RELEASE NOTES: JDK 8u151

New Security property to control crypto policy

This release introduces a new feature whereby the JCE jurisdiction policy files used by the JDK can be controlled via a new Security property. In older releases, JCE jurisdiction files had to be downloaded and installed separately to allow unlimited cryptography to be used by the JDK. The download and install steps are no longer necessary. To enable unlimited cryptography, one can use the new crypto.policy Security property. If the new Security property (crypto.policy) is set in the java.security file, or has been set dynamically using the Security.setProperty() call before the JCE framework has been initialized, that setting will be honored. By default, the property will be undefined. If the property is undefined and the legacy JCE jurisdiction files don't exist in the legacy lib/security directory, then the default cryptographic level will remain at 'limited'. To configure the JDK to use unlimited cryptography, set the crypto.policy to a value of 'unlimited'. See the notes in the java.security file shipping with this release for more information.

Note : On Solaris, it's recommended that you remove the old SVR4 packages before installing the new JDK updates. If an SVR4 based upgrade (without uninstalling the old packages) is being done on a JDK release earlier than 6u131, 7u121, 8u111, then you should set the new crypto.policy Security property in the java.security file.

Because the old JCE jurisdiction files are left in <java-home>/lib/security, they may not meet the latest security JAR signing standards, which were refreshed in 6u131, 7u121, 8u111, and later updates. An exception similar to the following might be seen if the old files are used : ` Caused by: java.lang.SecurityException: Jurisdiction policy files are not signed by trusted signers! at javax.crypto.JceSecurity.loadPolicies(JceSecurity.java:593) at javax.crypto.JceSecurity.setupJurisdictionPolicies(JceSecurity.java:524) `

New defaults for DSA keys in jarsigner and keytool

For DSA keys, the default signature algorithm for keytool and jarsigner has changed from SHA1withDSA to SHA256withDSA and the default key size for keytool has changed from 1024 bits to 2048 bits.

Users wishing to revert to the previous behavior can use the -sigalg option of keytool and jarsigner and specify SHA1withDSA and the -keysize option of keytool and specify 1024.

There are a few potential compatibility risks associated with this change:

1. If you have a script that uses the default key size of keytool to generate a DSA keypair but then subsequently specifies a specific signature algorithm, ex: ` keytool -genkeypair -keyalg DSA -keystore keystore -alias mykey ... keytool -certreq -sigalg SHA1withDSA -keystore keystore -alias mykey ... it will fail with one of the following exceptions, because the new 2048-bit keysize default is too strong for SHA1withDSA: `` keytool error: java.security.InvalidKeyException: The security strength of SHA-1 digest algorithm is not sufficient for this key size keytool error: java.security.InvalidKeyException: DSA key must be at most 1024 bits `` The workaround is to remove the-sigalgoption and use the stronger SHA256withDSA default or, at your own risk, use the-keysizeoption ofkeytool` to specify a smaller key size (1024).

2. If you use jarsigner to sign JARs with the new defaults, previous versions (than this release) of JDK 6 and 7 do not support the stronger defaults and will not be able to verify the JAR. jarsigner -verify on an earlier release of JDK 6 or 7 will output the following error: ` jar is unsigned. (signatures missing or not parsable) If you add-J-Djava.security.debug=jarto thejarsignercommand line, the cause will be output: `` jar: processEntry caught: java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException: SHA256withDSA Signature not available `` If compatibility with earlier releases is important, you can, at your own risk, use the-sigalgoption ofjarsigner` and specify the weaker SHA1withDSA algorithm.

3. If you use a PKCS11 keystore, the SunPKCS11 provider does not support the SHA256withDSA algorithm. jarsigner and some keytool commands may fail with the following exception if PKCS11 is specified with the -storetype option, ex:

   ` keytool error: java.security.InvalidKeyException: No installed provider supports this key: sun.security.pkcs11.P11Key$P11PrivateKey A similar error may occur if you are using NSS with the SunPKCS11 provider. The workaround is to use the-sigalgoption ofkeytool` and specify SHA1withDSA.

keytool now prints warnings when reading or generating certificates/certificate requests/CRLs using weak algorithms

With one exception, keytool will always print a warning if the certificate, certificate request, or CRL it is parsing, verifying, or generating is using a weak algorithm or key. When a certificate is from an existing TrustedCertificateEntry, either in the keystore directly operated on or in the cacerts keystore when the -trustcacerts option is specified for the -importcert command, keytool will not print a warning if it is signed with a weak signature algorithm. For example, suppose the file cert contains a CA certificate signed with a weak signature algorithm, keytool -printcert -file cert and keytool -importcert -file cert -alias ca -keystore ks will print out a warning, but after the last command imports it into the keystore, keytool -list -alias ca -keystore ks will not show a warning anymore.

An algorithm or a key is weak if it matches the value of the jdk.certpath.disabledAlgorithms security property defined in the conf/security/java.security file.

keytool now prints out information of a certificate's public key

Keytool now prints out the key algorithm and key size of a certificate's public key, in the form of "Subject Public Key Algorithm: `<size>-bit RSA key", where <size>` is the key size in bits (ex: 2048).