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Add support for NotBefore and NotAfter to initca #1270

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@mmlb mmlb commented Jan 27, 2023 •
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So I was trying to get a cert with NotBefore to be somewhere around right after the Unix Epoch for $reasons and could not come up on a way to get what I wanted with backdate. So I thought it'd be nicer to just add support for NotBefore and NotAfter directly like other operations do.

Fixes: #1038
Fixes: #910

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mmlb commented Jan 28, 2023

FYI here's an example of the weird behavior, I would love it if someone could point out if I'm doing something wrong or if this is a cfssl bug.

I tried setting backdate and noticed that the calculations weren't very stable. Just to make it easy I tried something like:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -o errexit -o nounset -o pipefail
rm -f ./*.pem ./*.csr ca.json ca-config.json server-csr.json

ssue=$(date +%s)
backdate=$((ssue - 10))
echo ssue=$ssue backdate=$backdate diff=$((ssue-backdate))s
expiry=$(date --date='today + 5 year' +'%s')
sed \
	-e "s|@FACILITY@|$FACILITY|g" \
	-e "s|@BACKDATE@|${backdate}s|g" \
	-e "s|@EXPIRY@|${expiry}s|g" \
	<ca.in.json >ca.json
cfssl gencert -initca ca.json 2>/dev/null |
	jq -r .cert |
	openssl x509 -noout -text |
	grep 'Not Before'
exit

ca.in.json looks like:

{
  "CN": "Autogenerated CA",
  "ca": {
    "backdate": "@BACKDATE@",
    "expiry": "@EXPIRY@"
  },
  "names": [
    {
      "L": "@FACILITY@"
    }
  ]
}

and here's what I'm seeing, note how the the pre-unix-epoch ts only goes up to ...:40 and then jumps back up to 1970-01-01... (hmm now that I think about it maybe it has to do with GMT != UTC maybe?)

$ for i in $(seq 70); do FACILITY=mmlb bash gencerts.sh; sleep 1; done
ssue=1674864355 backdate=1674864345 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:15 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864356 backdate=1674864346 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:14 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864357 backdate=1674864347 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:13 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864358 backdate=1674864348 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:12 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864359 backdate=1674864349 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:11 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864360 backdate=1674864350 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:10 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864362 backdate=1674864352 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:08 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864363 backdate=1674864353 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:07 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864364 backdate=1674864354 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:06 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864365 backdate=1674864355 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:05 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864366 backdate=1674864356 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:04 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864367 backdate=1674864357 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:03 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864368 backdate=1674864358 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:02 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864369 backdate=1674864359 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:01 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864370 backdate=1674864360 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:00 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864371 backdate=1674864361 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:59 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864372 backdate=1674864362 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:58 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864373 backdate=1674864363 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:57 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864374 backdate=1674864364 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:56 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864375 backdate=1674864365 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:55 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864376 backdate=1674864366 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:54 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864377 backdate=1674864367 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:53 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864378 backdate=1674864368 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:52 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864379 backdate=1674864369 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:51 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864380 backdate=1674864370 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:50 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864381 backdate=1674864371 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:49 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864382 backdate=1674864372 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:48 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864383 backdate=1674864373 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:47 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864384 backdate=1674864374 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:46 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864386 backdate=1674864376 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:44 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864387 backdate=1674864377 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:43 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864388 backdate=1674864378 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:42 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864389 backdate=1674864379 diff=10s
            Not Before: Dec 31 23:59:41 1969 GMT
ssue=1674864390 backdate=1674864380 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:40 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864391 backdate=1674864381 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:39 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864392 backdate=1674864382 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:38 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864393 backdate=1674864383 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:37 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864394 backdate=1674864384 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:36 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864395 backdate=1674864385 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:35 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864396 backdate=1674864386 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:34 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864397 backdate=1674864387 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:33 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864398 backdate=1674864388 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:32 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864399 backdate=1674864389 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:31 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864400 backdate=1674864390 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:30 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864401 backdate=1674864391 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:29 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864402 backdate=1674864392 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:28 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864403 backdate=1674864393 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:27 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864404 backdate=1674864394 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:26 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864405 backdate=1674864395 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:25 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864406 backdate=1674864396 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:24 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864407 backdate=1674864397 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:23 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864408 backdate=1674864398 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:22 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864410 backdate=1674864400 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:20 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864411 backdate=1674864401 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:19 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864412 backdate=1674864402 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:18 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864413 backdate=1674864403 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:17 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864414 backdate=1674864404 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:16 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864415 backdate=1674864405 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:15 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864416 backdate=1674864406 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:14 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864417 backdate=1674864407 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:13 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864418 backdate=1674864408 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:12 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864419 backdate=1674864409 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:11 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864420 backdate=1674864410 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:10 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864421 backdate=1674864411 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:09 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864422 backdate=1674864412 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:08 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864423 backdate=1674864413 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:07 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864424 backdate=1674864414 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:06 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864425 backdate=1674864415 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:05 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864426 backdate=1674864416 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:04 1970 GMT
ssue=1674864427 backdate=1674864417 diff=10s
            Not Before: Jan  1 00:00:03 1970 GMT

@mmlb
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mmlb commented Jan 28, 2023

Back to the actual PR though... Please let me know how this is looking and what you'd like to see added/changed.

Thanks!

@mmlb mmlb marked this pull request as ready for review January 28, 2023 00:12
mmlb added 2 commits January 30, 2023 11:45
@mmlb
csr: Add NotBefore & NotAfter to CAConfig
bdadff2 
Setting these was only previously possible with backdate and expiry but could
be a pain to figure out the tdeltas correctly. Sometimes its just easier to
explicitly give the timestamps.
@mmlb
initca: Fill out NotBefore/NotAfter ts from the cert request
5fd4c43 
This way users can pass these in so the csr and certificate end up with the
wanted dates.
@mmlb mmlb force-pushed the initca-support-not_before-not_after branch from 063bfd2 to 5fd4c43 Compare January 30, 2023 16:48
@mmlb
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mmlb commented Feb 1, 2023

hey @nickysemenza wanted to bring this to your 👀 and get some feedback hopefully. Good idea/bad idea...

@mmlb
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mmlb commented Jul 19, 2023

ping @nickysemenza

@JoeLeeone
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Thanks!

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