Prepare the directory

Choose a directory (/root/ca) to store all keys and certificates.

# mkdir /root/ca

Create the directory structure. The index.txt and serial files act as a flat file database to keep track of signed certificates.

# cd /root/ca
# mkdir certs crl newcerts private
# chmod 700 private
# touch index.txt
# echo 1000 > serial

Prepare the configuration file

You must create a configuration file for OpenSSL to use. Copy the root CA configuration file from the Appendix to /root/ca/openssl.cnf.

The [ ca ] section is mandatory. Here we tell OpenSSL to use the options from the [ CA_default ] section.

[ ca ]
# `man ca`
default_ca = CA_default

The [ CA_default ] section contains a range of defaults. Make sure you declare the directory you chose earlier (/root/ca).

[ CA_default ]
# Directory and file locations.
dir               = /root/ca
certs             = $dir/certs
crl_dir           = $dir/crl
new_certs_dir     = $dir/newcerts
database          = $dir/index.txt
serial            = $dir/serial
RANDFILE          = $dir/private/.rand

# The root key and root certificate.
private_key       = $dir/private/ca.key.pem
certificate       = $dir/certs/ca.cert.pem

# For certificate revocation lists.
crlnumber         = $dir/crlnumber
crl               = $dir/crl/ca.crl.pem
crl_extensions    = crl_ext
default_crl_days  = 30

# SHA-1 is deprecated, so use SHA-2 instead.
default_md        = sha256

name_opt          = ca_default
cert_opt          = ca_default
default_days      = 375
preserve          = no
policy            = policy_strict

We’ll apply policy_strict for all root CA signatures, as the root CA is only being used to create intermediate CAs.

[ policy_strict ]
# The root CA should only sign intermediate certificates that match.
# See the POLICY FORMAT section of `man ca`.
countryName             = match
stateOrProvinceName     = match
organizationName        = match
organizationalUnitName  = optional
commonName              = supplied
emailAddress            = optional

We’ll apply policy_loose for all intermediate CA signatures, as the intermediate CA is signing server and client certificates that may come from a variety of third-parties.

[ policy_loose ]
# Allow the intermediate CA to sign a more diverse range of certificates.
# See the POLICY FORMAT section of the `ca` man page.
countryName             = optional
stateOrProvinceName     = optional
localityName            = optional
organizationName        = optional
organizationalUnitName  = optional
commonName              = supplied
emailAddress            = optional

Options from the [ req ] section are applied when creating certificates or certificate signing requests.

[ req ]
# Options for the `req` tool (`man req`).
default_bits        = 2048
distinguished_name  = req_distinguished_name
string_mask         = utf8only

# SHA-1 is deprecated, so use SHA-2 instead.
default_md          = sha256

# Extension to add when the -x509 option is used.
x509_extensions     = v3_ca

The [ req_distinguished_name ] section declares the information normally required in a certificate signing request. You can optionally specify some defaults.

[ req_distinguished_name ]
# See <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_signing_request>.
countryName                     = Country Name (2 letter code)
stateOrProvinceName             = State or Province Name
localityName                    = Locality Name
0.organizationName              = Organization Name
organizationalUnitName          = Organizational Unit Name
commonName                      = Common Name
emailAddress                    = Email Address

# Optionally, specify some defaults.
countryName_default             = GB
stateOrProvinceName_default     = England
localityName_default            =
0.organizationName_default      = Alice Ltd
#organizationalUnitName_default =
#emailAddress_default           =

The next few sections are extensions that can be applied when signing certificates. For example, passing the -extensions v3_ca command-line argument will apply the options set in [ v3_ca ].

We’ll apply the v3_ca extension when we create the root certificate.

[ v3_ca ]
# Extensions for a typical CA (`man x509v3_config`).
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid:always,issuer
basicConstraints = critical, CA:true
keyUsage = critical, digitalSignature, cRLSign, keyCertSign

We’ll apply the v3_ca_intermediate extension when we create the intermediate certificate. pathlen:0 ensures that there can be no further certificate authorities below the intermediate CA.

[ v3_intermediate_ca ]
# Extensions for a typical intermediate CA (`man x509v3_config`).
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid:always,issuer
basicConstraints = critical, CA:true, pathlen:0
keyUsage = critical, digitalSignature, cRLSign, keyCertSign

We’ll apply the usr_cert extension when signing client certificates, such as those used for remote user authentication.

[ usr_cert ]
# Extensions for client certificates (`man x509v3_config`).
basicConstraints = CA:FALSE
nsCertType = client, email
nsComment = "OpenSSL Generated Client Certificate"
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid,issuer
keyUsage = critical, nonRepudiation, digitalSignature, keyEncipherment
extendedKeyUsage = clientAuth, emailProtection

We’ll apply the server_cert extension when signing server certificates, such as those used for web servers.

[ server_cert ]
# Extensions for server certificates (`man x509v3_config`).
basicConstraints = CA:FALSE
nsCertType = server
nsComment = "OpenSSL Generated Server Certificate"
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid,issuer:always
keyUsage = critical, digitalSignature, keyEncipherment
extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth

The crl_ext extension is automatically applied when creating certificate revocation lists.

[ crl_ext ]
# Extension for CRLs (`man x509v3_config`).
authorityKeyIdentifier=keyid:always

We’ll apply the ocsp extension when signing the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) certificate.

[ ocsp ]
# Extension for OCSP signing certificates (`man ocsp`).
basicConstraints = CA:FALSE
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid,issuer
keyUsage = critical, digitalSignature
extendedKeyUsage = critical, OCSPSigning

Create the root key

Create the root key (ca.key.pem) and keep it absolutely secure. Anyone in possession of the root key can issue trusted certificates. Encrypt the root key with AES 256-bit encryption and a strong password.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl genrsa -aes256 -out private/ca.key.pem 4096

Enter pass phrase for ca.key.pem: secretpassword
Verifying - Enter pass phrase for ca.key.pem: secretpassword

# chmod 400 private/ca.key.pem

Create the root certificate

Use the root key (ca.key.pem) to create a root certificate (ca.cert.pem). Give the root certificate a long expiry date, such as twenty years. Once the root certificate expires, all certificates signed by the CA become invalid.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl req -config openssl.cnf \
      -key private/ca.key.pem \
      -new -x509 -days 7300 -sha256 -extensions v3_ca \
      -out certs/ca.cert.pem

Enter pass phrase for ca.key.pem: secretpassword
You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
-----
Country Name (2 letter code) [XX]:GB
State or Province Name []:England
Locality Name []:
Organization Name []:Alice Ltd
Organizational Unit Name []:Alice Ltd Certificate Authority
Common Name []:Alice Ltd Root CA
Email Address []:

# chmod 444 certs/ca.cert.pem

Verify the root certificate

# openssl x509 -noout -text -in certs/ca.cert.pem

The output shows:

• the Signature Algorithm used
• the dates of certificate Validity
• the Public-Key bit length
• the Issuer, which is the entity that signed the certificate
• the Subject, which refers to the certificate itself

The Issuer and Subject are identical as the certificate is self-signed. Note that all root certificates are self-signed.

Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
    Issuer: C=GB, ST=England,
            O=Alice Ltd, OU=Alice Ltd Certificate Authority,
            CN=Alice Ltd Root CA
    Validity
        Not Before: Apr 11 12:22:58 2015 GMT
        Not After : Apr  6 12:22:58 2035 GMT
    Subject: C=GB, ST=England,
             O=Alice Ltd, OU=Alice Ltd Certificate Authority,
             CN=Alice Ltd Root CA
    Subject Public Key Info:
        Public Key Algorithm: rsaEncryption
            Public-Key: (4096 bit)

The output also shows the X509v3 extensions. We applied the v3_ca extension, so the options from [ v3_ca ] should be reflected in the output.

X509v3 extensions:
    X509v3 Subject Key Identifier:
        38:58:29:2F:6B:57:79:4F:39:FD:32:35:60:74:92:60:6E:E8:2A:31
    X509v3 Authority Key Identifier:
        keyid:38:58:29:2F:6B:57:79:4F:39:FD:32:35:60:74:92:60:6E:E8:2A:31

    X509v3 Basic Constraints: critical
        CA:TRUE
    X509v3 Key Usage: critical
        Digital Signature, Certificate Sign, CRL Sign

Prepare the directory

The root CA files are kept in /root/ca. Choose a different directory (/root/ca/intermediate) to store the intermediate CA files.

# mkdir /root/ca/intermediate

Create the same directory structure used for the root CA files. It’s convenient to also create a csr directory to hold certificate signing requests.

# cd /root/ca/intermediate
# mkdir certs crl csr newcerts private
# chmod 700 private
# touch index.txt
# echo 1000 > serial

Add a crlnumber file to the intermediate CA directory tree. crlnumber is used to keep track of certificate revocation lists.

# echo 1000 > /root/ca/intermediate/crlnumber

Copy the intermediate CA configuration file from the Appendix to /root/ca/intermediate/openssl.cnf. Five options have been changed compared to the root CA configuration file:

[ CA_default ]
dir             = /root/ca/intermediate
private_key     = $dir/private/intermediate.key.pem
certificate     = $dir/certs/intermediate.cert.pem
crl             = $dir/crl/intermediate.crl.pem
policy          = policy_loose

Create the intermediate key

Create the intermediate key (intermediate.key.pem). Encrypt the intermediate key with AES 256-bit encryption and a strong password.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl genrsa -aes256 \
      -out intermediate/private/intermediate.key.pem 4096

Enter pass phrase for intermediate.key.pem: secretpassword
Verifying - Enter pass phrase for intermediate.key.pem: secretpassword

# chmod 400 intermediate/private/intermediate.key.pem

Create the intermediate certificate

Use the intermediate key to create a certificate signing request (CSR). The details should generally match the root CA. The Common Name, however, must be different.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl req -config intermediate/openssl.cnf -new -sha256 \
      -key intermediate/private/intermediate.key.pem \
      -out intermediate/csr/intermediate.csr.pem

Enter pass phrase for intermediate.key.pem: secretpassword
You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
-----
Country Name (2 letter code) [XX]:GB
State or Province Name []:England
Locality Name []:
Organization Name []:Alice Ltd
Organizational Unit Name []:Alice Ltd Certificate Authority
Common Name []:Alice Ltd Intermediate CA
Email Address []:

To create an intermediate certificate, use the root CA with the v3_intermediate_ca extension to sign the intermediate CSR. The intermediate certificate should be valid for a shorter period than the root certificate. Ten years would be reasonable.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl ca -config openssl.cnf -extensions v3_intermediate_ca \
      -days 3650 -notext -md sha256 \
      -in intermediate/csr/intermediate.csr.pem \
      -out intermediate/certs/intermediate.cert.pem

Enter pass phrase for ca.key.pem: secretpassword
Sign the certificate? [y/n]: y

# chmod 444 intermediate/certs/intermediate.cert.pem

The index.txt file is where the OpenSSL ca tool stores the certificate database. Do not delete or edit this file by hand. It should now contain a line that refers to the intermediate certificate.

V 250408122707Z 1000 unknown ... /CN=Alice Ltd Intermediate CA

Verify the intermediate certificate

As we did for the root certificate, check that the details of the intermediate certificate are correct.

# openssl x509 -noout -text \
      -in intermediate/certs/intermediate.cert.pem

Verify the intermediate certificate against the root certificate. An OK indicates that the chain of trust is intact.

# openssl verify -CAfile certs/ca.cert.pem \
      intermediate/certs/intermediate.cert.pem

intermediate.cert.pem: OK

Create the certificate chain file

When an application (eg, a web browser) tries to verify a certificate signed by the intermediate CA, it must also verify the intermediate certificate against the root certificate. To complete the chain of trust, create a CA certificate chain to present to the application.

To create the CA certificate chain, concatenate the intermediate and root certificates together. We will use this file later to verify certificates signed by the intermediate CA.

# cat intermediate/certs/intermediate.cert.pem \
      certs/ca.cert.pem > intermediate/certs/ca-chain.cert.pem
# chmod 444 intermediate/certs/ca-chain.cert.pem

Create a key

Our root and intermediate pairs are 4096 bits. Server and client certificates normally expire after one year, so we can safely use 2048 bits instead.

If you’re creating a cryptographic pair for use with a web server (eg, Apache), you’ll need to enter this password every time you restart the web server. You may want to omit the -aes256 option to create a key without a password.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl genrsa -aes256 \
      -out intermediate/private/www.example.com.key.pem 2048
# chmod 400 intermediate/private/www.example.com.key.pem

Create a certificate

Use the private key to create a certificate signing request (CSR). The CSR details don’t need to match the intermediate CA. For server certificates, the Common Name must be a fully qualified domain name (eg, www.example.com), whereas for client certificates it can be any unique identifier (eg, an e-mail address). Note that the Common Name cannot be the same as either your root or intermediate certificate.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl req -config intermediate/openssl.cnf \
      -key intermediate/private/www.example.com.key.pem \
      -new -sha256 -out intermediate/csr/www.example.com.csr.pem

Enter pass phrase for www.example.com.key.pem: secretpassword
You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
-----
Country Name (2 letter code) [XX]:US
State or Province Name []:California
Locality Name []:Mountain View
Organization Name []:Alice Ltd
Organizational Unit Name []:Alice Ltd Web Services
Common Name []:www.example.com
Email Address []:

To create a certificate, use the intermediate CA to sign the CSR. If the certificate is going to be used on a server, use the server_cert extension. If the certificate is going to be used for user authentication, use the usr_cert extension. Certificates are usually given a validity of one year, though a CA will typically give a few days extra for convenience.

# cd /root/ca
# openssl ca -config intermediate/openssl.cnf \
      -extensions server_cert -days 375 -notext -md sha256 \
      -in intermediate/csr/www.example.com.csr.pem \
      -out intermediate/certs/www.example.com.cert.pem
# chmod 444 intermediate/certs/www.example.com.cert.pem

The intermediate/index.txt file should contain a line referring to this new certificate.

V 160420124233Z 1000 unknown ... /CN=www.example.com

Verify the certificate

# openssl x509 -noout -text \
      -in intermediate/certs/www.example.com.cert.pem

The Issuer is the intermediate CA. The Subject refers to the certificate itself.

Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
    Issuer: C=GB, ST=England,
            O=Alice Ltd, OU=Alice Ltd Certificate Authority,
            CN=Alice Ltd Intermediate CA
    Validity
        Not Before: Apr 11 12:42:33 2015 GMT
        Not After : Apr 20 12:42:33 2016 GMT
    Subject: C=US, ST=California, L=Mountain View,
             O=Alice Ltd, OU=Alice Ltd Web Services,
             CN=www.example.com
    Subject Public Key Info:
        Public Key Algorithm: rsaEncryption
            Public-Key: (2048 bit)

The output will also show the X509v3 extensions. When creating the certificate, you used either the server_cert or usr_cert extension. The options from the corresponding configuration section will be reflected in the output.

X509v3 extensions:
    X509v3 Basic Constraints:
        CA:FALSE
    Netscape Cert Type:
        SSL Server
    Netscape Comment:
        OpenSSL Generated Server Certificate
    X509v3 Subject Key Identifier:
        B1:B8:88:48:64:B7:45:52:21:CC:35:37:9E:24:50:EE:AD:58:02:B5
    X509v3 Authority Key Identifier:
        keyid:69:E8:EC:54:7F:25:23:60:E5:B6:E7:72:61:F1:D4:B9:21:D4:45:E9
        DirName:/C=GB/ST=England/O=Alice Ltd/OU=Alice Ltd Certificate Authority/CN=Alice Ltd Root CA
        serial:10:00

    X509v3 Key Usage: critical
        Digital Signature, Key Encipherment
    X509v3 Extended Key Usage:
        TLS Web Server Authentication

Use the CA certificate chain file we created earlier (ca-chain.cert.pem) to verify that the new certificate has a valid chain of trust.

# openssl verify -CAfile intermediate/certs/ca-chain.cert.pem \
      intermediate/certs/www.example.com.cert.pem

www.example.com.cert.pem: OK

Deploy the certificate

You can now either deploy your new certificate to a server, or distribute the certificate to a client. When deploying to a server application (eg, Apache), you need to make the following files available:

• ca-chain.cert.pem
• www.example.com.key.pem
• www.example.com.cert.pem

If you’re signing a CSR from a third-party, you don’t have access to their private key so you only need to give them back the chain file (ca-chain.cert.pem) and the certificate (www.example.com.cert.pem).

Certificate revocation lists

A certificate revocation list (CRL) provides a list of certificates that have been revoked. A client application, such as a web browser, can use a CRL to check a server’s authenticity. A server application, such as Apache or OpenVPN, can use a CRL to deny access to clients that are no longer trusted.

Publish the CRL at a publicly accessible location (eg, http://example.com/intermediate.crl.pem). Third-parties can fetch the CRL from this location to check whether any certificates they rely on have been revoked.

[ server_cert ]
# ... snipped ...
crlDistributionPoints = URI:http://example.com/intermediate.crl.pem

# cd /root/ca
# openssl ca -config intermediate/openssl.cnf \
      -gencrl -out intermediate/crl/intermediate.crl.pem

# openssl crl -in intermediate/crl/intermediate.crl.pem -noout -text

$ cd /home/bob
$ openssl genrsa -out bob@example.com.key.pem 2048
$ openssl req -new -key bob@example.com.key.pem \
      -out bob@example.com.csr.pem

You are about to be asked to enter information that will be incorporated
into your certificate request.
-----
Country Name [XX]:US
State or Province Name []:California
Locality Name []:San Francisco
Organization Name []:Bob Ltd
Organizational Unit Name []:
Common Name []:bob@example.com
Email Address []:

# cd /root/ca
# openssl ca -config intermediate/openssl.cnf \
      -extensions usr_cert -notext -md sha256 \
      -in intermediate/csr/bob@example.com.csr.pem \
      -out intermediate/certs/bob@example.com.cert.pem

Sign the certificate? [y/n]: y
1 out of 1 certificate requests certified, commit? [y/n]: y

# openssl verify -CAfile intermediate/certs/ca-chain.cert.pem \
      intermediate/certs/bob@example.com.cert.pem

bob@example.com.cert.pem: OK

V 160420124740Z 1001 unknown ... /CN=bob@example.com

# cd /root/ca
# openssl ca -config intermediate/openssl.cnf \
      -revoke intermediate/certs/bob@example.com.cert.pem

Enter pass phrase for intermediate.key.pem: secretpassword
Revoking Certificate 1001.
Data Base Updated

R 160420124740Z 150411125310Z 1001 unknown ... /CN=bob@example.com

# openssl x509 -in cute-kitten-pictures.example.com.cert.pem -noout -text

    X509v3 CRL Distribution Points:

        Full Name:
          URI:http://example.com/intermediate.crl.pem