the port number(s). For a range of ports, enter a list of non-overlapping port ranges with a maximum of 64 ports in the list, e.g. 443,100-120,8080,9080-9089.

  • Select TLS Certificates from the TLS Configuration drop-down menu, and then click Configure.

Step 3: Insert one or more certificates.
  • From the TLS Security Level drop-down menu, select the desired level.

  • From the Certificates drop-down menu, select Add Item. This brings up the TLS Certificate form allowing you to add import a certificate. Typically you would use Import from File, but this example will show how to paste a certificate instead.

TLSImport
Figure: import TLS Certificate
  • Click the JSON tab above the form. This will show your TLS certificate and associated information in a JSON editor. It will be empty, except for any meta data you may have entered in the form.
TLSCertForm
Figure: Empty TLS Certificate JSON
  • Add your certificate and private key to the JSON using one of the following instruction sets based on the type of certificate/key you want to enter.
Non-Blindfolded certificate and private key Instructions
  • If you have a non-blindfolded certificate and private key, paste the following JSON template into the JSON editor.

    Note: Using this method, you will paste your private key in the clear, and it will not be blindfolded (encrypted). Base64 encoding is not encryption.

          
{
  "metadata": {
    "name": "certificate-name",
    "namespace": "my-namespace"
  },
  "spec": {
    "disable_ocsp_stapling": {},
    "certificate_url": "string:///<base64 encoded certificate>",
    "private_key": {
      "clear_secret_info": {
        "url": "string:///<base64 encoded private key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

        
  • Encode your certificate and private key using https://www.base64encode.org/ or equivalent.

  • Paste your encoded certificate text into the certificate_url key following the three slashes. That is to say, replace <base64 encoded certificate> with your encoded certificate text.

  • Repeat the process for the private key. You will be replacing <base64 encoded private key> with your encoded private key text.

Blindfolded certificate and private key Instructions
  • If you have a blindfolded certificate and private key, paste the following JSON template into the JSON editor.
          
{
    "metadata": {
        "name": "certificate-name",
        "namespace": "my-namespace"
    },
    "spec": {
        "disable_ocsp_stapling": {},
        "certificate_url": "string:///<blindfolded certificate>",
        "private_key": {
            "blindfold_secret_info": {
                "location": "string:///<blindfolded private key>"
            }
        }
    }
}


        
  • Paste your blindfolded certificate into the certificate_url key following the three slashes. That is to say, replace <blindfolded certificate> with your blindfolded certificate text.

  • Repeat the process for the private key. You will be replacing <blindfolded private key> with your blindfolded private key text.

  • Once your certificate and key are in the spec section, ensure that the name and namespace values are correct in the metadata section. The namespace value must match your selected namespace.

  • Click the Form tab to return to the TLS Certificate form.

TLSCertAdded
Figure: TLS Certificate Added
  • Select an OCSP Stapling option. Then click Continue to save the certificate.

  • Click Save and Exit to create your certificate.

  • Your new certificate will now be in your certificates list. Make sure it is selected in the Certificates drop-down menu and then click Apply to save your TLS parameters.

Step 4: Complete the modifications to your HTTP Load Balancer.
  • In the TLS Parameters form, you can use the + Add Item button to add more TLS certificates, if required.

  • Click Apply to save your TLS parameters.

  • Click Save and Exit to complete the modifications to your HTTP load balancer.


Concepts


API References