README

INTEL(R) MULTI-BUFFER CRYPTO FOR IPSEC LIBRARY



CONTENTS


1.  Overview
2.  Processor Extensions
3.  Recommendations
4.  Package Content
5.  Compilation
6.  Security Considerations & Options for Increased Security
7.  Installation
8.  Backwards compatibility
9.  Disclaimer (ZUC, KASUMI, SNOW3G)
10. Legal Disclaimer



1. OVERVIEW


Intel Multi-Buffer Crypto for IPsec Library is highly-optimized software
implementations of the core cryptographic processing for IPsec, which
provides industry-leading performance on a range of Intel(R) Processors.

For information on how the library works, see the Intel White Paper:
“Fast Multi-buffer IPsec Implementations on Intel Architecture
Processors”. Jim Guilford, Sean Gulley, et. al.

The easiest way to find it is to search the Internet for the title and
Intel White Paper.

Table 1. List of supported cipher algorithms and their implementations.

    +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |               |                   Implementation                    |
    | Encryption    +-----------------------------------------------------|
    |               | x86_64 | SSE    | AVX    | AVX2   | AVX512 | VAES(5)|
    |---------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------|
    | AES128-GCM    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | AES192-GCM    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | AES256-GCM    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | AES128-CCM    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | N      | N      | Y by16 |
    | AES256-CCM    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | N      | N      | Y by16 |
    | AES128-CBC    | N      | Y(1)   | Y(3)   | N      | N      | Y(6)   |
    | AES192-CBC    | N      | Y(1)   | Y(3)   | N      | N      | Y(6)   |
    | AES256-CBC    | N      | Y(1)   | Y(3)   | N      | N      | Y(6)   |
    | AES128-CTR    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | N      | N      | Y by16 |
    | AES192-CTR    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | N      | N      | Y by16 |
    | AES256-CTR    | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | N      | N      | Y by16 |
    | AES128-ECB    | N      | Y  by4 | Y  by4 | N      | N      | N      |
    | AES192-ECB    | N      | Y  by4 | Y  by4 | N      | N      | N      |
    | AES256-ECB    | N      | Y  by4 | Y  by4 | N      | N      | N      |
    | NULL          | Y      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    | AES128-DOCSIS | N      | Y(2)   | Y(4)   | N      | Y(7)   | Y(8)   |
    | AES256-DOCSIS | N      | Y(2)   | Y(4)   | N      | Y(7)   | Y(8)   |
    | DES-DOCSIS    | Y      | N      | N      | N      | Y  x16 | N      |
    | 3DES          | Y      | N      | N      | N      | Y  x16 | N      |
    | DES           | Y      | N      | N      | N      | Y  x16 | N      |
    | KASUMI-F8     | Y      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    | ZUC-EEA3      | N      | Y  x4  | Y  x4  | Y  x8  | Y  x16 | Y  x16 |
    | SNOW3G-UEA2   | N      | Y      | Y      | Y      | N      | N      |
    | AES128-CBCS(9)| N      | Y(1)   | Y(3)   | N      | N      | Y(6)   |
    | Chacha20      | N      | Y      | Y      | N      | Y      | N      |
    | Chacha20 AEAD | N      | Y      | Y      | N      | Y      | N      |
    +---------------------------------------------------------------------+

Notes:
(1,2) - By default, decryption is by4 and encryption is x4.
On CPU’s supporting GFNI, decryption is by8 and encryption is x8.
(3,4) - decryption is by8 and encryption is x8
(5) - AVX512 plus VAES, VPCLMULQDQ and GFNI extensions
(6) - decryption is by16 and encryption is x16
(7) - same as AES128-CBC for AVX, combines cipher and CRC32
(8) - decryption is by16 and encryption is x16
(9) - currently 1:9 crypt:skip pattern supported

Legend:
byY - single buffer Y blocks at a time
xY - Y buffers at a time

As an example of how to read table 1 and 2, if one uses AVX512 interface
to perform AES128-CBC encryption then there is no native AVX512
implementation for this cipher. In such case, the library uses best
available implementation which is AVX for AES128-CBC.

Table 2. List of supported integrity algorithms and their
implementations.

    +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |                   |                   Implementation                    |
    | Integrity         +-----------------------------------------------------|
    |                   | x86_64 | SSE    | AVX    | AVX2   | AVX512 | VAES(3)|
    |-------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------|
    | AES-XCBC-96       | N      | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | N      | N      | Y x16  |
    | HMAC-MD5-96       | Y(1)   | Y x4x2 | Y x4x2 | Y x8x2 | N      | N      |
    | HMAC-SHA1-96      | N      | Y(2)x4 | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | Y  x16 | N      |
    | HMAC-SHA2-224_112 | N      | Y(2)x4 | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | Y  x16 | N      |
    | HMAC-SHA2-256_128 | N      | Y(2)x4 | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | Y  x16 | N      |
    | HMAC-SHA2-384_192 | N      | Y   x2 | Y   x2 | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | N      |
    | HMAC-SHA2-512_256 | N      | Y   x2 | Y   x2 | Y   x4 | Y   x8 | N      |
    | AES128-GMAC       | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | AES192-GMAC       | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | AES256-GMAC       | N      | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y  by8 | Y by48 |
    | NULL              | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    | AES128-CCM        | N      | Y(5)x4 | Y   x8 | N      | N      | Y x16  |
    | AES256-CCM        | N      | Y(5)x4 | Y   x8 | N      | N      | Y x16  |
    | AES128-CMAC-96    | Y      | Y(5)x4 | Y   x8 | N      | N      | Y x16  |
    | AES256-CMAC-96    | Y      | Y(5)x4 | Y   x8 | N      | N      | Y x16  |
    | KASUMI-F9         | Y      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    | ZUC-EIA3          | N      | Y  x4  | Y  x4  | Y  x8  | Y  x16 | Y  x16 |
    | SNOW3G-UIA2       | N      | Y      | Y      | Y      | N      | N      |
    | DOCSIS-CRC32(4)   | N      | Y      | Y      | N      | Y      | N      |
    | HEC               | N      | Y      | Y      | N      | N      | N      |
    | POLY1305          | Y      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    | POLY1305 AEAD     | Y      | N      | N      | N      | N      | N      |
    +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Notes:
(1) - MD5 over one block implemented in C
(2) - Implementation using SHANI extensions is x2
(3) - AVX512 plus VAES, VPCLMULQDQ and GFNI extensions
(4) - used only with AES128-DOCSIS cipher
(5) - x8 on selected CPU’s supporting GFNI

Legend:
byY- single buffer Y blocks at a time
xY- Y buffers at a time

Table 3. Encryption and integrity algorithm combinations

    +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
    | Encryption    | Allowed Integrity Algorithms                        |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES128-GCM    | AES128-GMAC                                         |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES192-GCM    | AES192-GMAC                                         |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES256-GCM    | AES256-GMAC                                         |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES128-CCM    | AES128-CCM                                          |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES128-CBC,   | AES-XCBC-96,                                        |
    | AES192-CBC,   | HMAC-SHA1-96, HMAC-SHA2-224_112, HMAC-SHA2-256_128, |
    | AES256-CBC,   | HMAC-SHA2-384_192, HMAC-SHA2-512_256,               |
    | AES128-CTR,   | AES128-CMAC-96,                                     |
    | AES192-CTR,   | NULL,                                               |
    | AES256-CTR,   | KASUMI-F9,                                          |
    | AES128-ECB,   | ZUC-EIA3,                                           |
    | AES192-ECB,   | SNOW3G-UIA3,                                        |
    | AES256-ECB,   | POLY1305                                            |
    | NULL,         |                                                     |
    | AES128-DOCSIS,|                                                     |
    | DES-DOCSIS,   |                                                     |
    | 3DES,         |                                                     |
    | DES,          |                                                     |
    | Chacha20,     |                                                     |
    | KASUMI-F8,    |                                                     |
    | ZUC-EEA3,     |                                                     |
    | SNOW3G-UEA3   |                                                     |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | AES128-DOCSIS | DOCSIS-CRC32                                        |
    |---------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
    | CHACHA20 AEAD | POLY1305 AEAD                                       |
    +---------------+-----------------------------------------------------+



2. PROCESSOR EXTENSIONS


Table 4. Processor extensions used in the library

    +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    | Algorithm         | Interface | Extensions                              |
    |-------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------|
    | HMAC-SHA1-96,     | AVX512    | AVX512F, AVX512BW, AVX512VL             |
    | HMAC-SHA2-224_112,|           |                                         |
    | HMAC-SHA2-256_128,|           |                                         |
    | HMAC-SHA2-384_192,|           |                                         |
    | HMAC-SHA2-512_256 |           |                                         |
    |-------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------|
    | DES, 3DES,        | AVX512    | AVX512F, AVX512BW                       |
    | DOCSIS-DES        |           |                                         |
    |-------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------|
    | HMAC-SHA1-96,     | SSE       | SHANI                                   |
    | HMAC-SHA2-224_112,|           | - presence is autodetected and library  |
    | HMAC-SHA2-256_128,|           |   falls back to SSE implementation      |
    | HMAC-SHA2-384_192,|           |   if not present                        |
    | HMAC-SHA2-512_256 |           |                                         |
    +-------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------+



3. RECOMMENDATIONS


Legacy or to be avoided algorithms listed in the table below are
implemented in the library in order to support legacy applications.
Please use corresponding alternative algorithms instead.

    +-------------------------------------------------------------+
    | # | Algorithm          | Recommendation | Alternative       |
    |---+--------------------+----------------+-------------------|
    | 1 | DES encryption     | Avoid          | AES encryption    |
    |---+--------------------+----------------+-------------------|
    | 2 | 3DES encryption    | Avoid          | AES encryption    |
    |---+--------------------+----------------+-------------------|
    | 3 | HMAC-MD5 integrity | Legacy         | HMAC-SHA1         |
    |---+--------------------+----------------+-------------------|
    | 4 | AES-ECB encryption | Avoid          | AES-CBC, AES-CNTR |
    +-------------------------------------------------------------+

Intel(R) Multi-Buffer Crypto for IPsec Library depends on C library and
it is recommended to use its latest version.

Applications using the Intel(R) Multi-Buffer Crypto for IPsec Library
rely on Operating System to provide process isolation. As the result, it
is recommended to use latest Operating System patches and security
updates.



4. PACKAGE CONTENT


-   test - Library test applications
-   perf - Library performance application
-   lib - Library source files
-   lib/sse - Intel(R) SSE optimized routines
-   lib/avx - Intel(R) AVX optimized routines
-   lib/avx2 - Intel(R) AVX2 optimized routines
-   lib/avx512 - Intel(R) AVX512 optimized routines
-   lib/no-aesni - Non-AESNI accelerated routines

NOTE:
There is just one branch used in the project. All development is done on
the master branch.
Code taken from the tip of the master branch should not be considered
fit for production.

Refer to the releases tab for stable code versions:
https://github.com/intel/intel-ipsec-mb/releases



5. COMPILATION


Linux (64-bit only)

Required tools:
- GNU make
- NASM version 2.14 (or newer)
- gcc (GCC) 4.8.3 (or newer)

Shared library:
> make

Static library:
> make SHARED=n

Clean the build:
> make clean
or
> make clean SHARED=n

Build with debugging information:
> make DEBUG=y

NOTE: Building with debugging information is not advised for production
use.

For more build options and their explanation run:
> make help


Windows (x64 only)

Required tools:
- Microsoft (R) Visual Studio 2015:
- NMAKE: Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility Version 14.00.24210.0
- CL: Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.00.24215.1 for
x64
- LIB: Microsoft (R) Library Manager Version 14.00.24215.1
- LINK: Microsoft (R) Incremental Linker Version 14.00.24215.1
- Note: Building on later versions should work but is not verified
- NASM version 2.14 (or newer)

Shared library (DLL):
> nmake /f win_x64.mak

Static library:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak SHARED=n

Clean the build:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak clean
or
> nmake /f win_x64.mak clean SHARED=n

Build without safety features:
- SAFE_DATA clears sensitive information stored temporarily on stack,
registers or internal data structures
- SAFE_PARAM adds extra checks on input parameters
- SAFE_LOOKUP uses constant-time lookups (enabled by default)

> nmake /f win_x64.mak SAFE_DATA=n SAFE_PARAM=n

Build with debugging information:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak DEBUG=y

NOTE: Building with debugging information is not advised for production
use.

For more build options and their explanation run:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak help


FreeBSD (64-bit only)

Required tools:
- GNU make
- NASM version 2.14 (or newer)
- gcc (GCC) 4.8.3 (or newer) / clang 5.0 (or newer)

Shared library:
> gmake

Static library:
> gmake SHARED=n

Clean the build:
> gmake clean
or
> gmake clean SHARED=n

Build with debugging information:
> gmake DEBUG=y

NOTE: Building with debugging information is not advised for production
use.

For more build options and their explanation run:
> gmake help



6. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS & OPTIONS FOR INCREASED SECURITY


Security Considerations

The security of a system that uses cryptography depends on the strength
of the cryptographic algorithms as well as the strength of the keys.
Cryptographic key strength is dependent on several factors, with some of
the most important factors including the length of the key, the entropy
of the key bits, and maintaining the secrecy of the key.

The selection of an appropriate algorithm and mode of operation
critically affects the security of a system. Appropriate selection
criteria is beyond the scope of this document and should be determined
based upon usage, appropriate standards and consultation with a
cryptographic expert. This library includes some algorithms, which are
considered cryptographically weak and are included only for legacy and
interoperability reasons. See the “Recommendations” section for more
details.

Secure creation of key material is not a part of this library. This
library assumes that cryptographic keys have been created using approved
methods with an appropriate and secure entropy source. Users of this
library are referred to NIST SP800-133 Revision 1, Recommendation for
Cryptographic Key Generation, found at
https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-133r1.pdf

Even with the use of strong cryptographic algorithms and robustly
generated keys, software implementations of cryptographic algorithms may
be attacked at the implementation through cache-timing attacks,
buffer-over-reads, and other software vulnerabilities. Counter-measures
against these types of attacks are possible but require additional
processing cycles. Whether a particular system should provide such
counter-measures depends on the threats to that system, and cannot be
determined by a general library such as this one. In order to provide
the most flexible implementation, this library allows certain
counter-measures to be enabled or disabled at compile time. These
options are listed below as the “Options for Increased Security” and are
enabled through various build flags.

Options for Increased Security

There are three build options that are used to increase safety in the
code and help protect external functions from incorrect input data. The
SAFE_DATA, SAFE_PARAM and SAFE_LOOKUP options are enabled by default.
Due to the potential performance impact associated to the extra code,
these can be disabled by setting the parameter equal to “n” (e.g. make
SAFE_LOOKUP=n).

No specific code has been added, and no specific validation or security
tests have been performed to help protect against or check for
side-channel attacks.

SAFE_DATA

Stack and registers containing sensitive information, such as keys or
IVs, are cleared upon completion of a function call.

SAFE_PARAM

Input parameters are checked, looking generally for NULL pointers or an
incorrect input length.

SAFE_LOOKUP

Lookups which depend on sensitive information are implemented with
constant time functions.

Algorithms where these constant time functions are used are the
following:
- AESNI emulation
- DES: SSE, AVX and AVX2 implementations
- KASUMI: all architectures
- SNOW3G: all architectures
- ZUC: all architectures

If SAFE_LOOKUP is not enabled in the build (e.g. make SAFE_LOOKUP=n)
then the algorithms listed above may be susceptible to timing attacks
which could expose the cryptographic key.

Security API

FORCE CLEARING/ZEROING OF MEMORY

    IMB_DLL_EXPORT void imb_clear_mem(void *mem, const size_t size);

To assist in clearing sensitive application data such as keys, plaintext
etc. the library provides the imb_clear_mem() API. This API zeros
_‘size’_ bytes of memory pointed to by _‘mem’_ followed by the _sfence_
instruction to ensure memory is cleared before the function returns.



7. INSTALLATION


Linux (64-bit only)

First compile the library and then install:
> make
> sudo make install

To uninstall the library run:
> sudo make uninstall

If you want to change install location then define PREFIX:
> sudo make install PREFIX=<path>

If there is no need to run ldconfig at install stage please use
NOLDCONFIG=y option:
> sudo make install NOLDCONFIG=y

If library was compiled as an archive (not a default option) then
install it using SHARED=n option:
> sudo make install SHARED=n


Windows (x64 only)

First compile the library and then install from a command prompt in
administrator mode:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak
> nmake /f win_x64.mak install

To uninstall the library run:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak uninstall

If you want to change install location then define PREFIX (default
C:Files):
> nmake /f win_x64.mak install PREFIX=<path>

If library was compiled as a static library (not a default option) then
install it using SHARED=n option:
> nmake /f win_x64.mak install SHARED=n


FreeBSD (64-bit only)

First compile the library and then install:
> gmake
> sudo gmake install

To uninstall the library run:
> sudo gmake uninstall

If you want to change install location then define PREFIX:
> sudo gmake install PREFIX=<path>

If there is no need to run ldconfig at install stage please use
NOLDCONFIG=y option:
> sudo gmake install NOLDCONFIG=y

If library was compiled as an archive (not a default option) then
install it using SHARED=n option:
> sudo gmake install SHARED=n



8. BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY


In version 0.54, some symbols have been renamed to avoid too generic
names (such as cipher modes or hash algorithms).

When building an application and linking it against the IPSec Multi
Buffer library, by default the old symbols (up to v0.53) are exported,
to maintain backwards compatibility.

Applications should move to the new API as soon as possible, as the old
symbols are marked as deprecated and will be removed in a future
release.

For applications which face symbol conflicts due to these old generic
names, they should be compiled with the flag -DNO_COMPAT_IMB_API_053,
which will not export the old symbols.



9. DISCLAIMER (ZUC, KASUMI, SNOW3G)


Please note that cryptographic material, such as ciphering algorithms,
may be subject to national regulations. What is more, use of some
algorithms in real networks and production equipment can be subject to
agreement or licensing by the GSMA and/or the ETSI.

For more details please see:
- GSMA https://www.gsma.com/security/security-algorithms/
- ETSI
https://www.etsi.org/security-algorithms-and-codes/cellular-algorithm-licences



10. LEGAL DISCLAIMER


THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY INTEL“AS IS”. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
ARE GRANTED THROUGH USE. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN INTEL’S TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF SALE, INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND INTEL
DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, RELATING TO SALE AND/OR
USE OF INTEL PRODUCTS INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT
OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT.