AOL Member Security Certificate Policy Certification ... - AOL.com

FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
AOL ® Member Security
Certificate Policy
and
Certification Practice Statement
AOL LLC
22000 AOL Way
Dulles VA 20166 USA
IT Security Department

© Copyright 2006 AOL LLC. All rights reserved.
AOL LLC hereby permits each participant using AOL® Member Security PKI services to
copy this document in its entirety as necessary in the ordinary course of acting as a
participant, but not including publication in any medium, the making of any derivative
work, or use in any system other than an AOL® Member Security PKI service.
“Participant” is used here in the sense defined in this document.
AOL and America Online are registered trademarks of AOL LLC.
All trademarks, service marks, and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1
2. CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY ............................................................................................................. 1
2.1. THE AOL MEMBER SECURITY PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE ........................................................... 1
2.2. THE AOL COMMUNITY AND AOL MEMBER SECURITY PKI PARTICIPATION..................................... 2
2.2.1. AOL Member Security PKI Participation ..................................................................................... 2
2.2.2. PKI Roles......................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2.3. AOL Certification Authorities ........................................................................................................ 3
2.2.4. Applicability and Use of Certificates............................................................................................. 3
2.3. LIMITATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 4
2.3.1. Services Are For Participants Only............................................................................................... 4
2.3.2. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability .................................................................. 4
2.3.3. Enrollment Process for Non-Participants ..................................................................................... 5
2.3.4. Relying Party Obligations .............................................................................................................. 5
3. CERTIFICATE CONTENT AND CONFIRMATION......................................................................... 5
3.1. IDENTIFYING AND AUTHENTICATING AOL MEMBER SECURITY PKI CERTIFICATES ......................... 5
3.2. FORM AND CONTENT OF CERTIFICATES GENERALLY ........................................................................... 6
3.3. FIELDS SUPPORTED FOR USE IN AOL MEMBER SECURITY PKI ........................................................... 7
3.3.1. Fields Identifying the Subject ......................................................................................................... 7
3.3.2. Fields Identifying the Issuer ........................................................................................................... 8
3.3.3. Other Supported Fields................................................................................................................... 9
3.4. PROFILES FOR SPECIFIC CERTIFICATE TYPES ......................................................................................11
3.4.1. Device Authentication Certificates ..............................................................................................11
3.4.2. Screen Name Authentication Certificates....................................................................................11
3.4.3. Full Name Authentication Certificates ........................................................................................12
3.4.4. Basic Encryption Certificates.......................................................................................................12
3.4.5. Identification Certificates .............................................................................................................13
3.5. IDENTIFICATION AND CONFIRMATION .................................................................................................13
3.5.1. Identifying Subjects.......................................................................................................................13
3.5.2. Confirmation of the Factual Content of Certificates ..................................................................14
3.6. CONFIDENTIALITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ............................................................................16
3.6.1. Confidentiality of Certificate Content..........................................................................................16
3.6.2. Intellectual Property Rights in Certificate Content ....................................................................16
4. CERTIFICATE AND KEY PAIR LIFECYCLES...............................................................................17
4.1. A CERTIFICATE AND KEY PAIR AS SEEN BY A PARTICIPATING MEMBER ..........................................17
4.2. PROCESSES ............................................................................................................................................18
4.2.1. Setup and Replacement of AOL Member Security PKI Capabilities.........................................18
4.2.2. Expiration and Renewal of an AOL Member Security PKI Capability .....................................21
4.2.3. Revocation of an AOL Member Security PKI Capability...........................................................22
4.2.4. Timing of Verification and Certificate Invalidation ...................................................................24
4.2.5. Archiving and Record Retention of Certificates .........................................................................25
4.3. KEY MANAGEMENT, DISTRIBUTION, AND RECOVERY .......................................................................25
4.3.1. Public Keys and their Certificates ...............................................................................................25
4.3.2. Private Authentication Keys.........................................................................................................25
4.3.3. Private Encryption Keys and their Recovery ..............................................................................26
4.3.4. Private Identification Keys ...........................................................................................................26
5. CERTIFICATION OPERATIONS ........................................................................................................26
5.1. SECURITY AND SOUNDNESS OF OPERATIONS ......................................................................................26
5.2. TERMINATION OF CA............................................................................................................................27

5.3. AUDITS ..................................................................................................................................................27
6. AMENDMENT AND REVIEW OF THIS CP/CPS ............................................................................29
7. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS .......................................................................................................29
8. GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES.........................................................................................................30
8.1. DEFINITIONS..........................................................................................................................................30
8.2. REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................32
8.3. LINKS.....................................................................................................................................................32
APPENDIX A NATIONAL ADAPTATIONS ..............................................................................................34
APPENDIX B COMPARISON TO [RFC 3647]............................................................................................. 1

AOL ® Member Security PKI Certificate Policy and
Certification Practice Statement
1. Introduction
This document (termed the “CP/CPS”) is the combined certificate policy and certification practice
statement for the public key infrastructure known as AOL Member Security PKI. AOL Member
Security PKI supports a suite of services that can enhance the level of security associated with
AOL’s consumer services for Members who choose to participate. For example, these services
may include issuing certificates to Members, certificates that can be used to authenticate access
to the AOL system, or to encrypt and digitally sign electronic communications. The AOL Member
Security PKI also provides the ability for AOL to allow participating nonmembers to access and
rely on certificates issued to Members.
Certificate policies and certification practice statements are often contained in two separate
documents that set the general policies governing the operation and use of a public key
infrastructure, and the practices that will be utilized to conform to such policy. For simplicity, all
certificate-related policies and practices relevant to AOL Member Security PKI have been
combined in this single CP/CPS document.
The AOL Member Security PKI is a closed community PKI. Certificates will only be issued by the
AOLCA to participating Members for reliance and use by participants. Because the services
intended to be offered pursuant to this CP/CPS are directed to a closed community of AOL’s
Members and other approved participating nonmembers (section 2.3.3), the rights and
responsibilities of participants using AOL Member Security PKI services will substantially be
detailed in the user agreements governing access to and use of a particular service.
This CP/CPS document details the general operations and practices for all AOL Member Security
PKI services and provides the framework under which all certificates of the AOL Member Security
PKI will be created, managed and/or used by participants. But this CP/CPS must be read in
conjunction with the Member Agreement, AOL Member Security PKI Addendum, and/or
participating nonmember agreement applicable to a particular AOL Member Security PKI service
offered by AOL in order to fully understand a participant’s rights and responsibilities. AOL
Member Security PKI services are not intended to be used or relied upon by persons who are not
participants.
Certain internal operational procedures relating to AOL Member Security PKI have not been
disclosed in this or other publicly released documents in order not to unnecessarily jeopardize the
security of the AOL Member Security PKI.
2. Context and Community
2.1. The AOL Member Security Public Key Infrastructure
AOL Member Security PKI described in this CP/CPS is an infrastructure that will allow AOL to
develop and offer to Members particular security-related products and services that make use of
certificate services.
Currently, certificates governed by this CP/CPS may identify the following subjects:
• a device (Device Authentication Certificate);
• an AOL organizational entity (AOL Identification Certificates);
• an AOL Screen Name (Screen Name Authentication Certificate);
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• a full name (Full Name Authentication Certificate); and
• encrypted messages or data streams (Basic Encryption Certificate).
These certificates will be issued by the AOLCA to Members and AOL organizations in connection
with specific AOL product and/or service offerings that are not yet developed. Nevertheless, some
examples of anticipated product and service offerings include the following:
• Access Control: Certificates may be installed into a small hardware device (i.e. the
AOL Token) that can easily be connected to or disconnected from a participating
Member’s computer. Its functionality is essentially that of a smart card (also called
a “chip card” or “integrated circuit card”). Each AOL Token has a unique identifier,
namely a device serial number (Card Unique Identifier, or “CUID”). Some may also
include a Device Authentication Certificate. AOL Tokens also have functionality
designed to prevent tampering and permit detection of counterfeiting. An AOL
Token may be bound to a Member’s account or subaccount Screen Name. Once
bound to a participating Member’s Screen Name and properly connected to a
computer, the AOL Token can provide additional security for a participating Member
when logging into the AOL system to access AOL services.
• Secure Communications: Certificates issued by the AOLCA, including those
installed into an AOL Token, can also be used to encrypt and digitally sign
electronic communications, for instance, to enable a participating Member to send
secure e-mail, instant messages, or other information. Encryption helps protect the
confidentiality of the encrypted information, and the digital signature helps assure
the authenticity of the encrypted message by enabling a recipient to detect if the
message has been altered in transmission as well as attribute it to a source
identified in the certificate. However, to a great extent, achieving this improved
level of security depends on whether all parties to an online communication have
and use compatible security technology. Among participating Members, that
compatibility can be assured through use of the AOL system.
For more information on AOL Member Security PKI, see https://pki–info.aol.com/AOLMSPKI.
Specific information about AOL security product offerings will also be available from time to time
on www.aol.com as such products become available.
2.2. The AOL Community and AOL Member Security PKI
Participation
2.2.1. AOL Member Security PKI Participation
AOL provides a variety of online services. Some of these services are limited to an online
community of Members. Such services are offered today under a variety of well-known brand
names, some of which include AOL LLC, AOL for Broadband, Netscape Internet Service,
CompuServe, AOL Instant Messenger, and ICQ. Other AOL services are made available to the
general public without any need for user registration, such as AOL.com, MapQuest.com, and
Netscape.com.
AOL expects to use the AOL Member Security PKI as described in this CP/CPS for the purpose
of providing security-related services to Members in order to enhance their existing AOL services.
Access to and use of such AOL Member Security PKI services may either be governed by a
Member’s existing Member Agreement or a supplemental Member Agreement, the AOL Member
Security PKI Addendum, which is applicable to a particular AOL Member Security PKI service
offering elected by the Member.
AOL Member Security PKI services are not intended to be stand-alone services, and therefore
are not intended to be directed towards nonmembers. Instead, such persons may be offered the
opportunity for limited participation in the AOL Member Security PKI system in order to accept
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and rely upon certificates that have been issued to participating Members who choose to interact
with a nonmember, for instance, in order to receive and decrypt a secure email sent from a
participating Member. Such nonmembers will need to enter an agreement with AOL and/or the
AOLCA in order to be authorized to rely on any certificate issued by, or information secured by,
an AOL Member Security PKI service. Section 2.3.3 explains that agreement process. AOL
and/or the AOLCA may charge additional fees for the use of AOL Member Security PKI services.
These fees (if any) are subject to change. Any such fees will be published with the respective
product documentation and/or enrollment process.
In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of this CP/CPS and the terms of a Member
Agreement or participating nonmember agreement applicable to a particular AOL Member
Security PKI service, the terms of the Member Agreement or participating nonmember agreement
(as applicable) shall apply (See https://pki-info.aol.com/AOLMSPKI). Persons who are not
participants but who rely on AOL Member PKI certificates, or information associated with such
certificates, do so at their own risk; see section 2.3.3.
2.2.2. PKI Roles
• A public key infrastructure conventionally consists of at least the following
roles:Certifier: An entity issuing and revoking certificates, also known as a certification
authority or CA. Certifiers in the AOL Member Security PKI are AOLCAs, and are either
AOL or a service provider operating the CA certification system on AOL’s behalf.
• Subject: An entity listed in the subject field of a certificate. A subject is not necessarily
a person; in the case of a device authentication certificate, the entity listed as subject is
an AOL Token.
• Relying party: A person or system who relies on a certificate, i.e. accepts the
certificate as being accurate in circumstances that may cause a detriment to the person
if the certificate is not as represented in this CP/CPS.
The AOL Member Security PKI provides functionality and support to enable participating
Members to act as subjects and relying parties as described in this CP/CPS. Participating
nonmembers can also act as relying parties with limited service from AOL for that purpose; see
section 2.3.1. AOL and AOLCAs do not provide certificates or other services to participating
nonmembers.
2.2.3. AOL Certification Authorities
The AOL Member Security PKI consists of a PKI consisting of at least two levels of CAs:
• The AOL Root Certifier; and
• Certifiers, referred to as “AOLCAs”, which issue certificates directly to subjects. AOLCAs
are certifiers whose certificates can be verified using a certificate issued by the AOL root
certifier.
Refer to https://pki-info.aol.com/AOL for more information on the AOL Root Certifier.
2.2.4. Applicability and Use of Certificates
Certificates are suitable and enabled for use with particular AOL Member Security PKI services
only, and must not be used or accepted for any other use. In many cases, the use of a certificate
within a particular product or service will be controlled by software and/or devices that make up
the infrastructure for such product or service offering.
Certificates are authorized for use only with the particular AOL Member Security PKI service or
product for which a user is a valid participant and has been properly authenticated, and for no
other purpose.
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RELYING PARTIES ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE SUITABILITY OF
A CERTIFICATE FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
2.3. LIMITATIONS
2.3.1. Services Are For Participants Only
An AOLCA does not issue certificates to anyone who is not a participating Member subject to the
terms of an applicable Member Agreement (except for AOL itself and its affiliates and suppliers).
Further, an AOLCA does not permit anyone to become a relying party unless such person is
either a participating Member or a participating nonmember subject to the terms of an applicable
agreement with AOL or the AOLCA. Nonparticipants are, therefore, expected to be nonexistent
in the AOL Member Security PKI.
2.3.2. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability
Except as expressly provided otherwise in a Member Agreement, participating nonmember
agreement, or AOL Member Security PKI Addendum, any reliance on a certificate listing this
CP/CPS is at the relying party’s own risk. This CP/CPS describes certain aspects of the public
key infrastructure known as AOL Member Security PKI, but that description is not relevant or
applicable to non-participants except as promotional literature to persuade them to sign up and
participate in AOL Member Security PKI products or services. Similarly, any information in
certificates is only promotional in relation to non-participants.
AOL AND ITS SUPPLIERS DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, BOTH EXPRESS AND
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
ANY WARRANTY OF ACCURACY OF INFORMATION PROVIDED WITH RESPECT TO AOL
MEMBER SECURITY, INCLUDING USE OF KEY PAIRS, CERTIFICATES, OR ANY OTHER
GOODS OR SERVICES PROVIDED BY AN AOLCA TO ANY PERSON. AOL AND ITS
SUPPLIERS FURTHER DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, BOTH EXPRESS AND
IMPLIED, THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE AOL MEMBER SECURITY PKI WILL AFFECT IN
ANY MANNER THE LEGAL RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEABILITY OF A DIGITAL
SIGNATURE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL AOL, AN AOLCA OR THEIR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, COST OF PROCUREMENT OF
SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, HOWSOEVER CAUSED, AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND
STRICT LIABILITY), OR OTHERWISE. THESE LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY WHETHER OR
NOT AOL, AN AOLCA OR THEIR SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH DAMAGES COULD HAVE BEEN
FORESEEN AND NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY
LIMITED REMEDY. SUBJECT TO THE FOREGOING, AOL’S, AOLCAS’, AND THEIR
SUPPLIERS’ LIABILITY FOR DIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE IN
CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT AND AOL MEMBER SECURITY PKI SERVICES
SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED US$50.
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2.3.3. Enrollment Process for Non-Participants
A non-participant who wishes to become a relying party in connection with AOL Member Security
PKI services may do so by agreeing to participate in the AOL Member Security PKI as a
nonmember under the terms of a participating nonmember agreement. See https://pkiinfo.aol.com/AOLMSPKI.
AOL and/or the AOLCA may charge additional fees for the use of AOL
Member Security PKI services. These fees (if any) are subject to change. Any such fees will be
published at https://pki–info.aol.com/AOLMSPKI. Under such agreement participating
nonmembers will have access to revocation information and can install the AOL root certificate
into their operating system.
2.3.4. Relying Party Obligations
Without limiting the foregoing provisions, any relying party’s reliance on a certificate issued by the
AOLCA must be reasonable and exercise ordinary business prudence under the circumstances
and must conform to the following obligations:
• Ensure that use of a certificate is appropriate and reasonable in light of this CP/CPS, as
well as any applicable Member Agreement, AOL Member Security PKI Addendum, or
participating nonmember agreement;
• Validate the certificate (i.e., confirm that it has not expired or been revoked or
suspended), by checking the published revocation list;
• Trust and make use of the certificate only if a valid certificate chain is established
between the relying party and the subject. A valid chain means that the digital signatures
on certificates have been verified back to the AOL root certifier and the relevant
certificate revocation lists have been checked to determine the current validity of each
certificate as of the time of reliance (see also section 3.1);
• Verify the digital signature in question using the appropriate algorithm as specified in the
certificate, and
• Act in good faith, in light of all the circumstances that were known or should have been
known at the time of reliance.
A relying party assumes all risks and liability arising from any decision to rely on a certificate in a
manner inconsistent with these obligations.
3. Certificate Content and Confirmation
3.1. Identifying and Authenticating AOL Member Security PKI
Certificates
This CP/CPS relates only to certificates issued by an AOLCA and that reference this CP/CPS.
This CP/CPS does not restrict participants from using other certificates, or relate to those
certificates in any way.
A certificate for use in AOL Member Security PKI has two identifying characteristics:
(1) It lists this CP/CPS as described below, and
(2) It is issued and signed by an AOLCA.
A certificate used in AOL Member Security PKI references this CP/CPS in two ways:
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(1) By listing the object identifier of a certificate profile listed in this CP/CPS in the
certificatePolicies field, as defined in section 4.2.1.5 of [RFC 3280];
(2) By listing the URL of this CP/CPS in the certificate’s cpsURI subfield of its
certificatePolicies field, as defined in section 4.2.1.5 of [RFC 3280].
In addition to AOL’s copyright in this document, AOL holds a copyright in each of the object
identifiers listed in this document and assigned by AOL. Only AOLCAs have licenses permitting
use of those copyrighted object identifiers.
The authenticity of an AOL Member Security PKI certificate can be evaluated by verifying the
AOLCA’s digital signature on it. The certificate used for that verification is issued by the AOL root
certifier, described online at https://pki-info.aol.com/AOL. The AOL root certifier issues
certificates only to AOLCAs so as to enable participants to verify the authenticity of other
participants’ certificates in the AOL Member Security PKI. It does not issue certificates to
participants or promulgate rules for the AOL Member Security PKI; the relevant rules found in the
Member Agreement and the AOL Member Security PKI Addendum.
AOL root certificates are distributed in some operating systems, and can be downloaded from
https://pki-info.aol.com/AOL. The authenticity of a root certificate can also be resolved by
comparing a freshly downloaded one against the one a participant already has.
3.2. Form and Content of Certificates Generally
Certificates issued by an AOLCA and listing this CP/CPS:
• Conform to the specifications of [ITU X.509] and [IETF 3280] except where this
CP/CPS requires otherwise;
• Contain no extensions not expressly specified in this CP/CPS;
• Contain no identifiers for the subject not listed in this CP/CPS; and
• Contain information current as of the date of issuance, which is the date listed in the
validity:notBefore field of the certificate. Subsequent events or changes affecting
the accuracy or reliability of that information will not be reflected in the certificate
once it has been issued.
Data in certificates has the significance given it in [ITU X.509] and [RFC 3280] except where this
CP/CPS specifies otherwise, and except that those standards must not be applied so as to
impose any legal obligations or liabilities on AOL, an AOLCA, or any participant unless that
obligation is expressly prescribed in a Member Agreement or the AOL Member Security PKI
Addendum, a participating nonmember agreement, or this CP/CPS.
The rules in [ITU X.520] section 3 specify which characters in the data content of a certificate are
significant and match other data.
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3.3. Fields Supported for Use in AOL Member Security PKI
3.3.1. Fields Identifying the Subject
An AOLCA indicates the certificate’s subject in the subject field of the certificate by including at
least one identifier of a type specified in the table below:
Identifier type: 1 With data content of: Indicates:
UserID (UID) 2
CommonName (CN), either: 4
A sequence of alphanumeric
characters such as
“fred23miami”
The words “AOL Key - ” followed
by a hexadecimal numeral.
The words “AOL Member - ”
followed by a sequence of
alphanumeric characters such
as “fred23miami”.
One of the subject’s Screen
Names 3
The number is the card unique
identifier recorded in the
non-volatile memory of the
subject’s AOL Token. The words
“AOL Key” indicate that the AOL
Token identified by the number
was issued a Device
Authentication certificate by an
AOLCA.
The words “AOL Member” indicate
that the subject is a member of
AOL and the alphanumeric
characters are one of the
Member’s Screen Names identified
by the Screen Name associated
with a Member’s account when the
certificate was issued.
Alphanumeric text other than
“AOL Member”.
A name by which the subject is
commonly known, additional
information is provided in the OU
field.
Organizational Unit (OU) Alphanumeric text Indicates the commonly known
name for the entity providing the
security service or product.
OrganizationName (O)
The words “America Online
Inc.” 5
The subject is a Member of AOL.
1 This column lists the technical names of the identifiers for the subject. The format of certificates is binary
and specified using Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1). That binary format is not easy to read, so a
certificate is often decoded into alphanumeric text, which is human-readable as well as processable using
text-based scripts. The identifiers first listed are those defined in ASN.1 in [ITU-T X.509], and those in
parentheses are the corresponding alphanumeric representations, which conform to [RFC 2253].
2 UIDs are not present in all end entity certificates, only as recommended to confirm to [RFC 3280].
3 The subject may have only one Screen Name, or may have more. If the subject has multiple Screen
Names, only one can be listed in a certificate, but the subject may enable any or all of their Screen Names
to use AOL Member Security PKI authentication capabilities. In that case, separate authentication
certificates are necessary, one for each Screen Name, together with separate private keys. The separate
certificates and private keys may be stored in one or more AOL Tokens.
Although a Screen Name may appear in more than one certificate, the AOL system prevents creation of
duplicate Screen Names.
4 The subject field never contains more than one CommonName (CN) identifier for the subject; so the
CommonName identifiers listed above are alternatives. The certificate profiles listed in section 3.4 make
clear which form of CommonName appears in each certificate type.
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Identifier type: 1 With data content of: Indicates:
CountryName (C)
Alphanumeric text other than
“America Online Inc.”
A standard two-letter
abbreviation listed in [ISO 3166]
for a country, such as “US” for
the United States.
The legally registered name of the
company representing the subject.
The country from which the subject
obtains AOL Member Security PKI
services or in which the subject’s
organization is legally registered. 6
In some certificates, an AOLCA also indicates the certificate’s subject in the subjectAltName field
of the certificate by including one or more identifiers of a type specified in the table below
applicable to the certificate.
Identifier type: 7 With data content of: Indicates:
otherName with
subfield type-id of
2.16.840.1.113730.7.2
otherName with
subfield type-id of
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.4.1
rfc822Name
Alphanumeric characters
such as “fred23miami”.
A hexadecimal numeral.
Alphanumeric text compliant
with [RFC 822].
One of the subject’s Screen Names. 8
The number is the card unique identifier (CUID)
recorded in the non-volatile memory of the
subject’s AOL Token.
The subject’s e-mail address.
Section 3.5 of this CP/CPS explains how the AOLCA confirms the accuracy of the identifiers for
the subject listed in this section.
3.3.2. Fields Identifying the Issuer
AOL Member Security PKI certificates identify the AOLCA that issued the certificate in the issuer
field of the certificate by including the following:
5 America Online, Inc. formally changed its name to AOL LLC on April 3, 2006. References to America
Online, Inc. are imbedded in certificates issued by the AOL root certifier. It is important to note that America
Online, Inc. and AOL LLC refer to the same organization.
6 AOL and its suppliers, for example, are located in many countries worldwide, and AOL Member Security
PKI services may be available in several or all of those countries. The country name in the subject field of
the certificate indicates the country in which the subject is legally registered from which AOL, ts supplier
provides AOL Member Security PKI services to the subject.
7 See footnote 1.
8 See footnote 2.
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Identifier type: 9 With data content of: Indicates:
OrganizationName (O) Alphanumeric text The full 10 company name of the AOLCA that
issued the certificate.
LocalityName (L) Alphanumeric text The city or town in which the issuing AOLCA’s
principal place of business is located.
StateOrProvinceName
(ST)
CountryName (C)
Alphanumeric text
A standard two-letter
abbreviation listed [ISO 3166]
for a country, such as “US”
for the United States.
The state or province in which the issuing
AOLCA’s principal place of business is located.
The country in which the issuing AOLCA’s
principal place of business is located.
CommonName (CN) Alphanumeric text Used within AOL Member Security PKI to list
which system was used to create the certificate.
Validity
The subfields notBefore and
notAfter contain dates in the
form specified for UTC in
[RFC 3280].
NotBefore indicates the date on which the CA
signing certificate begins to be valid and notAfter
indicates when it ceases to be valid,
approximately 25 years.
To be certain that the issuer is an AOLCA, verification of the digital signature on the certificate is
necessary. See section 3.1.
3.3.3. Other Supported Fields
AOL Member Security PKI certificates also contain the following:
Field Name
Critical?
11
Data Content
Significance
version n/a v3 only (indicated by the
integer “2”)
serialNumber n/a An integer unique to the
certificate among all serial
numbers in certificates issued
by the same certifier
signature n/a The subfield
algorithmIdentifier: algorithm
contains the object identifier
(specified in [RFC 3280]) for
SHA-1 with RSA encryption.
validity n/a The subfields notBefore and
notAfter contain dates in the
form specified for UTC in [RFC
3280].
subject n/a Contain at least one identifier
specified in section 3.3.1.
Indicates the version of [ITU-T
X.509] to which the certificate
conforms.
Certificate serial number. The
combination of issuer and serial
number comprises a unique
identifier for the certificate
Indicates the algorithm used by
the issuer to sign the certificate,
which is SHA-1 with RSA.
NotBefore indicates the date on
which the subject’s certificate
begins to be valid and notAfter
indicates when it ceases to be
valid. Unless otherwise
specified, the period between the
two dates is approximately 5
years.
As specified in section 3.3.1.
9 See footnote 1.
10 Abbreviations indicating incorporation that are common in the jurisdiction of incorporation may be used.
For example, “Inc.” in the US, “Ltd” in the UK, and “GmbH” in Germany.
11 “Critical” indicates for an extension whether an application is required to be able to process the content of
the field. It is not applicable (“n/a”) for fields that are not extensions; see [ITU-T X.509] and [RFC 3280].
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Field Name
Critical?
11
Data Content
Significance
authorityKeyIdentifier No The subfield keyIdentifier
contains the SHA-1 hash of
the public key by which the
issuer’s signature on the
certificate can be verified.
subjectKeyIdentifier No The subfield keyIdentifier
contains the SHA-1 hash of
the public key listed in
subjectPublic-
KeyInfo:subjectPublicKey.
The other subfields of
subjectKeyIdentifier are not
used.
keyUsage Yes For a certificate used for
encryption, Bit 3 of the
bitstring is set to true; all
others are set to false.
For a certificate used for
authentication, Bit 0 of the
bitstring is set to true; all
others are set to false, except
that Bit 1 of the bitstring may
also be set to true. 12
extendedKeyUsage No Publicly and privately
registered Object Identifiers
(OIDs).
certificatePolicies No As stated in sections 3.4.1-
3.4.53.4.4.
Indicates which public key to use
in verifying the authenticity of the
certificate.
The subfield keyIdentifier labels
the public key of this certificate
for convenient reference and to
prevent confusion with other key
pairs the same subject may
have.
Indicates to software applications
what the key is to be used for
(see [ITU X.509] and [IETF
3280]). In the AOL Member
Security PKI, this field does not
imply a legal obligation but rather
is to signal to applications how to
use the certificate and the
corresponding private key.
Indicates specific intended
usages for the public key
contained in the certificate or the
private key associated with
same. Refer to sections 3.4.1-
3.4.5. (This extension is not
present in all AOL Member
Security PKI certificates.)
As stated in sections 3.4.1-
3.4.53.4.4.
subjectAltName No As stated in section 3.3.1. As stated in section 3.3.1.
basicConstraints No The subfield CA is set to false.
The pathLenConstraint is
inapplicable.
CRLDistributionPoints No The subfield
DistributionPointName
contains a URL. The
reasonFlags subfield is
unused (i.e. bit 0 is true).
authorityInformationAcc
ess
No
The subfields method and
location contains a URI
indicating the URL where
OCSP information about this
certificate is available.
Indicates that applications are
not to use the certificate in
verifying the digital signature on
another certificate.
Points to a URL where more
information about the postissuance
validity or reliability of a
certificate may be available.
Points to a URL where more
information about the postissuance
validity or reliability of a
certificate may be available.
(This extension is not present in
12 A value of true for Bit 1 indicates that the certificate may be used for a “nonrepudiation service”, which is
defined in [RFC 3280] section 4.2.1.3 as “protect[ing] against the signing entity falsely denying some action”,
such as a digital signature verifiable by reference to the certificate. Whether this technical “nonrepudiation”
legally prevents a digital signer from denying a signature depends on more than simply setting this bit to
“true”. This bit is a signal to digital verification software on how to use the certificate rather than a basis for
legal inferences, which would have to be grounded in additional facts and circumstances as well as in the
applicable law.
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Field Name
Critical?
11
Data Content
Significance
all AOL Member Security PKI
certificates.)
3.4. Profiles for Specific Certificate Types
3.4.1. Device Authentication Certificates
A device authentication certificate is used to authenticate an AOL Token and establish a secure
channel between the AOL Token and the AOL system for login and other purposes.
Device authentication certificates thus identify and authenticate an AOL Token rather than a
person. Relying parties must possess other facts, apart from the information contained in a
device authentication certificate, to link this certificate to anyone. A device authentication
certificate is issued when an AOL Token is activated and then later associated with a participating
Member’s account. It is possible to infer from a device authentication certificate that those events
took place. However, the associated account or Member is not listed in the device authentication
certificate, and disclosure of that information by AOL or an AOLCA is subject to the AOL privacy
policy; see section 3.6.1.
Device authentication certificates are identified by the policy OID suffix of 1. In other words, a
conforming certificate lists this CP/CPS in the certificatePolicies:policyIdentifier field with a final
OID segment consisting of “1”, for a complete OID of:
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.1.1
A device authentication certificate contains all of the fields specified in section 3.3 above, with the
following additional specifications:
Field
Additional Content Specifications (if any)
subject Contains the following as described in the table in section 3.3.1:
- CommonName (CN) identifier containing “AOL Key –“ and the card unique
identifier of the subject’s AOL Token
- OrganizationName (O)
- CountryName (C)
keyUsage
subjectAltName
The UID identifier is not used in a device authentication certificate.
Bit 0 of the bitstring is set to true; all others are set to false.
Contains the CUID of the AOL Token.
3.4.2. Screen Name Authentication Certificates
A Screen Name authentication certificate is for use in verifying its subject’s digital signature on a
message or other data.
A Screen Name may or may not reflect the Member’s real name. The Member selects their
Screen Name(s) 13 in setting up and administering their account or sub-account. The Member
Agreement gives AOL some discretion to police against problematic (e.g. duplicate, vulgar, etc.)
Screen Names, but AOL does not otherwise determine the content of a Screen Name. AOL and
an AOLCA also disclose information further identifying the Member bearing a Screen Name only
in accordance with the AOL privacy policy. Consequently, Screen Name authentication
certificates provide only limited identification of an actual person.
13 A Member may have multiple Screen Names but can list only one in a Screen Name authentication
certificate. See footnote 2.
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Screen Name authentication certificates in the AOL Member Security PKI are identified by the
policy OID suffix of 2. In other words, a conforming certificate lists this CP/CPS in the
certificatePolicies:policyIdentifier field with a final OID segment consisting of “2”, for a complete
OID of:
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.1.2
A Screen Name authentication certificate contains all of the fields specified in section 3.3above,
with the following additional specifications:
Field
Additional Content Specifications (if any)
subject Contains the following as described in the table in section 3.3.1:
- CommonName (CN) identifier containing “AOL Member –“ and the
subject’s AOL Screen Name.
- UserID (UID) containing the subject’s AOL Screen Name
- OrganizationName (O)
- CountryName (C)
keyUsage
subjectAltName
Bit 0 of the bitstring is set to true; Bit 1 may be set to either true or false (see
note 10). All other bits are set to false.
Contains the subject’s Screen Name in the otherName subfield and the
subject’s rfc822Name (e-mail address).
3.4.3. Full Name Authentication Certificates
A full name authentication certificate is for use in verifying its subject’s digital signature on a
message or other data.
A participating member’s full names is verified against an authoritative database for this
information. Such sources may include an AOL employee database or AOL Member billing
record.
Full name authentication certificates in the AOL Member Security PKI are identified by the policy
OID suffix of 3. In other words, a conforming certificate lists this CP/CPS in the
certificatePolicies:policyIdentifier field with a final OID segment consisting of “3”, for a complete
OID of:
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.1.3
A full name authentication certificate contains all of the fields specified in section 3.3above, with
the following additional specifications:
Field
Additional Content Specifications (if any)
subject Contains the following as described in the table in section 3.3.1:
- CommonName (CN) identifier containing the name by which the subject’s
is commonly known.
- UserID (UID) containing the subject’s AOL Screen Name
- OrganizationName (O)
- CountryName (C)
keyUsage
subjectAltName
Bit 0 of the bitstring is set to true; Bit 1 may be set to either true or false (see
note 10). All other bits are set to false.
Contains the subject’s Screen Name in the otherName subfield and the
subject’s rfc822Name (e-mail address).
3.4.4. Basic Encryption Certificates
A basic encryption certificate is for use in encrypting messages or data streams to be sent to the
subject. Its purpose is not to facilitate verification of a digital signature but rather to enable a
sender to encrypt the session key that the sender has used to encrypt information, and thereby to
keep the information confidential from everyone but the subject of the certificate.
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Basic encryption certificates in the AOL Member Security PKI are identified by the policy OID
suffix of 5. In other words, a conforming certificate lists this CP/CPS in the
certificatePolicies:policyIdentifier field with a final OID segment consisting of “5”, for a complete
OID of:
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.1.5
A basic encryption certificate contains the same fields as a Screen Name or Full Name
authentication certificate (depending on which type of authentication certificate the subject
enrolled for) except that in the keyUsage field, Bit 3 of the bitstring is set to true, and all others are
set to false.
3.4.5. Identification Certificates
An identification certificate identifies a data stream, host, or object which participating Members
access or download. Its purpose is to provide an additional level of confidence that the data
stream, host, or object is administered by AOL or one of its authorized agents.
Conforming identification certificates in the AOL Member Security PKI are identified by listing this
CP/CPS in the certificatePolicies:policyIdentifier field:
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.2.1 (data objects), or
1.3.6.1.4.1.1066.1.1000.1.0.2.2 (hosts)
An Identification certificate contains all of the fields specified in section 3.3above, with the
following additional specifications:
Field
OrganizationalUnit (OU)
Additional Content Specifications (if any)
The business unit or product division of the AOL organization responsible for
the service utilizing AOL Member Security PKI.
3.5. Identification and Confirmation
This section examines how the issuing AOLCA, in cooperation with AOL, confirms the identity of
the Member who is to be the subject of a certificate, as well as confirms the accuracy of the other
facts represented by the AOLCA issuing the certificate.
3.5.1. Identifying Subjects
An AOL Member is the source of some of the information in a certificate referencing this CP/CPS.
AOL obtains that information from the Member at various times over the life of the account,
including when the account is first opened. Member verification methods may change from time
to time to reflect improvements in security techniques.
To confirm that the Member (rather than someone else) is the source of that information, AOL
identifies the provider of the information as the Member through at least one of the following
procedures:
• Over the telephone: In response to questions from AOL Member Services staff,
the person provides staff with accurate answers to one or more AOL security
questions. Such questions inquire after facts that the Member ordinarily knows but
which are not generally known by others. AOL corroborates the identification
achieved through such a question by asking for additional information listed in AOL
Member records. AOL staff never asks the Member to disclose a password.
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• Login: The person has logged in using the Member’s primary Screen Name (or
equivalent Screen Name authorized as such by the primary Screen Name) and that
Screen Name’s password.
• Account opening: By providing information in response to account opening
questionnaires followed by confirmatory experience. If possible, AOL opens the
account and gathers the initial Member information over a secure channel after
activating the new Member’s AOL Token; however, if no AOL Token is available,
the new Member provides the information using other secure conduits such as
SSL/TLS. The information may include a payment method, in which case AOL
discovers whether that payment method is operative at registration time. If the
payment method proves inoperative at a later time, AOL requests a correction and
eventually terminates the account if accurate information is not provided. Some
AOL accounts may be gifts or paid for by another person; AOL does not require any
similarity between any name associated with the payment method and the name
provided as the Member’s name.
• By manual methods: Subject information for identification certificates is gathered
and verified manually by authorized AMSPKI staff members during the enrollment
process.
The identification of prospective AOL employees, including Member Services, involved in the
above-listed procedures, is confirmed with a background check and check of employment history
and immigration status 14 before they are employed and issued their identification cards. Access
to AOL facilities is controlled by those cards.
These identification methods do not rule out all avenues of circumvention, perhaps the most
common of which consists of the Member sharing the authenticating information (e.g. the
answers to AOL security questions, private key files, or the AOL Token and login information)
with another person. AOL apprises Members of the possible consequences of so doing.
Whether a Member’s enabling of another person to use the Member’s account is an implicit
authorization to act for the Member or is obtained by fraud depends on the circumstances and
applicable law.
3.5.2. Confirmation of the Factual Content of Certificates
Before an AOLCA issues a certificate, the AOLCA confirms 15 the accuracy of the factual
representations to be made in the certificate. For Member certificates confirmation is ordinarily
not performed on a per-certificate basis but rather for each account and subaccount (i.e. each
Screen Name created within the account). The current information recorded in the Member
records of the account is used to supply part of the content of a certificate shortly before it is
issued as described in section 4.2.1. Organizational entity certificates are always manually
verified by authorized AMSPKI staff members.
The factual content of a certificate to be issued is confirmed if the AOLCA has done the following
for the identifier(s) of the subject to be included in the certificate:
14 The main text reflects the practice for US employees. In other countries, local law and business practices
may vary. In those countries, AOL’s hiring practices are in line with those of other employers in the
information technology and e-commerce industries.
15 In a PKI, a Registration Authority (RA) often performs these functions. In the AOL Member Security PKI,
this function may or may not be performed by a dedicated RA function. RAs, if used, enroll with an AOLCA
by providing identification credentials that are compared with the appropriate sources before being enabled
for this role. The CA authorizes external RAs, if used, upon successful identification and authentication, and
approval of the external RA enrollment and certificate application forms. External RAs are responsible for
identification and authorization of subscribers and must secure their private signing keys used for signing
applications, securely forward certificate requests to the CA, and securely store any subscriber information
collected (if necessary). AOLCAs verify the authenticity of a subject’s certificate requests received by an RA
by validating the RA’s digital signature on the submission.
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Type of information
(from third column of the tables in section 3.3.1)
The unique identifier embedded in firmware of
the AOL Token (listed in a device authentication
certificate)
The subject’s Screen Name
That the subject is a Member of AOL
A name by which the subject is commonly known
The country from which the subject obtains AOL
Member Security PKI services
Issuer identifiers
Confirmed in this manner
The AOL system queries the AOL Token over a
secure channel established between the AOL Token
and the AOL system. The AOL system thereby
ascertains whether the AOL Token is authentic and, if
so, retrieves its identifying number (CUID), and passes
that information to the AOLCA.
After logging in the subject via a secure channel, the
AOL system checks that the Screen Name under
which the subject is logged in as is active in the AOL
account records for the subject.
After logging in the subject via a secure channel, the
AOL system checks that the Screen Name under
which the subject is logged in as is active in the AOL
account records for the subject.
By comparing the identifier to be included in the
certificate against a source which:
(1) is normally relied on in the country listed in the
CountryName (C) field as a documentation for
confirming a person’s name, and
(2) is not known to the AOLCA to have identification
practices which create an unreasonable risk of false or
erroneous identification.
For AOL staff certificates, this information is generally
checked against an authoritative employee database.
Reference to AOL records to ascertain the country
location of the affiliate or partner (including in some
cases a franchisee) of AOL LLC that provides AOL
Member Security PKI services to the Member. AOL
and its affiliates generally impose surcharges for
access to AOL services from outside that country, so
the subject has an economic motivation to obtain AOL
Member Security PKI services from the country where
the subject resides. However, apart from the
inference drawn from that fact, AOL does not confirm
the subject’s ordinary geographical location.
Reference to the company records of the AOLCA that
issued the certificate. 16
The Member can update or correct the information about the subject on file in the AOL Member
records in any of the following ways:
• Informing AOL Member Services. AOL provides extensive help desk support to
Members via telephone or online communications. Member Services staff can
update a Member’s details in AOL records after identifying the Member as
described in section 3.5.1. The Member must also establish that the Member
controls the primary Screen Name of the account. After confirming the identity of
the caller in that manner, AOL Member Services will respond to a request by the
caller to change the caller’s Member information in AOL records.
• Updating AOL records online via a secure connection. The AOL system
includes online functionality enabling the primary Screen Name to manage its
account using transport-layer security after securely logging in. Each Screen Name
16 Whether the AOLCA actually issued the certificate is ascertainable by checking the certificate’s
authenticity, which is done by verifying the digital signature on the certificate. Certificates in the AOL
Member Security PKI are ultimately verifiable by reference to a certificate issued by the AOL Root CA; see
section 3.1.
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can also manage its sub-account to the extent that the primary Screen Name
permits.
AOL and an AOLCA generally do not update Member information on file in AOL records unless
the Member initiates that update. It is possible that Member information on file becomes out of
date, or that Member information reflected in the content of a certificate becomes out of date after
the certificate is issued. When a certificate is renewed or replaced, the AOLCA that issued the
certificate will use the then-current information on file in the certificate.
Before issuing a certificate, the AOLCA also confirms that the prospective subject holds the
private key that corresponds to the public key to be certified through the key generation and
issuance process described in section 4.2.1. A secure channel is used to communicate between
the subject’s AOL Token and the AOL system to ensure accurate transmission of the keys.
Except for the subject identifiers and the subject’s public key, the AOLCA does not confirm
information in the certificate, and that information is to be understood not as a factual assertion
but rather as, for example, specifying a parameter for the operation of authentication or
encryption software.
AOL retains documentation supporting confirmation as long as a certificate having the confirmed
content is valid, and it may in its discretion retain it longer.
3.6. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property
3.6.1. Confidentiality of Certificate Content
Certificates are designed to circulate widely in technological systems, and restricting their
dissemination is impractical. In accordance with standards, most applications include a copy of
the relevant certificate with each digital signature or block of encrypted data. Consequently,
information in a certificate is not treated as confidential as a practical matter. In addition,
expiration and revocation status of a certificate must, by design, be published and is therefore not
treated as confidential.
The AOL system does not forward confidential Member information to an AOLCA for inclusion in
a certificate. What information is confidential is determined in accordance with the applicable
Member Agreement, the AOL privacy policy, and applicable law.
AOL and the AOLCA may disclose confidential Member information to law enforcement officials
or private litigants in order to comply with valid legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena
or court order, to protect the company's rights and property, or during emergencies when we
believe physical safety is at risk.
3.6.2. Intellectual Property Rights in Certificate Content
Members agree and acknowledge that AOL and its suppliers own and shall retain all respective
rights, title and interest in and to, and all intellectual property rights embodied in or associated
with any AOL Member Security PKI product or service. Such right, title and interest shall extend
without limitation to any content, software, graphics, design materials, technology, methods,
architecture, publications, business plans and other tangible or intangible intellectual propertybased
assets of any kind in machine readable, printed or other form and all revisions,
enhancements, improvements, technical know-how, patents, copyrights, moral rights and trade
secrets associated with any AOL Member Security PKI product or service. Except as expressly
stated in this CP/CPS or an applicable Member Agreement, participants and relying parties will
have no rights of any kind in or to any certificate, AOL Token, key pairs, trademarks or other
intellectual property, PKI documents or the AOL system. There are no implied licenses under this
Agreement, and any rights not expressly granted under this Agreement are reserved by AOL.
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4. Certificate and Key Pair Lifecycles
The lifecycle of a certificate is essentially the lifecycle of a participant’s digital authentication or
encryption capability. To a great extent, the AOL Member Security PKI presents a participant
with features and lets the participant manage them simply as capabilities, rather than involving
the participant in the intricacies of certificate processes and key management. This section
explains how what the participating Member sees in their user interface maps to what happens
behind the scenes.
4.1. A Certificate and Key Pair as Seen by a Participating Member
A Member begins participating in the AOL Member Security PKI by obtaining an and AOL
Certificate or AOL Token and agreeing to an applicable Member Agreement. Those actions are
outside the scope of this CP/CPS, which assumes that they have occurred.
For AOL Tokens, once an AOL Token has been obtained and activated for a given account or
subaccount, the primary Screen Name of the participating Member’s account or (for Device
Authentication certificates only) the Screen Name of a subaccount can:
• Start a new digital authentication or encryption capability for the account or
subaccount. When this happens, the AOL Token generates a new key pair and an
AOLCA issues a certificate containing the public key of the new key pair. The AOL
system sends the certificate to the participating Member by inserting it into the
Member’s AOL Token.
• Stop as soon as possible an authentication or encryption capability. This notifies
the AOLCA that issued the relevant certificate to revoke it; see section 4.2.3.
• Gracefully shutdown an authentication or encryption capability. This stops the
automatic renewal or replacement of the certificate as it expires but leaves it valid
until it expires. The certificate can still be relied on for authentication or used for
encryption until it expires. This normal shutdown effects a gradual and “natural”
termination of the signing or encrypting capability in contrast to the more abrupt stop
caused by revocation.
• (Device Authentication Certificates only) Suspend all digital signing and/or
encrypting capabilities. This is done by temporarily unbinding the private key(s)
stored on the AOL Token from the participating Member’s account. The AOL Token
remains listed in the account so that the Member can easily resume using it, but
usage of the listed AOL Token is blocked as a functional matter. While the AOL
Token is not unbound from the account, the only AOL Member Security PKI function
available to the Member is resuming the suspended capabilities i.e. re-binding the
AOL Token to the account.
• Resume suspended digital signing and/or encrypting capabilities. This re-binds the
AOL Token to the participating Member’s account.
These concepts in the user interface essentially present security functions and related
certification processes to the participant without technical jargon. The following sections explain
how these basic functions trigger certification processes.
AOL organizational entities participate in the AOL Member Security PKI by requesting and
receiving a certificate bound by this CP/CPS. They are bound by the processes and restrictions
of this document until they destroy the certificate or the certificate is revoked. Once issued, the
organizational entity can immediately begin using the certificate for its intended purpose.
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4.2. Processes
The significant events occurring in the lifecycle of an AOL Member Security PKI authentication,
encryption, or identification capability include:
• Setting up a new capability, which consists of generating a new key pair and having
a certificate issued for it. Replacing an existing capability is the same procedure,
with the new key pair and certificate taking the place of the old one, except as noted
in section 4.2.1.4.
• Expiration of a capability, i.e. the expiration of the related certificate.
• Renewal of an existing capability, in which a new certificate is issued for an existing
key pair without generating new keys.
Revocation of an existing capability, which terminates it as soon as possible. Ordinarily,
a capability that is no longer intended for use can be left to expire, but quicker
termination is possible if a problem arises.
The following subsections describe these processes in detail. The remainder of this section
assumes that all of the following are true at the time when the action described is taken:
• The participating Member has in effect a contract for AOL Member Security PKI
services.
• The participating Member’s account is in good standing, i.e. not suspended due to
payment problems or inactivity, or subject to other restrictions according to the
Member Agreement and AOL policies.
• The requested AOL Member Security PKI service is available to the participating
Member. Availability may vary for regulatory or product phasing or marketing
reasons. Some jurisdictions regulate encryption or other information security
technology, which may restrict the availability of AOL Member Security PKI services
in those areas. The availability of a particular AOLCA’s service may also depend on
local law.
• The person carrying out the action has the power to do so for the Member. A single
Member’s account can have multiple subaccounts, each with its own Screen Name.
For the account as a whole, one Screen Name, termed the “primary Screen Name”,
has full administrative authority over the account. A Screen Name may have
varying power over its subaccount depending on restrictions imposed by the
primary Screen Name. This control and administration functionality is a feature of
the AOL system that has been also applied in relation to AOL Member Security PKI.
4.2.1. Setup and Replacement of AOL Member Security PKI
Capabilities
Setting up a new authentication, encryption, or identification capability involves generating a new
key pair and having a new certificate issued for it. Those processes vary depending on the
function for which the new key pair and certificate are to be employed (also see section 3.4 for
how the certificate content varies according to function).
• An authentication key pair is generated in the AOL Token and a certificate is issued
for the new public key when the participating Member sets up a new authentication
capability. The certificate may be either a Screen Name authentication certificate or
a full name authentication certificate (sections 3.4.2-3.4.3).
• When the participating Member sets up a new encryption capability, an AOLCA
generates a new encryption key pair and retains a backup copy of the private key in
case the Member loses theirs (section 4.3.3). An encryption certificate is issued for
the new public key, and the certificate and private key are inserted into the
Member’s AOL Token.
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• An identification key pair is generated in a controlled environment manually. The
certificate signing request is manually verified and approved by two authorized
AMSPKI personnel, and the signed certificate returned to the requester.
In all cases, a new key pair is generated and a certificate issued. For all but identification
certificates, the whole process typically lasts less than a minute depending on the bandwidth of
the participant’s network connection. The following subsections describe each of these
processes in detail.
4.2.1.1. Key Generation and Device Certification for AOL Tokens
Each Member participating in AOL Member Security PKI has an AOL Token, which secures
critical communications between the Member and the AOL system. A Member or prospective
Member can receive an AOL Token in a variety of ways; the distribution of unactivated AOL
Tokens is a promotional issue.
Until activated, AOL Tokens have only a potential security function in the AOL system. Each AOL
Token must be activated before it can be used. Activation includes a symmetric key exchange,
an initial public/private key generation, and certification for the AOL Token. (As distributed, the
manufacturer installs a unique symmetric key to secure the AOL Token. In the activation process
a new symmetric key, not known to the manufacturer, is generated by an AOLCA to replace the
previous key.)
To activate a new AOL Token, the Member inserts it into the appropriate port of their computer,
as directed, and connects to the AOL system. The following then occur:
(1) The AOL system detects the presence of an unactivated AOL Token.
(2) The AOL Token establishes a secure channel between itself and the AOL system. If a
Member is already logged into AOL, their current AOL session information is recorded.
(3) Following an instruction from the AOL system, the AOL Token generates a public and
private key pair and stores the private key. The AOL Token then sends a copy of the
public key to the AOL system.
(4) The AOL system forwards the public key to an AOLCA, which issues a certificate listing
the key. The certificate satisfies the content specifications for a device authentication
certificate (section 3.4.1). To issue the certificate, the AOLCA obtains additional data
from the AOL Token and the AOL system as necessary for the content of the certificate,
creates a certificate in the required form, encodes it as required by [ITU-T X.690], and
digitally signs it using one of the AOLCA’s private keys.
(5) The AOLCA inserts the certificate into the subject’s AOL Token via a secure channel
through the AOL system.
(6) If a Member is already logged into AOL, the AOLCA stores a copy of the certificate in
the AOL system, which extracts the public key from the certificate and stores it in the
Member’s account file along with its expiration date (the date in the certificate’s
validity:notAfter field). The AOL system may take further actions to record activation of
the AOL Token or the start of AOL Member Security PKI services (if this AOL Token is
the first activated for the account).
(7) The AOL system notifies the Subject that the AOL Token is activated.
4.2.1.2. Key Generation and Certification for Authentication
To set up a new authentication capability (key pair and certificate), a participating Member must
be authenticated to the AOL system over a secure channel and the AOL Token must be
connected to the Member’s computer. When the Member requests the AOL system to set up a
new authentication capability through the account maintenance interface in the AOL client
software, the following occurs:
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(1) If the AOL Token was not previously activated, a new symmetric key is installed to
replace the symmetric key shared by the manufacturer.
(2) Following an instruction from the AOL system, the AOL Token generates a new key
pair. On completion of that key generation, the AOL Token stores the private key
securely without ever exposing it outside the AOL Token. The AOL Token transmits a
copy of the public key to the AOL system via a secure channel.
(3) On receipt of the public key, the AOL system forwards it to an AOLCA, which issues a
certificate containing the public key. The other content of the certificate is as specified
for either a Screen Name or full name authentication certificate (section 3.4). To issue
the certificate, the AOLCA obtains additional data from the AOL Token and the AOL
system as necessary for the content of the certificate, creates a certificate in the
required form, encodes it as required by [ITU-T X.690], and digitally signs it using one of
the AOLCA’s private certification keys.
(4) The AOLCA inserts the certificate into the subject’s AOL Token via a secure channel
through the AOL system. This causes the AOL Token to activate the private key, which
has not been available for use until now.
(5) The AOLCA stores a copy of the certificate in the AOL system.
(6) The AOL system notifies the Member that the new authentication capability is ready for
use, as requested.
(7) The AOL system marks the AOL Token as “activated” and available for use, if not
previously activated.
4.2.1.3. Key Generation and Certification for Encryption
To set up a new encryption capability (key pair and certificate), a participating Member must
already have an activated AOL Token complete with an authentication certificate and key pair.
The Member also must have logged into the AOL system via a secure channel. Then, when the
Member requests the AOL system to set up a new encryption capability through the account
maintenance interface in the AOL client software, the following occur:
(1) The AOLCA generates a key pair for the participating Member using a hardware
security module that conforms to the specifications for level three of [FIPS 140-2]. The
hardware security module encrypts the private key as soon as it is generated.
(2) For the key recovery purposes explained in section 04.3.3 below, the AOLCA stores an
encrypted copy of the private key in a secure database reserved for such keys.
(3) The AOLCA issues a certificate listing the new public key with the content specified for
an encryption certificate in section 3.4.4. To issue the certificate, the AOLCA obtains
the additional data required for the certificate from the AOL system, creates a certificate
in the required form, encodes it as required by [ITU-T X.690], and digitally signs the
certificate using one of the AOLCA’s private certification keys.
(4) The AOLCA inserts the private key and the certificate (including the public key) into the
subject’s AOL Token via a secure channel through the AOL system.
(5) The AOLCA stores a copy of the certificate on the AOL system.
(6) The AOL system notifies the Member that the new encryption capability is ready for
use.
4.2.1.4. Key Generation and Certification for Identification
To set up a new identification capability, a participating Member must be an active employee for
AOL or one of its agents. This process is manual and occurs with the following steps:
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(1) Following an instruction from the AMSPKI staff, an authorized agent from the
organizational entity generates a public/private key pair in a controlled environment that
meets or exceeds the recommended security stance for AOL computing devices.
(2) The public key is submitted in PKCS#10 format to the AMSPKI staff along with
identifying information for the requester and the certificate’s subject name.
(3) An AMSPKI staff member verifies the request via the following methods:
i. The public key is verified with the requester by manually comparing MD5, SHA1
or similar “fingerprints”.
ii.
iii.
iv.
The requester’s employment status is confirmed using authoritative employment
databases and other methods.
Business purpose for the certificate is reviewed and evaluated for
appropriateness.
If the request meets these and any other applicable guidelines, the request is
approved and the resulting certificate is returned to the original requester.
4.2.1.5. Replacing a Key Pair and Certificate
Replacement of an authentication key pair and certificate (as distinct from their renewal described
in section 4.2.2 occurs by means of the same processes for generating new key pairs and issuing
new certificates. The replacement keys and certificate overwrite their older counterparts in the
AOL Token and the AOL system unless the certificate and key pair are for encryption capabilities
as indicated by the keyUsage field of the certificate.
Private keys used to decrypt data are not automatically overwritten when a new encryption
certificate is issued. Instead, they remain stored and usable in the participating Member’s AOL
Token after the certificate expires so that previously encrypted data can still be decrypted.
However, the number of private decryption keys that can remain on the AOL Token is limited by
its storage capacity, which is affected by the requirements placed on the AOL Token as a whole.
If an old private decryption key is overwritten, it can be recovered as specified in section 4.3.3.
Replacement of an identification key pair and certificate is initiated by a request from an
authorized agent. The replacement process followed is the issuance process in section 4.2.1.4.
4.2.2. Expiration and Renewal of an AOL Member Security PKI
Capability
Expiration of a digital authentication or encryption capability occurs automatically when the date
arrives that is listed in the certificate’s validity:notAfter field (unless it is revoked previously). Most
applications will not use the key pair after its certificate expires, at least not without returning an
error message (see section 4.2.4 for the effect of expiration on subsequent verifications).
The AOL Member Security PKI does not require participants to track the expiration dates of their
certificates and request new ones before their existing certificates expire. Instead, the AOL
system automatically informs participating Members of an impending expiration of Screen Name
authentication, Full Name authentication, and Basic encryption certificates. In general, these
certificates are not renewed. They are replaced with new certificates and key pairs when
necessary. To permit a smooth transition between certificates, participating Members are
informed ahead of time and instructed on how to “reactivate” their AOL Token4.2.1.4.
When a certificate comes within 60 days (and 10 days) of its expiration
(1) the AOL system sends a message to the participating Member (as identified by their
email address or Screen Name in the affected certificate). This message provides
further directions on how to replace the information on their AOL Token before it
expires. As a result of that process, the AOL system replaces the certificate and key
pair as described in section 4.2.1.5.
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(2) The participating Member retains overall control whether to continue the digital
authentication or encryption capability in operation (see section 4.1).
Identification certificates are not renewed. Requesters must follow the issuance process for
replacement identification certificates (see section 4.2.1.4).
4.2.3. Revocation of an AOL Member Security PKI Capability
A participating Member can abruptly terminate an AOL Member Security PKI capability by having
the AOLCA that issued the corresponding certificate revoke it. An AOLCA revokes a certificate
that it has issued whenever one of the following events occurs:
• Request to AOL Member Services or Other Administrative Centers
(Applicable to all AOL Member Security PKI certificate types): A Member
Services or other appropriately authorized staff member will cause the AOLCA to
revoke a participating Member’s certificate after identifying the Member as
described in section 3.5.1. The Member must also establish that he controls the
primary Screen Name of the account or the Screen Name listed in the certificate to
be revoked.
• Updating AOL records online via client interface (Applicable to Device
Authentication certificates only): The primary Screen Name can revoke any
certificate in the account, or the Screen Name listed in a certificate can revoke it,
using the account management functionality of the AOL system client. Transportlayer
security between the client and the AOL system secures the communications
channel between them. 17
The AOLCA also revokes the certificate if the participant notifies AOL to terminate AOL Member
Security PKI services, if the participant ceases to be a Member of AOL, or if AOL requests
revocation of a certificate for any reason. Moreover, if the AOLCA that issued a certificate has
reason to doubt its reliability, it may revoke the certificate at its discretion, and may notify the
subject before doing so except in an emergency.
Revoking a certificate invalidates the corresponding digital authentication or encryption capability.
However, tracking down and erasing every copy of the certificate, wherever it has circulated, is
infeasible. In principle, revocation renders inoperative the cryptographic keys and algorithms that
are the core of the authentication or encryption capability, although in practice, software
applications can stop using the keys only if they discover the revocation. Because the technical
basis of a digital authentication or encryption capability persists despite revocation of the
underlying certificate, revocation is actually just a declaration by the AOLCA that the public key
certificate underlying the capability is no longer reliable. If a prospective relying party is notified of
that declaration, s/he can avoid relying on a capability that has become unsound. As a practical
matter then, the effectiveness of revocation in preventing misplaced reliance depends on notice
to a relying party that a certificate is revoked. 18
AOLCAs notify participants 19 of certificate revocation by including in each certificate a reference
to a certificate revocation list, 20 which is a list of certificates revoked within a time period specified
17 Device authentication certificates for AOL Tokens are not revoked. AOL Token certificates can be
unbound from a particular Member account by AOL Member Services staff. Member Services also keeps a
list of lost or stolen keys, which are not bound to active accounts.
18 Revocation, or the lack of it, is not implicit or to be inferred from actions taken for another purpose. For
example: sending or receiving digitally signed e-mail via AOL does not indicate that the relevant certificate is
necessarily valid. The only valid and reliable notice of revocation is the one posted at the point listed in the
CRLdistributionPoints field.
19 RAs, if used, are not typically notified upon revocation of a certificate submitted through an RA.
20 The reference to the Certificate Revocation List relevant to a given certificate is found in the
CRLdistributionPoints field of that certificate. That field contains a URL pointing to a site from which a
participant can retrieve the relevant certificate revocation list via HTTP. Retrieval and processing of the
certificate revocation list is handled automatically by most software.
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in the list. The form of the list is standardized in [ITU-T X.509] and [RFC 3280], and lists issued
by AOLCAs conform to those standards. The fields in AOL Member Security PKI certificate
revocation lists are the following, beginning at the TBSCertList level:
Field Name Critical? Data Content Significance
version n/a V2 only (indicated by the
integer “1”)
Indicates the version of [ITU-T
X.509] to which the certificate
revocation list (CRL) conforms.
signature n/a Same as specified for certificates in section 3.3.3.
issuer n/a The distinguished name of
the issuer of the revoked
certificate specified according
to section 3.3.2
ThisUpdate n/a A date and time specified
according to section 5.1.2.4
of [RFC 3280] (i.e. in
UTCtime)
NextUpdate n/a A date and time specified
according to section 5.1.2.5
of [RFC 3280] (i.e. in
UTCtime). Except for device
authentication certificates, the
time indicated may be from
24 to 72 hours from the time
listed in ThisUpdate
RevokedCertificates n/a If present, this field contains
the following subfields:
userCertificate contains a
subfield containing an integer
revocationDate contains a
date and time specified as
UTCtime
authorityKeyIdentifier No The subfield keyIdentifier
contains the SHA-1 hash of
the public key by which the
issuer’s signature on the CRL
can be verified.
CRLnumber No A long integer not exceeding
20 octets in length.
Identifies the AOLCA that issued
the CRL (and the revoked
certificate).
The date and time when the
certificate revocation list was
issued.
Except for device authentication
certificates, 21 the latest date and
time when the issuer anticipates
issuing an update to the current
CRL. Updated CRLs may be
issued sooner, however.
If this field is present,
userCertificate indicates the
serial number of the unexpired,
revoked certificate and
revocationDate i.e. the time when
the certificate was revoked.
If this field is absent in a
particular certificate revocation
list (CRL), 22 a user can infer that
no certificates have been revoked
as of the issue date of the CRL,
unless the certificate is a device
authentication certificate (see
below in this section).
Indicates which public key to use
in verifying the authenticity of the
certificate.
The serial number of this CRL in
an incrementally increasing
sequence of CRLs.
AOL Member Security PKI certificate revocation lists do not expressly list this CP/CPS but it
nevertheless applies to every certificate revocation list issued by an AOLCA.
21 As explained elsewhere in this section, notice of revocation for device authentication certificates is posted
directly to AOL Member records. The certificate revocation list for such certificates is therefore empty and
not updated. The NextUpdate field in that list is included in order to conform to [RFC 3280] but is left blank.
22 CRLs are ordinarily issued as a result of batch processes, and AOLCAs run the CRL-producing batch
process once every 24 hours (see NextUpdate), but may augment the NextUpdate interval by as much as
72 hours. If no certificates have been revoked, this field will be absent as required in section 5.1.2.6 of
[RFC 3280].
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All certificate revocation lists in the AOL Member Security PKI are cumulative; i.e. they list every
unexpired certificate revoked to date by the AOLCA that issued them.
Device authentication certificates are an exception to this section. No certificate revocation list is
published for them; instead notice is given directly to the only party in a position to rely on them,
and that is AOL. Device authentication certificates are used only by AOL and only to log in a
participant Member securely between their AOL Token and the AOL system. Consequently, the
only persons legitimately 23 involved in the use of device authentication certificates are the
Member and AOL. Because AOL uses the certificate to identify the Member’s AOL Token, AOL
is the only party that relies on device authentication certificates. Instead of publishing revocation
of device authentication certificates on a certificate revocation list, AOL, as the sole relying party,
uses a more efficient means: It removes the public key listed in the certificate from the
participant’s Member records. 24 The AOLCA foregoes giving notice to AOL because the point of
the notice has already been served by removal of the public key from the account records.
The complete revocation process (from initial request through to publication of notice) may take
up to 24 hours. The certificate remains valid until the AOLCA completes its revocation.
For all AOL Member Security PKI certificates on which a participant can rely, notice of revocation
in the form of a certificate revocation list will be publicly available, even to nonparticipants. Where
AOL is the only relying party (e.g.as in the case of device authentication certificates or, where use
of a certificate is solely for use in network access control), notification of revocation is handled
internally and publication of a certificate revocation list would serve no useful purpose.
4.2.4. Timing of Verification and Certificate Invalidation
Applications verifying digital signatures ordinarily return an error message to the user if the
relevant certificate is invalid (expired or revoked) when verification occurs. When reliance on a
digital signature occurs is a legal question that depends on the facts and circumstances of a
specific case. If a certificate was valid when a person relied on it, its subsequent invalidation may
be immaterial under applicable law. Legal advice may be informative should such questions
arise.
However, regardless of when reliance occurs or occurred, digital authentication applications vary
in whether they can verify or re-verify a digital signature retrospectively, i.e. as of a time other
than the current time according to the system clock at the moment when the verification function
is run. Most client applications, including AOL Member Security PKI, do not currently provide
functionality enabling retrospective verification without changing the system clock to that earlier
time.
Ordinarily (absent a revocation), AOL Member Security PKI minimizes this problem by renewing
or replacing a certificate at least 60 days before it expires, which means it remains valid but
unused for the remaining days. During that period, verification by reference to a valid certificate
is still possible.
To prevent inconvenience to relying parties, it is advisable in normal circumstances to let a
certificate expire rather than revoke it when discontinuing an authentication capability. That
leaves prospective relying parties a grace period during which they can still verify or re-verify a
digital signature. However, in the event of a private key security compromise (such as loss of the
AOL Token housing those private keys), revocation is advisable despite any inconvenience it may
cause.
23 As always, intruders cannot be fully ruled out. The AOL system includes technology to prevent intrusive
access. To help prevent intrusion by impersonating a Member, Members are advised to keep login
information confidential and keep their AOL Tokens away from persons who could use them in unauthorized
ways.
24 A certificate revocation list is posted for device authentication certificates, but this list should not be relied
upon by Participants. Device authentication certificates may nevertheless be revoked (for example in cases
where the certificate was erroneously issued or if the public key or device is known to be compromised), but
currently the only foreseeable relying party (AOL) handles this case itself, as explained in the main text.
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These timing issues do not arise in relation to encryption certificates because of differences in
their use and storage; see section 4.2.1.4.
4.2.5. Archiving and Record Retention of Certificates
Section 4.2.1 describes how long a certificate is stored in the Member records of the AOL system.
In general, a certificate is in those records only so long as it is valid and the corresponding private
key is in use by the Member.
Each AOLCA archives a copy of the certificate and retains that copy in accordance with the
record retention policies governing AOL.
Section 3.5.2 covers the retention of information confirming certificate content.
4.3. Key Management, Distribution, and Recovery
In general, AOL Member Security PKI handles cryptographic keys automatically and without
involving the Member. This section summarizes the main points of the behind-the-scenes key
processes.
4.3.1. Public Keys and their Certificates
All public keys are encapsulated in a certificate shortly after they are generated. Thereafter, a
public key’s lifecycle is that of its certificate and the two are ordinarily not separated. For Device
authentication certificates, some AOL systems may store the associated public key without its
certificate wrapping to expedite reference, but they nevertheless keep it in active use only as long
as its certificate is valid.
AOL and AOLCAs do not currently offer public directory or repository services or other means of
distributing certificates and public keys to anyone who may be interested, although the AOL
system provides them to participating Members as needed. For example, a Member can obtain
another Member’s certificate in order to use the public key in it to encrypt data to be sent to that
Member or to verify that Member’s digital signature. The AOL system and its client software
perform that certificate retrieval automatically for Members using AOL software.
4.3.2. Private Authentication Keys
In the AOL Member Security PKI, all participating Members’ private keys used for authentication
according to the corresponding certificate are stored in the AOL Token. The AOL Token also
generates all private authentication keys. The AOL system or an AOLCA does not copy or
expose a private authentication key outside of the AOL Token in which it was generated. AOL
Tokens conform to [GP KMS Requirements] and [GP Card Specification] in the security they
provide for private keys.
The AOL system overwrites an old private authentication key in the AOL Token with a new one
when the corresponding certificate is replaced as described in section 4.2.1.4, but not when it is
renewed as described in section 4.2.2. In either case, private keys that are to become disused
are not left to clutter the AOL Token and pose a risk of improper use.
The AOL system has no means to recover or destroy a Member’s lost or stolen private
authentication keys. For that reason, it is advisable to keep the AOL Token secure and not to
disclose the information necessary to access and use the private keys stored in it. If it is lost, or if
a private key stored on it is divulged, the certificates of the compromised private key(s) can be
revoked so as to minimize any harm that might otherwise arise through reliance on an
authentication capability that has become unsound.
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4.3.3. Private Encryption Keys and their Recovery
A private key certified for use with encryption decrypts data that has been encrypted using the
corresponding public key. Without that private key, data encrypted using the public key may well
not be recoverable by any practicable or cost-effective means available to the would-be user of
the data.
To prevent data loss through private key errors, 25 each AOLCA retains a backup copy of each
private encryption key that it generates (section 4.2.1.3). It stores the backup copy only in
encrypted form. The AOLCA does not disclose a private encryption key from its backup database
except:
• Pursuant to a request to restore the key by the participating Member listed as the
subject of the corresponding certificate, and then only after the Member identifies
him or herself as specified in section 3.5.1. If AOL confirms the subject’s
identification (section 3.5.1) and the authenticity of the request, the AOLCA restores
the key to the subscribing Member via a secure method through the AOL system.
• As ordered by a governmental authority (such as a court) which AOL reasonably
believes to have jurisdiction, or as otherwise required by applicable law. See
Appendix A for jurisdiction-specific information.
AOL and AOLCAs perform no backup of private authentication keys generated on AOL Tokens.
4.3.4. Private Identification Keys
In the AOL Member Security PKI, identification private keys are manually generated by the
requester. As such, the control and oversight for these keys is beyond that of the AOL system.
The AOL system has no means to recover or destroy a lost or stolen private identification key.
For that reason, it is advisable to keep the file system containing the private identification key
secure and access controls established such that it cannot be disclosed inappropriately. The
identification private key must also be protected by a strong passphrase in case it is stolen. If it is
stolen or copied or the passphrase revealed to unauthorized persons, the certificates of the
compromised private key(s) must be revoked so as to minimize any harm that might otherwise
arise through reliance on an identification capability that has become unsound.
5. Certification Operations
The quality, availability, and other aspects of the service that AOL and an AOLCA provide in
relation to AOL Member Security PKI are covered in contracts with each participant. To the
extent that AOL provides certification services for participants (i.e. acts as their AOLCA), those
services may be covered in the Member Agreement or participating nonmember agreement.
Participating nonmembers enter into an online contract when they begin participating as relying
parties and install AOL root certificate(s) in their operating system.
5.1. Security and Soundness of Operations
AOL and AOLCAs endeavor to operate according to the generally accepted practices and
procedures in the Internet service industry. More specifically, they substantially comply with the
following standards in relation to the security and soundness of their operations:
• [Webtrust ® Criteria];
25 In some jurisdictions, government regulations may require AOL to retain a backup copy of a private
encryption key.
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• [GP Card Specification];
• [GP Functional Requirements]; and
• [GP KMS Requirements].
AOL and AOLCA operations are thoroughly documented for internal purposes, but that
documentation is proprietary and confidential. All critical CA operations take place within a
physically secure facility with at least four layers of security to access sensitive hardware or
software. Such systems are physically separated from the organization’s other systems so that
only authorized employees of the CA can access them. Physical access to the CA systems is
strictly controlled. Only trustworthy individuals with a valid business reason are provided such
access.
All CA systems have industry standard power and air conditioning systems to provide a suitable
operating environment. All CA systems have reasonable precautions taken to minimize the
impact of water exposure. All CA systems have industry standard fire prevention and protection
mechanisms in place.
Off-site backups are stored in a physically secure manner by a bonded third-party storage facility.
Media storage under the control of the CA is subject to the normal media storage requirements of
the company.
Waste is disposed of in accordance with the organization’s normal waste disposal requirements.
Cryptographic devices are physically destroyed or securely zeroized in accordance with the
manufacturers’ guidance prior to disposal.
As part of the CA’s scheduled system backup procedures, audit trail files are backed up on at
least a daily basis. Audit trail files are archived on a weekly basis.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans are tested and reviewed at least annually. The
AOLCA has a business continuity plan to restore the CA’s business operations in a reasonably
timely manner following interruption to, or failure of, critical business processes. The CA’s
business continuity plan defines 24 hours as an acceptable system outage time in the event of a
natural disaster or CA private key compromise. The AOLCA maintains a recovery site located
approximately 20 miles from the CA’s primary site. Backups of critical system information and
audit logs are performed daily, and event journals are reviewed at least on a bi-monthly basis.
5.2. Termination of CA
An AOLCA may terminate its operations at the direction of the AOL Policy Management Authority.
(PMA) In the event the CA is terminated, all certificates issued under the CA will be revoked and
the CA will cease to issue certificates. The CA will provide no less than one month’s notice to all
AOL business units utilizing the services of the CA. Upon termination the records of the CA will
be archived and transferred to a specified custodian.
5.3. Audits
An AOLCA may choose to be certified by independent third parties as conforming to Webtrust ®
for Certification Authorities. In these cases, periodic audits ensure the AOLCA’s continuing
conformity to the [Webtrust ® Criteria] of the American Institute of certified Public Accountants and
the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. The [Webtrust ® Criteria] specify the frequency
and other requirements for periodic audits. This report is made available to the PMA and the
AOLCA’s management. If significant deficiencies are reported in an audit, the PMA will direct the
AOLCA management to address these deficiencies within 60 days of notice.
Auditors have access to internal documentation as needed for the audit and subject to
agreements governing their services.
AOLCAs not conforming to Webtrust ® for Certification Authorities criteria must still substantially
adhere to the WebTrust audit criteria but are not subject to independent audit. These CAs will
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provide periodic audit reports to the PMA and AOLCA management. If significant deficiencies are
reported in an audit, the PMA will direct the AOLCA management to address these deficiencies
within 60 days of notice.
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6. Amendment and Review of this CP/CPS
AOL has adopted this CP/CPS through its PKI Policy Management Authority. It is under
continuous review as AOL Member Security PKI develops and is subject to amendment by the
PKI Policy Management Authority. For contractual purposes, changes in this CP/CPS are
changes in the specifications of a service provided by AOL.
Some changes to this CP/CPS may be deemed by the AOL PMA to have minimal or no impact
on participants. Such changes may be made without changing the revision number of this
CP/CPS. Changes to this document deemed by the AOL PMA to have significant impact on the
participants of the AOL Member Security PKI may be made with 45 days notice and a
corresponding change in version number for this CP/CPS. Such changes will be publicly posted
to the AOLMSPKI website.
Any notices or correspondence relative to this CP/CPS may be sent to the AOL Member Security
PKI Administrator by email (pki-info@aol.net) or postal mail:
PKI Policy Management Authority
C/O Operations Security
AOL LLC
12100 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191
7. Miscellaneous Provisions
a. Choice of Law and Forum. The laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, excluding
its conflicts-of-law rules, govern this CP/CPS. Participants (“you”) expressly agree
that exclusive jurisdiction for any claim or dispute with AOL or relating in any way to
this CP/CPS or AOL Member Security PKI services resides in the courts of Virginia,
and you further agree and expressly consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction
in the courts of Virginia in connection with any such dispute or claim. The foregoing
provision may not apply to you depending on the laws of your jurisdiction. This
CP/CPS shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for
the International Sale of Goods.
b. Severability. If any term of this CP/CPS is found by a court of competent jurisdiction
to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the term shall be construed in a manner
consistent with applicable law to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original meaning of
the provision, and the remainder of the CP/CPS shall be enforced according to its
terms.
c. Survival. Sections 2.3, 3.6, 6, 7, and Appendix A shall survive any expiration or
termination of this CP/CPS.
d. Notices. By affirmatively using any AOL Member Security PKI service, you consent
to receive all communications, including notices, agreements, legally required
disclosures or other information in connection with any AOL Member Security PKI
service electronically from AOL (collectively, "Notices"). You agree that AOL
generally can send you electronic Notices by (i) e-mail to your primary email account
(if one has been registered with AOL), and/or (ii) by "pop up notice" on an AOL
Member Security PKI service and/or by (iii) posting the Notices on a main page or
prominent area of the relevant AOL Member Security PKI service or this site. Any
notices or correspondence you wish to provide AOL relative to this CP/CPS shall be
sent to the AOL Member Security PKI Administrator, as specified in Section 6 above.
e. Entire Agreement. This CP/CPS constitutes the entire and only agreement
regarding your use of AOL Member Security PKI services, except for any applicable
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Member Agreement or participating nonmember agreement you may choose to enter
with AOL which will govern the particular AOL Member Security PKI services
provided in connection with such Member Agreement or participating nonmember
agreement. This CP/CPS supersedes all prior and contemporaneous
representations, agreements and other communications regarding the AOL Member
Security PKI services. Except as expressly set forth herein, this CP/CPS may not be
amended, modified, or supplemented in any manner, except by a written instrument
signed by an authorized representative of, or otherwise authorized by, AOL. No
provision hereof shall be deemed waived (by any act or omission) unless such waiver
is in a writing signed by an authorized representative of AOL.
8. Glossary and References
8.1. Definitions
Within this CP/CPS and in any contract, certificate profile, or other document incorporating these
definitions by reference, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
(3) AOL Member Security PKI Addendum: The portion of the Member Agreement, or
the supplementary agreement with a Member, that provides for AOL Member Security
PKI services. In the case of a participating nonmember, the AOL Member Security PKI
Addendum is the contract providing for limited reliance services from AOL; see section
2.2.1.
(4) AOL: See Appendix A.
(5) AOLCA: AOL in its role as certification service provider for AOL Member Security PKI,
as well as any supplier or other entity authorized by AOL to perform that role.
(6) AOL Member Security PKI: The name for the particular AOL system used to enable
certain security-related products and services that rely on the issuance, management
and/or use of digital certificates and other cryptographic capabilities described in this
CP/CPS. See also section 2.1.
(7) AOL system: The network and related infrastructure managed and/or operated by or
for AOL in order to provide information, entertainment, communications, and
transactional services to Members, including without limitation the AOL Member
Security PKI. The AOL system also consists of the network and infrastructure used to
extend any such services (or portion thereof) to participating nonmembers, as provided
in section 2.2.1.
(8) AOL Token: A device conforming to [GP Card Specification] and manufactured
according to AOL’s specifications. Used to generate and store public and private
authentication keys, store certificates, and to establish secure channels. See also
section 2.1.
(9) Bind: In relation to an AOL Token and a named Member or account, to associate the
AOL Token with the Member or Account in the AOL Member records.
(10) Certificate: A digital record which:
(a)
(b)
(c)
contains a public key (possibly in a form encoded pursuant to applicable
technical standards),
either lists a subject or refers to a subject listed in other records available to its
issuer, and
is digitally signed by its issuer.
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(11) Certificate request: A data record containing information to be included in a
certificate and signed by the subject-to-be of that certificate using the private key
corresponding to the public key to be certified.
(12) Certificate Revocation List (CRL): A time-stamped list of revoked certificates that is
digitally signed and published by an AOLCA. See section 4.2.3.
(13) Confirm: To substantiate through the exercise of reasonable care the accuracy of a
factual representation to be included in a certificate. See section 3.5.
(14) CP/CPS: This document, which specifies the policies and practices of the public key
infrastructure used in the AOL Member Security PKI.
(15) Full Name: The legal name by which a participating Member may be known. In some
cases this may also be their Common Name.
(16) Member: A person or system who has registered to use any service or product
offered through the AOL system pursuant to a Member Agreement. A “participating
Member” is a Member in one or more AOL Member Security PKI services.
(17) Member Agreement: A written contract establishing the terms and conditions under
which a user may obtain access to and/or use any product or service offered through
the AOL system. Separate Member Agreements may apply to separate products and
services.
(18) Participant: Either:
(a)
(b)
A Member of an AOL Member PKI Security service, or
A participating nonmember.
(19) Participating nonmember: A person who is authorized to rely on one or more
certificates issued by an AOLCA pursuant to a participating nonmember agreement,
but who is not authorized under such agreement to have certificates issued listing that
person as a subject. See section 2.2.1.
(20) Participating nonmember agreement: A written contract establishing the terms and
conditions under which a user is given the limited authorization to rely on one or more
certificates issued by an AOLCA to a Member, but that does not establish any right to
have certificates issued on such user’s behalf.
(21) Primary Screen Name: The Screen Name that holds full administrative power over a
Member account, without that power being subject to termination or suspension by any
other Screen Name. See AOL system documentation on Member account
management for more information.
(22) PMA: An acryonym for “Policy Management Authority”, the body overseeing overall
management and coordination of AOLCA policies. The PMA reviews WebTrust audit
reports and approves changes to CP/CPS documents enforced by AOLCAs.
(23) Publish: To make information widely available for reference and retrieval, such as by
posting it on the World Wide Web.
(24) Relying party: A person that receives a certificate identifying a subject and that is in a
position to act in reliance upon that certificate and/or information verified using the
certificate.
(25) Revoke a certificate: To include the certificate in a class of certificates that are no
longer valid regardless of when they expire. See section 4.2.3.
(26) Screen Name: An alphanumeric identifier for a Member’s master account or subaccount,
within an AOL-controlled domain (e.g., Screen Name@aol.com).
(27) Secure channel: A line of digital communication between a Member’s activated AOL
Token and the AOL system that is opened and encrypted as specified in [GP Card
Specification].
(28) Subject: A person or device that is the subject of a certificate, i.e. listed in the subject
field of the certificate as described in section 3.3.1.
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(29) Valid certificate: A certificate which, at a given time:
(a) has been issued (section 4.2.1);
(b) has not yet expired as indicated by its validity:notAfter field; and
(c) has not been revoked as specified in section 4.2.3.
8.2. References
[AOL Root Certifier CP/CPS]: AOL Root Certifier: Certificate Policy and Certification Practice
Statement (2005). This document is adopted and published in cooperation with AOL Operations
Security.
[FIPS 140-2]: National Institute for Standards and Technology, Federal Information Processing
Standard 140-2: Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules -- 01 May 25
(Supersedes FIPS PUB 140-1, 1994 January 11)
[GP Card Specification]: GlobalPlatform Inc., GlobalPlatform Card Specification version 2.1.1
(March 2003).
[GP Functional Requirements]: GlobalPlatform Inc., Multi Application Smart Card Management
Systems: Functional Requirements version 3.4 (May 2001).
[GP KMS Requirements]: GlobalPlatform Inc., GlobalPlatform Key Management System:
Functional Requirements version 1.0 (November 2003).
[ITU-T X.509]: International Telecommunication Union, Information technology - Open Systems
Interconnection - The Directory: Public-key and attribute certificate frameworks version 3 (2000).
[ITU-T X.520]: Information technology - Open Systems Interconnection - The directory: Selected
attribute types (1997).
[ITU-T X.690] Information technology - ASN.1 encoding rules: Specification of Basic Encoding
Rules (BER), Canonical Encoding Rules (CER) and Distinguished Encoding Rules (DER) (2002).
[RFC 822]: D. Crocker, Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages (1982).
[RFC 2311] S. Dusse, P. Hoffman, B. Ramsdell, L. Lundblade, L. Repka, S/MIME Version 2
Message Specification (1998).
[RFC 3280]: R. Housley, W. Polk, W. Ford, D. Solo, Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure:
Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile (2002).
[RFC 3647]: S. Chokhani, W. Ford, R. Sabett, C. Merrill, S. Wu, Internet X.509 Public Key
Infrastructure: Certificate Policy and Certification Practices Framework (2003).
[Webtrust ® Criteria]: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc. and Canadian
Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Suitable Trust Services Criteria and Illustrations for
Security Availability, Processing Integrity, Online Privacy, and Confidentiality (Including Webtrust ®
and SysTrust ® ) version 3.0 (2003).
8.3. Links
Some of the references listed in the foregoing bibliography are available online from the following:
• RFCs: http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html
• ISO standards: http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.frontpage
• ITU standards: http://www.itu.int/publications/online/index.html
• Global Platform specifications: http://www.globalplatform.org
• Federal Information Processing Standards: http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/bynum.htm
• Webtrust: http://www.webtrust.org
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Promotional and commercial information about the AOL Member Security PKI is online at
https://pki-info.aol.com/AOLMSPKI.
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Appendix A
National Adaptations
For participants residing in the jurisdictions listed below, the following apply and supersede any
provision to the contrary in the foregoing CP/CPS.
United States
(30) Definition of AOL. “AOL” means AOL LLC Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any
entity in which AOL LLC, Inc. controls directly or indirectly at least 50% of the equity or
ownership interest.
(31) Orders for disclosure of backup private key. AOL will not disclose any backup
private encryption key stored by AOL except to comply with valid legal process such as
a search warrant, subpoena or court order, to protect the company's rights and
property, or during emergencies when we believe physical safety is at risk. That
disclosure makes possible the decryption of any data encrypted using the
corresponding public key. AOL may be forbidden by law to inform an affected Member
of the disclosure, and in any case, it does not do so absent an inquiry from the affected
Member. Legal advice may be informative should a Member have a concern in
particular circumstances.
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Appendix B
Comparison to [RFC 3647]
This appendix is for reference only and is not an integral part of the AOL Member Security PKI
CP/CPS.
Although [RFC 3647] recommends that a certificate policy or certification practice statement
follow the outline it prescribes (section 6), the AOL Member Security PKI CP/CPS does not do so
for several reasons, including:
• The requirements of its audience: Participants in AOL Member Security PKI will
generally be consumers and not information security experts. Recourse to security
expertise is not likely to be cost-effective or justifiable for the uses foreseen for AOL
Member Security PKI. The complex and highly technical subject matter envisioned
in [RFC 3647] is therefore not seen as being most appropriate for the intended user
audience. Instead, this CP/CPS strives to be simpler and more concise than a
conventional certificate policy or certification practice statement.
• The underlying contractual basis for AOL Member Security PKI: The legal
basis for the participant-AOL/AOLCA relationship derives from the Member
Agreement and participating nonmember agreement, which are separate
documents from the CP/CPS even though they relate to many of the issues in the
[RFC 3647] outline. Because of the existence of this broader legal structure
governing services to be offered in connection with the AOL Member Security PKI,
the [RFC 3647] outline is a poor fit for the material to be covered in the CP/CPS,
which is entirely descriptive.
• Differences in purpose: The outline in [RFC 3647] presumes a need for full,
public disclosure of all aspects of the subject PKI because privity is not expected to
exist between the certification service provider and the end users of the PKI. By
contrast, AOL Member Security PKI services are expected to be provided to
participants who have privity with the AOLCA and/or AOL. The CP/CPS specifies
AOL Member Security PKI services in sufficient detail to provide the framework to
support the anticipated security and certification services to be offered to
participants. AOL’s additional internal and confidential procedures ensure good
order in its operations but are not public information.
• No concrete need for comparison: Although AOL Member Security PKI follows
industry standards and is designed for interoperability, the infrastructure is designed
for use by a closed community of participants and any prospective requirements for
interoperability, cross-certification, or bridging to accommodate other PKIs, have not
yet been defined. Consequently, useful comparisons cannot be made between the
CP/CPS and similar documentation written to serve different PKI service objectives.
Because the mapping from the CP/CPS outline to [RFC 3647] is inexact, reading the CP/CPS as
structured is advisable. However, the following table may help locate relevant provisions.
Number in
[RFC 3647]
Heading in [RFC 3647]
1.1 Overview 1
1.2 Document name and identification Title page; 3.1
1.3 PKI participants 2.2
Reference in AOL Member Security PKI
1.4 Certificate usage Member Agreement and participating
nonmember agreement; 3.4
1.5 Policy administration 6
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Number in
[RFC 3647]
Heading in [RFC 3647]
2.1-2.4 Repositories, publication, access 3.1, 4.2.3
3.1 Naming 3.3.1, 3.3.2
3.2 Initial identity validation 3.5
3.3 Identification and authentication for re-key requests 4.2.1.44.2.1.5
4.1-4.2 Certificate application and processing 4.2.1
4.3 Certificate issuance 4.2.1-4.2.2
4.4 Certificate acceptance 4.2.1
Reference in AOL Member Security PKI
4.5 Key pair and certificate usage No stipulation other than contractual
limits on usage of AOL system as a
whole; liability limits may be relevant
4.6 Certificate renewal 4.2.2
4.7 Certificate re-key 4.2.1.54.2.1.4
4.8 Certificate modification 3.5.2 (updating account information)
4.9 Certificate revocation and suspension 4.2.3
4.10 Certificate status services 4.2.3
4.11 End of subscription 4.2.3 (termination of Membership)
4.12 Key escrow and recovery 4.3.3
5-6 Facility, management, and operational controls
Technical security controls
7.1 Certificate profiles 3.4
7.2 CRL profile 4.2.3
7.3 OCSP profile 4.2.3
8 Compliance audit and other assessments 5
9.1 Fees Member Agreement; participating
nonmember agreement
9.2 Financial responsibility Member Agreement; participating
nonmember agreement
9.3 Confidentiality of business information 3.6.1; Member Agreement
9.4 Privacy of personal information 3.6.1; Member Agreement
9.5 Intellectual property rights 3.6.2; Member Agreement
9.6 Representations and warranties 3.3; Member Agreement
9.7 Disclaimers of warranties Member Agreement
9.8 Limitations of liability Member Agreement
9.9 Indemnities Member Agreement
9.10 Term Member Agreement
9.11-9.16 Individual notices, dispute resolution, governing
law, other legal boilerplate
5
Member Agreement
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