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Multiplexing Scheme Updates for QUIC
RFC 9443

Document Type RFC - Proposed Standard (July 2023)
Authors Dr. Bernard D. Aboba , Gonzalo Salgueiro , Colin Perkins
Last updated 2023-07-12
RFC stream Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
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IESG Responsible AD Murray Kucherawy
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RFC 9443


Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                          B. Aboba
Request for Comments: 9443                         Microsoft Corporation
Updates: 5764, 7983                                         G. Salgueiro
Category: Standards Track                                  Cisco Systems
ISSN: 2070-1721                                               C. Perkins
                                                   University of Glasgow
                                                               July 2023

                  Multiplexing Scheme Updates for QUIC

Abstract

   RFC 7983 defines a scheme for a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)
   receiver to demultiplex Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS),
   Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN), Secure Real-time
   Transport Protocol (SRTP) / Secure Real-time Transport Control
   Protocol (SRTCP), ZRTP, and Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN)
   channel packets arriving on a single port.  This document updates RFC
   7983 and RFC 5764 to also allow QUIC packets to be multiplexed on a
   single receiving socket.

Status of This Memo

   This is an Internet Standards Track document.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
   Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9443.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2023 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the
   Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described
   in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction
     1.1.  Terminology
   2.  Multiplexing of TURN Channels
   3.  Updates to RFC 7983
   4.  Security Considerations
   5.  IANA Considerations
   6.  References
     6.1.  Normative References
     6.2.  Informative References
   Acknowledgments
   Authors' Addresses

1.  Introduction

   "Multiplexing Scheme Updates for Secure Real-time Transport Protocol
   (SRTP) Extension for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS)"
   [RFC7983] defines a scheme for a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)
   [RFC3550] receiver to demultiplex DTLS [RFC9147], Session Traversal
   Utilities for NAT (STUN) [RFC8489], Secure Real-time Transport
   Protocol (SRTP) / Secure Real-time Transport Control Protocol (SRTCP)
   [RFC3711], ZRTP [RFC6189], and Traversal Using Relays around NAT
   (TURN) channel packets arriving on a single port.  This document
   updates [RFC7983] and "Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS)
   Extension to Establish Keys for the Secure Real-time Transport
   Protocol (SRTP)" [RFC5764] to also allow QUIC [RFC9000] to be
   multiplexed on the same port.

   The multiplexing scheme described in this document supports multiple
   use cases.  In the WebRTC scenarios described in [P2P-QUIC] and
   [P2P-QUIC-TRIAL], SRTP transports audio and video while peer-to-peer
   QUIC is used for data exchange.  For this use case, SRTP [RFC3711] is
   keyed using DTLS-SRTP [RFC5764]; therefore, SRTP/SRTCP [RFC3550],
   STUN, TURN, DTLS, and QUIC need to be multiplexed on the same port.
   Were SRTP to be keyed using QUIC-SRTP (not yet specified), SRTP/
   SRTCP, STUN, TURN, and QUIC would need to be multiplexed on the same
   port.  Where QUIC is used for peer-to-peer transport of data as well
   as RTP/RTCP [RTP-OVER-QUIC], STUN, TURN, and QUIC need to be
   multiplexed on the same port.

   While the scheme described in this document is compatible with QUIC
   version 2 [RFC9369], it is not compatible with QUIC bit greasing
   [RFC9287].  As a result, endpoints that wish to use multiplexing on
   their socket MUST NOT send the grease_quic_bit transport parameter.

1.1.  Terminology

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
   BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

2.  Multiplexing of TURN Channels

   TURN channels are an optimization where data packets are exchanged
   with a 4-byte prefix instead of the standard 36-byte STUN overhead
   (see Section 3.5 of [RFC8656]).  [RFC7983] allocates the values from
   64 to 79 in order to allow TURN channels to be demultiplexed when the
   TURN client does the channel binding request in combination with the
   demultiplexing scheme described in [RFC7983].

   In the absence of QUIC bit greasing, the first octet of a QUIC packet
   (e.g. a short header packet in QUIC v1 or v2) may fall in the range
   64 to 127, thereby overlapping with the allocated range for TURN
   channels of 64 to 79.  However, in practice this overlap does not
   represent a problem.  TURN channel packets will only be received from
   a TURN server to which TURN allocation and channel-binding requests
   have been sent.  Therefore, a TURN client receiving packets from the
   source IP address and port of a TURN server only needs to
   disambiguate STUN (i.e., regular TURN) packets from TURN channel
   packets; (S)RTP, (S)RTCP, ZRTP, DTLS, or QUIC packets will not be
   sent from a source IP address and port that had previously responded
   to TURN allocation or channel-binding requests.

   As a result, if the source IP address and port of a packet do not
   match that of a responding TURN server, a packet with a first octet
   of 64 to 127 can be unambiguously demultiplexed as QUIC.

3.  Updates to RFC 7983

   This document updates the text in Section 7 of [RFC7983] (which in
   turn updates [RFC5764]) as follows:

   OLD TEXT

  |  The process for demultiplexing a packet is as follows.  The
  |  receiver looks at the first byte of the packet.  If the value of
  |  this byte is in between 0 and 3 (inclusive), then the packet is
  |  STUN.  If the value is between 16 and 19 (inclusive), then the
  |  packet is ZRTP.  If the value is between 20 and 63 (inclusive),
  |  then the packet is DTLS.  If the value is between 64 and 79
  |  (inclusive), then the packet is TURN Channel.  If the value is in
  |  between 128 and 191 (inclusive), then the packet is RTP (or RTCP,
  |  if both RTCP and RTP are being multiplexed over the same
  |  destination port).  If the value does not match any known range,
  |  then the packet MUST be dropped and an alert MAY be logged.  This
  |  process is summarized in Figure 3.
  |  
  |                   +----------------+
  |                   |        [0..3] -+--> forward to STUN
  |                   |                |
  |                   |      [16..19] -+--> forward to ZRTP
  |                   |                |
  |       packet -->  |      [20..63] -+--> forward to DTLS
  |                   |                |
  |                   |      [64..79] -+--> forward to TURN Channel
  |                   |                |
  |                   |    [128..191] -+--> forward to RTP/RTCP
  |                   +----------------+
  |  
  |  Figure 3: The DTLS-SRTP receiver's packet demultiplexing algorithm.

   END OLD TEXT

   NEW TEXT

  |  The process for demultiplexing a packet is as follows.  The
  |  receiver looks at the first byte of the packet.  If the value of
  |  this byte is between 0 and 3 (inclusive), then the packet is STUN.
  |  If the value is between 16 and 19 (inclusive), then the packet is
  |  ZRTP.  If the value is between 20 and 63 (inclusive), then the
  |  packet is DTLS.  If the value is between 128 and 191 (inclusive),
  |  then the packet is RTP (or RTCP, if both RTCP and RTP are being
  |  multiplexed over the same destination port).  If the value is
  |  between 80 and 127 (inclusive) or between 192 and 255 (inclusive),
  |  then the packet is QUIC.  If the value is between 64 and 79
  |  (inclusive) and the packet has a source IP address and port of a
  |  responding TURN server, then the packet is TURN channel; if the
  |  source IP address and port are not that of a responding TURN
  |  server, then the packet is QUIC.
  |  
  |  If the value does not match any known range, then the packet MUST
  |  be dropped and an alert MAY be logged.  This process is summarized
  |  in Figure 3.
  |  
  |                  +----------------+
  |                  |        [0..3] -+--> forward to STUN
  |                  |                |
  |                  |       [4..15] -+--> DROP
  |                  |                |
  |                  |      [16..19] -+--> forward to ZRTP
  |                  |                |
  |      packet -->  |      [20..63] -+--> forward to DTLS
  |                  |                |
  |                  |      [64..79] -+--> forward to TURN Channel
  |                  |                | (if from TURN server), else QUIC
  |                  |     [80..127] -+--> forward to QUIC
  |                  |                |
  |                  |    [128..191] -+--> forward to RTP/RTCP
  |                  |                |
  |                  |    [192..255] -+--> forward to QUIC
  |                  +----------------+
  |  
  |       Figure 3: The receiver's packet demultiplexing algorithm.
  |  
  |  Note: Endpoints that wish to demultiplex QUIC MUST NOT send the
  |  grease_quic_bit transport parameter, as described in [RFC9287].

   END NEW TEXT

4.  Security Considerations

   The solution discussed in this document could potentially introduce
   some additional security issues beyond those described in [RFC7983].
   These additional concerns are described below.

   In order to support multiplexing of QUIC, this document adds logic to
   the scheme defined in [RFC7983].  If misimplemented, the logic could
   potentially misclassify packets, exposing protocol handlers to
   unexpected input.

   When QUIC is used solely for data exchange, the TLS-within-QUIC
   exchange [RFC9001] derives keys used solely to protect QUIC data
   packets.  If properly implemented, this should not affect the
   transport of SRTP or the derivation of SRTP keys via DTLS-SRTP.
   However, if a future specification were to define use of the TLS-
   within-QUIC exchange to derive SRTP keys, both transport and SRTP key
   derivation could be adversely impacted by a vulnerability in the QUIC
   implementation.

5.  IANA Considerations

   In the "TLS ContentType" registry, IANA replaced references to
   [RFC7983] with references to this document.

6.  References

6.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC3550]  Schulzrinne, H., Casner, S., Frederick, R., and V.
              Jacobson, "RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time
              Applications", STD 64, RFC 3550, DOI 10.17487/RFC3550,
              July 2003, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3550>.

   [RFC3711]  Baugher, M., McGrew, D., Naslund, M., Carrara, E., and K.
              Norrman, "The Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)",
              RFC 3711, DOI 10.17487/RFC3711, March 2004,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3711>.

   [RFC5764]  McGrew, D. and E. Rescorla, "Datagram Transport Layer
              Security (DTLS) Extension to Establish Keys for the Secure
              Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)", RFC 5764,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5764, May 2010,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5764>.

   [RFC7983]  Petit-Huguenin, M. and G. Salgueiro, "Multiplexing Scheme
              Updates for Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)
              Extension for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS)",
              RFC 7983, DOI 10.17487/RFC7983, September 2016,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7983>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

   [RFC8489]  Petit-Huguenin, M., Salgueiro, G., Rosenberg, J., Wing,
              D., Mahy, R., and P. Matthews, "Session Traversal
              Utilities for NAT (STUN)", RFC 8489, DOI 10.17487/RFC8489,
              February 2020, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8489>.

   [RFC8656]  Reddy, T., Ed., Johnston, A., Ed., Matthews, P., and J.
              Rosenberg, "Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN):
              Relay Extensions to Session Traversal Utilities for NAT
              (STUN)", RFC 8656, DOI 10.17487/RFC8656, February 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8656>.

   [RFC9000]  Iyengar, J., Ed. and M. Thomson, Ed., "QUIC: A UDP-Based
              Multiplexed and Secure Transport", RFC 9000,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9000, May 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9000>.

   [RFC9001]  Thomson, M., Ed. and S. Turner, Ed., "Using TLS to Secure
              QUIC", RFC 9001, DOI 10.17487/RFC9001, May 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9001>.

   [RFC9147]  Rescorla, E., Tschofenig, H., and N. Modadugu, "The
              Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) Protocol Version
              1.3", RFC 9147, DOI 10.17487/RFC9147, April 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9147>.

   [RFC9287]  Thomson, M., "Greasing the QUIC Bit", RFC 9287,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9287, August 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9287>.

6.2.  Informative References

   [P2P-QUIC] Thatcher, P., Aboba, B., and R. Raymond, "QUIC API For
              Peer-to-Peer Connections", W3C Community Group Draft
              Report, commit 50d79c0, 20 May 2023,
              <https://www.w3.org/p2p-webtransport/>.

   [P2P-QUIC-TRIAL]
              Hampson, S., "RTCQuicTransport Coming to an Origin Trial
              Near You (Chrome 73)", January 2019,
              <https://developer.chrome.com/blog/rtcquictransport-api/>.

   [RFC6189]  Zimmermann, P., Johnston, A., Ed., and J. Callas, "ZRTP:
              Media Path Key Agreement for Unicast Secure RTP",
              RFC 6189, DOI 10.17487/RFC6189, April 2011,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6189>.

   [RFC9369]  Duke, M., "QUIC Version 2", RFC 9369,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9369, May 2023,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9369>.

   [RTP-OVER-QUIC]
              Ott, J., Engelbart, M., and S. Dawkins, "RTP over QUIC",
              Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-avtcore-rtp-
              over-quic-04, 10 July 2023,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-avtcore-
              rtp-over-quic-04>.

Acknowledgments

   We would like to thank Martin Thomson, Roni Even, Jonathan Lennox,
   and other participants in the IETF QUIC and AVTCORE Working Groups
   for their discussion of the QUIC multiplexing issue, and their input
   relating to potential solutions.

Authors' Addresses

   Bernard Aboba
   Microsoft Corporation
   One Microsoft Way
   Redmond, WA 98052
   United States of America
   Email: bernard.aboba@gmail.com

   Gonzalo Salgueiro
   Cisco Systems
   7200-12 Kit Creek Road
   Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
   United States of America
   Email: gsalguei@cisco.com

   Colin Perkins
   School of Computing Science
   University of Glasgow
   Glasgow
   G12 8QQ
   United Kingdom
   Email: csp@csperkins.org