Instant certificate revocation and publication using WebDAV

Issue title: The 2007 European PKI Workshop: Theory and Practice (EuroPKI'07)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chadwick, David W.^{; *} | Antony, Sean | Bjerk, Rune

Affiliations: Computing Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: D.W. Chadwick, Computing Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NF, UK. Tel.: +44 77 96 44 7184; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: There are several problems associated with the current ways that certificates are published and revoked. This paper discusses these problems, and then proposes a solution based on the use of WebDAV, an enhancement to the HTTP protocol. The proposed solution provides instant certificate revocation, minimizes the processing costs of the certificate issuer and relying party, and eases the administrative burden of publishing certificates and certificate revocation lists (CRLs). We describe how WebDAV can be used for X.509 certificate revocation, and describe how we have implemented it in the PERMIS authorization infrastructure.

Keywords: Revocation, CRLs, LDAP, HTPP, WebDAV, X.509

DOI: 10.3233/JCS-2009-0372

Journal: Journal of Computer Security, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 475-496, 2010