question about CA

donald7862003

On a standalone root CA can i just stop the server instead of shutting and/or disconnecting the server from the network. Why I ask is because it is suggested to shut the root CA down after distributing the certificate to the subordinate CA but what if i want to use that server for something else. Would it be a security risk to keep a "stopped" root CA on the network running another service?

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hetty

From watching the CBT Nuggets, its suggested that the server is taken offline completely, whats to stop someone from starting the service up again or stealing the hard drive?. At the very least you could be running the root CA from a VM and securely encrypt it in a TrueCrypt volume or similar. And place that hard drive or dvd in the company safe.

I havent read the book yet but im sure its something similar in operation.

donald7862003

hetty wrote:

From watching the CBT Nuggets, its suggested that the server is taken offline completely, whats to stop someone from starting the service up again or stealing the hard drive?. At the very least you could be running the root CA from a VM and securely encrypt it in a TrueCrypt volume or similar. And place that hard drive or dvd in the company safe.

I havent read the book yet but im sure its something similar in operation.

Yeah but it sounds like a waste of hard drive. But ok.............

dynamik

Another scenario I've seen is to purchase another Windows license and dual-boot between a standard server and the CA server (on a separate set of disks), and when the CA is not in use, remove the disk(s) and lock them up. That way you don't have any idle server, but you still have your CA data protected.

edit: Donald, this is recommended for large organizations. Having a CA compromised for thousands of users would be detrimental. A few thousand dollar server sitting in a locked closet is a small price to pay for that security. This isn't a recommended solution for a 25-person business.

hetty

donald7862003 wrote:

Yeah but it sounds like a waste of hard drive. But ok.............

Believe me a $100 hard drive is nothing compared to the amount of man hours, downtime, loss of customer reputation and other liabilities that a corporate root CA could cause if it is out in the open. A Root CA could have 1000s or 10s of thousands of subordinates from that one root CA.

hetty

dynamik wrote:

edit: Donald, this is recommended for large organizations. Having a CA compromised for thousands of users would be detrimental. A few thousand dollar server sitting in a locked closet is a small price to pay for that security. This isn't a recommended solution for a 25-person business.

donald7862003

Yeah i see that i was looking from a small company point of view. thanks for the info