Intent to Ship: WebAuthn PRF extension

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Adam Langley

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Apr 28, 2023, 6:05:25 PM4/28/23
to blink-dev

Contact emails

a...@chromium.org

Explainer

https://github.com/w3c/webauthn/wiki/Explainer:-PRF-extension

Specification

https://w3c.github.io/webauthn/#prf-extension

Summary

The PRF extension to WebAuthn allows a pseudo-random function (i.e. HMAC), stored on the security key, to be evaluated when getting a credential. This can be used to derive secret keys used to encrypt user data.


Blink component

Blink>WebAuthentication

Search tags

webauthnprfhmac

TAG review

https://github.com/w3ctag/design-reviews/issues/806

TAG review status

Complete

Risks


Interoperability and Compatibility

Support on Windows depends on having a recent version of Windows. Not every security key supports the underlying hmac_secret functionality. Some passkey providers on Android 14 may not support it.


Gecko: No signal

WebKit: No signal

Web developers: We've had several requests to enable this. Hopefully some will reply to this thread in the coming week.

Security

Some platforms may have assumed that the web would not ever be able to access the HMAC oracles in security keys. Therefore the HMAC inputs are hashed with a context string before being used, thus preventing sites from evaluating any HMAC input from the native domain.


WebView application risks

WebAuthn is not currently supported in WebViews. If that changes, this feature isn't expected to cause any specific difficulties. It remains the case that apps need to be authorized by assetlinks.json to access WebAuthn credentials.


Debuggability

This feature is supported by Chromium's simulated security key and can be used by Web Driver tests and, later, could be exposed in DevTools.

Will this feature be supported on all six Blink platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, and Android WebView)?

Yes, although support for WebAuthn in WebViews in general is still in the future.

Is this feature fully tested by web-platform-tests?

Yes

Flag name

chrome://flags/#enable-experimental-web-platform-features, although it'll have a separate killswitch flag when default enabled.

Requires code in //chrome?

False

Tracking bug

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1106961

Link to entry on the Chrome Platform Status

https://chromestatus.com/feature/5138422207348736

Links to previous Intent discussions

Intent to prototype: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/blink-dev/c/t_9QdJ7hcls/m/CAAOGBIVBgAJ

Alex Russell

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May 1, 2023, 4:26:02 AM5/1/23
to Adam Langley, blink-dev
This looks good on the surface, but I'm wondering if there's sample code somewhere that can demonstrate how this would be used?

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Rew Islam

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May 1, 2023, 9:13:39 AM5/1/23
to Alex Russell, Adam Langley, blink-dev
Dashlane would like to see support for this feature. This allows encryption of data without the need for a knowledge based secret, in an easy to use way.

Rew


On 1 May 2023, at 09:26, Alex Russell <sligh...@chromium.org> wrote:


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Adam Langley

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May 1, 2023, 2:30:28 PM5/1/23
to Alex Russell, blink-dev
On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 1:25 AM Alex Russell <sligh...@chromium.org> wrote:
This looks good on the surface, but I'm wondering if there's sample code somewhere that can demonstrate how this would be used?

Good point. I've added an example of basic usage to the explainer page: https://github.com/w3c/webauthn/wiki/Explainer:-PRF-extension


Cheers

AGL

Nick Steele

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May 1, 2023, 3:51:49 PM5/1/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, Alex Russell
1 Password is also supportive of this extension being added. Being able to encrypt data alongside a credential would be useful to us and our users.

I'd like some clarification on the contextual string being provided for HMAC hashing. What is the expected context input being provided?

Thanks,
NS
Message has been deleted

Adam Langley

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May 1, 2023, 4:22:43 PM5/1/23
to Nick Steele, blink-dev, Alex Russell
On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 12:47 PM Nick Steele <nick....@agilebits.com> wrote:
1 Password is also supportive of this extension being added. Being able to encrypt data alongside a credential would be useful to us and our users.

I'd like some clarification on the contextual string being provided for HMAC hashing. What is the expected context input being provided?


>  Let salt1 be the value of SHA-256(UTF8Encode("WebAuthn PRF") || 0x00 || eval.first).

So any applications with more direct access to security keys have to opt-into being compatible with the Web by picking salts with known pre-images via that function. Existing uses do not get abruptly exposed to the Web via this extension.


Cheers

AGL

Nick Steele

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May 1, 2023, 4:45:31 PM5/1/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, sligh...@chromium.org, Nick Steele
Got it, given the phrasing there was a concern that there could be a non-standard addition to the contextual string.
This works for us and we look forward to PRF landing in Chrome. 
-NS

Caleb Raitto

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May 2, 2023, 11:31:34 AM5/2/23
to blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Adam Langley, blink-dev, Alex Russell
I think this was discussed before with mmenke@, but he's ooo: 

How does this feature work in cross-site iframes? What prevents the PRF from acting as a cross site identifier (are credentials usable in cross site iframes)?

Thanks,
-Caleb

Adam Langley

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May 2, 2023, 12:06:50 PM5/2/23
to Caleb Raitto, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Alex Russell
On Tue, May 2, 2023 at 8:31 AM Caleb Raitto <cara...@chromium.org> wrote:
I think this was discussed before with mmenke@, but he's ooo: 

How does this feature work in cross-site iframes? What prevents the PRF from acting as a cross site identifier (are credentials usable in cross site iframes)?

WebAuthn works in cross-site iframes if the parent frame explicitly permits it with Permissions Policy, thus the prf extension can work too. A PRF value could be used as a tracking vector, but that would be a bit obtuse because WebAuthn credentials themselves already have a large random ID. The cross-origin iframe would still be limited by the RP ID mechanism so that it could only attempt to assert credentials created within the same eTLD+1, however.

Fundamentally, as an authentication mechanism WebAuthn must be a method of identification. The balance is that WebAuthn requires a ceremony: browser UI plus authenticator activation (e.g. touching a security key). The PRF extension is part of a WebAuthn authentication and thus requires the same ceremony, it can never be triggered silently or anything like that.


Cheers

AGL

Caleb Raitto

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May 2, 2023, 12:56:00 PM5/2/23
to Adam Langley, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Alex Russell
Thanks, makes sense -- can a note about this be added to the privacy section of the explainer / spec? 

-Caleb

Yoav Weiss

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May 3, 2023, 7:07:13 AM5/3/23
to Adam Langley, blink-dev
On Sat, Apr 29, 2023 at 12:05 AM 'Adam Langley' via blink-dev <blin...@chromium.org> wrote:

Contact emails

a...@chromium.org

Explainer

https://github.com/w3c/webauthn/wiki/Explainer:-PRF-extension

Specification

https://w3c.github.io/webauthn/#prf-extension

Summary

The PRF extension to WebAuthn allows a pseudo-random function (i.e. HMAC), stored on the security key, to be evaluated when getting a credential. This can be used to derive secret keys used to encrypt user data.


Blink component

Blink>WebAuthentication

Search tags

webauthnprfhmac

TAG review

https://github.com/w3ctag/design-reviews/issues/806

TAG review status

Complete

Risks


Interoperability and Compatibility

Support on Windows depends on having a recent version of Windows. Not every security key supports the underlying hmac_secret functionality. Some passkey providers on Android 14 may not support it.


Gecko: No signal

WebKit: No signal

Have we asked? If not, can you file for positions according to https://bit.ly/blink-signals?
 

Web developers: We've had several requests to enable this. Hopefully some will reply to this thread in the coming week.

Security

Some platforms may have assumed that the web would not ever be able to access the HMAC oracles in security keys. Therefore the HMAC inputs are hashed with a context string before being used, thus preventing sites from evaluating any HMAC input from the native domain.


WebView application risks

WebAuthn is not currently supported in WebViews. If that changes, this feature isn't expected to cause any specific difficulties. It remains the case that apps need to be authorized by assetlinks.json to access WebAuthn credentials.


Debuggability

This feature is supported by Chromium's simulated security key and can be used by Web Driver tests and, later, could be exposed in DevTools.

Will this feature be supported on all six Blink platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, and Android WebView)?

Yes, although support for WebAuthn in WebViews in general is still in the future.

Is this feature fully tested by web-platform-tests?

Yes

Flag name

chrome://flags/#enable-experimental-web-platform-features, although it'll have a separate killswitch flag when default enabled.

Requires code in //chrome?

False

Tracking bug

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1106961

Link to entry on the Chrome Platform Status

https://chromestatus.com/feature/5138422207348736

Links to previous Intent discussions

Intent to prototype: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/blink-dev/c/t_9QdJ7hcls/m/CAAOGBIVBgAJ

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Adam Langley

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May 4, 2023, 6:11:17 PM5/4/23
to Caleb Raitto, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Alex Russell
On Tue, May 2, 2023 at 9:55 AM Caleb Raitto <cara...@chromium.org> wrote:
Thanks, makes sense -- can a note about this be added to the privacy section of the explainer / spec? 

I think the Privacy section covers that now. If you see gaps, please do let me know.


Cheers

AGL

Adam Langley

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May 4, 2023, 6:23:54 PM5/4/23
to Yoav Weiss, blink-dev
On Wed, May 3, 2023 at 4:07 AM Yoav Weiss <yoav...@chromium.org> wrote:
WebKit: No signal

Have we asked? If not, can you file for positions according to https://bit.ly/blink-signals?

I've spoke to Apple people directly, but happy to file a request too:



Cheers

AGL

Caleb Raitto

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May 5, 2023, 2:00:01 PM5/5/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Alex Russell, Caleb Raitto
I was thinking we should have some language specifically about the cross-origin iframe case -- I didn't see that in the explainer or spec when I checked just now? Basically something like your previous response would be sufficient, I think?

Also, I wanted to clarify:

> The cross-origin iframe would still be limited by the RP ID mechanism so that it could only attempt to assert credentials created within the same eTLD+1, however.

IIUC, this means that the PRF value is more akin to a first party cookie than a third-party cookie?

Thanks, 
-Caleb
 


Cheers

AGL

Morgaine (de la faye)

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May 12, 2023, 3:16:37 AM5/12/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley
Hello. I don't have any present use cases as a web developer here, but I'm very excited & thrilled to see this extension. Giving users ways to secure their data is a very significant win & this seems like a straightforward low-level capability to enable that. Thanks.

Mike West

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May 16, 2023, 5:43:01 AM5/16/23
to Morgaine (de la faye), blink-dev, Adam Langley
LGTM1, with the suggestion that following up on Caleb's comments about the spec's privacy section would be appreciated.

-mike


On Fri, May 12, 2023 at 9:16 AM Morgaine (de la faye) <rek...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello. I don't have any present use cases as a web developer here, but I'm very excited & thrilled to see this extension. Giving users ways to secure their data is a very significant win & this seems like a straightforward low-level capability to enable that. Thanks.

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Mike Taylor

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May 16, 2023, 10:28:42 PM5/16/23
to Mike West, Morgaine (de la faye), blink-dev, Adam Langley

Yoav Weiss

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May 17, 2023, 2:54:43 AM5/17/23
to Mike Taylor, Mike West, Morgaine (de la faye), blink-dev, Adam Langley

Hugo Dias

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May 19, 2023, 9:17:32 AM5/19/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley
Fission would love to see PRF extension shipped, we are tracking support here https://github.com/oddsdk/passkeys/issues/13.

Adam Langley

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May 22, 2023, 1:28:59 PM5/22/23
to Caleb Raitto, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, Alex Russell
On Fri, May 5, 2023 at 11:00 AM Caleb Raitto <cara...@chromium.org> wrote:
On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 6:11:17 PM UTC-4 Adam Langley wrote:
On Tue, May 2, 2023 at 9:55 AM Caleb Raitto <cara...@chromium.org> wrote:
Thanks, makes sense -- can a note about this be added to the privacy section of the explainer / spec? 

I think the Privacy section covers that now. If you see gaps, please do let me know.

I was thinking we should have some language specifically about the cross-origin iframe case -- I didn't see that in the explainer or spec when I checked just now? Basically something like your previous response would be sufficient, I think?

Ah, got it, thanks. I've edited the explainer to that effect.


Cheers

AGL 

Caleb Raitto

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May 22, 2023, 4:34:35 PM5/22/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org
Looks good, thanks.

-Caleb

Vivek Bhupatiraju

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Jul 23, 2023, 7:03:25 PM7/23/23
to blink-dev, Caleb Raitto, Adam Langley, blink-dev, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org
Are there any updates on this Intent To Ship? I would also love this extension as it allows for an amazing UX for encryption.

Adam Langley

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Jul 24, 2023, 7:58:32 PM7/24/23
to Vivek Bhupatiraju, blink-dev, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org
On Sat, Jul 22, 2023 at 2:15 PM Vivek Bhupatiraju <trifo...@gmail.com> wrote:
Are there any updates on this Intent To Ship? I would also love this extension as it allows for an amazing UX for encryption.

Default-enabled in Chrome M116, so you should be able to experiment with it on Beta channel ahead of the M116 release.


Cheers

AGL
 

Vivek Bhupatiraju

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Jul 24, 2023, 8:20:09 PM7/24/23
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju
Amazing! When can we expect to see this in stable Chrome releases? And are there any updates on this feature in other browsers? 

Mike Taylor

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Jul 26, 2023, 1:26:18 PM7/26/23
to Vivek Bhupatiraju, blink-dev, Adam Langley, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju

This will hit stable in M116.

I don't see any movement on https://github.com/mozilla/standards-positions/issues/798 or https://github.com/WebKit/standards-positions/issues/183, but there may be bugs in their public trackers you can find and follow.

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Viet Quoc Le

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Aug 26, 2024, 11:14:55 AMAug 26
to blink-dev, Mike Taylor, Adam Langley, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju, Vivek Bhupatiraju

it's been 1 year, There any update about this on chrome. I am tried to run passkey with Chrome Canary 130, but it seems doesn't support RPF Extension

Adam Langley

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Aug 26, 2024, 11:22:10 AMAug 26
to Viet Quoc Le, blink-dev, Mike Taylor, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju, Vivek Bhupatiraju
On Sun, Aug 25, 2024 at 4:59 AM Viet Quoc Le <levietq...@gmail.com> wrote:
it's been 1 year, There any update about this on chrome. I am tried to run passkey with Chrome Canary 130, but it seems doesn't support RPF Extension
On Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 12:26:18 AM UTC+7 Mike Taylor wrote:

iCloud Keychain and Safari support the PRF extension in iOS 18 / macOS 15. Chromium has supported it for a while now, for both security keys and over hybrid. Google Password Manager also supports it for its passkeys when running Chrome.

If you're not seeing it, please specify the authenticator used. It's true that Windows Hello and the macOS profile authenticator don't support it, but broader support in common authenticators is coming quickly.


Cheers

AGL

Adam Langley

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Aug 27, 2024, 4:19:53 PMAug 27
to Vivek Bhupatiraju, blink-dev, Mike Taylor, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju, Viet Quoc Le
On Tue, Aug 27, 2024 at 1:12 PM Vivek Bhupatiraju <trifo...@gmail.com> wrote:
Do you have a demo or sample site where this works on Chromium browsers? Most demos I try where I set up a passkey on my Chrome profile say "prf: {enabled: false}". For example https://levischuck.com/blog/2023-02-prf-webauthn

The Chrome profile authenticator doesn't support PRF. It's being replaced (right now) by Google Password Manager support, which does. An easy way to experiment is to use a security key as most CTAP2-capable security keys will support PRF.


Cheers

AGL 

Vivek Bhupatiraju

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Aug 27, 2024, 5:10:39 PMAug 27
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Do you have a demo or sample site where this works on Chromium browsers? Most demos I try where I set up a passkey on my Chrome profile say "prf: {enabled: false}". For example https://levischuck.com/blog/2023-02-prf-webauthn

Viet Quoc Le

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Aug 27, 2024, 10:48:35 PMAug 27
to blink-dev, Adam Langley, blink-dev, Mike Taylor, Caleb Raitto, nick....@agilebits.com, sligh...@chromium.org, cara...@chromium.org, Vivek Bhupatiraju, Vivek Bhupatiraju, Viet Quoc Le

Thanks for the detailed information. I’m still a bit unsure about how to properly test the PRF extension on my device. Here are the specifics of my setup:

  • Device: Mac OS 14.4
  • Browsers: Safari 18.0 Release 201, Chrome Canary 130

Could you clarify if my device supports the PRF extension? Which browser should I use to test it effectively? Also, would it be better to use Google Password Manager for this?

I'm currently testing online using this site(https://passkeys.fission.app/register). Is the status of this site up-to-date? I noticed that the last update on the related issue was about a year ago: GitHub Issue #13(https://github.com/oddsdk/passkeys/issues/13).

I appreciate any guidance you can provide!

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