RFC 5216, "The EAP-TLS Authentication Protocol", March 2008

Note: This RFC has been updated by RFC 8996, RFC 9190

Errata ID: 7991
Status: Reported
Type: Technical
Publication Format(s) : TEXT
Reported By: E Vashist Kumar
Date Reported: 2024-06-14

Section 2.1.3 page 10 says:

   Authenticating Peer     Authenticator
   -------------------     -------------
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           Identity
   EAP-Response/
   Identity (MyID) ->
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS Start)
   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
   (TLS client_hello)->
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS server_hello,
                             TLS certificate,
                    [TLS server_key_exchange,]
               TLS certificate_request,
                 TLS server_hello_done)

   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
   (TLS certificate,
    TLS client_key_exchange,
    TLS certificate_verify,
    TLS change_cipher_spec,
    TLS finished) ->

                           <- EAP-Request/
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS change_cipher_spec,
                           TLS finished)
   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS ->
                           <- EAP-Request
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS Alert message)
   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS ->
                           <- EAP-Failure
                           (User Disconnected)

It should say:

   Authenticating Peer     Authenticator
   -------------------     -------------
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           Identity
   EAP-Response/
   Identity (MyID) ->
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS Start)
   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
   (TLS client_hello)->
                           <- EAP-Request/
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS server_hello,
                             TLS certificate,
                    [TLS server_key_exchange,]
               TLS certificate_request,
                 TLS server_hello_done)

   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
   (TLS certificate,
    TLS client_key_exchange,
    TLS certificate_verify,
    TLS change_cipher_spec,
    TLS finished) ->

                           <- EAP-Request
                           EAP-Type=EAP-TLS
                           (TLS Alert message)
   EAP-Response/
   EAP-Type=EAP-TLS ->
                           <- EAP-Failure
                           (User Disconnected)

Notes:

The message which has to be sent after server fails to authenticate the peer is ,TLS alert message, The TLS change cipher spec and the TLS finished cannot be sent from the server side if the server fails to authenticate the peer. Instead the server has to send TLS alert message after the peer sends change cipher spec.

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