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    Management Plane Security with TLS 1.3
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    7. Management Plane Security with TLS 1.3
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    Prisma SD-WAN

    Management Plane Security with TLS 1.3

    Table of Contents

    Management Plane Security with TLS 1.3

    TLS 1.3 provides enhanced security for controller communication between ION devices and Strata Cloud Manager.
    Where Can I Use This?What Do I Need?
    • Prisma SD-WAN (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
    • Prisma SD-WAN
    • ION device software version 6.8.1 or later
    Starting in version 6.8.1, Prisma SD-WAN ION devices use TLS 1.3 by default for MRL Connections (Multi-Relay Layer) between the device and the Strata Cloud Manager controller. TLS 1.3 provides stronger cryptographic algorithms, reduced handshake latency, and enhanced privacy protection compared to TLS 1.2. This upgrade strengthens the security of management plane communications without requiring configuration changes.

    Automatic Protocol Negotiation

    The ION device and Strata Cloud Manager automatically negotiate to the highest available TLS version supported by both peers. When all components in the connection path support TLS 1.3, the connection uses TLS 1.3. If an intermediate controller in the connection path does not support TLS 1.3, the connection automatically falls back to TLS 1.2 without disrupting management connectivity.
    This backward compatibility ensures seamless operation across mixed-version deployments. You do not need to manually configure TLS version settings, and the fallback process occurs transparently during the initial TLS handshake. Once established, the connection remains stable using the negotiated TLS version until the next reconnection event.

    Post-Quantum Cryptography Support in TLS 1.3

    TLS 1.3 connections in release 6.8.1 support Post-Quantum Cryptography through hybrid key exchange groups that combine classical elliptic curve algorithms with NIST-approved ML-KEM (Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism) algorithms. This hybrid approach ensures quantum resistance while maintaining backward compatibility with classical cryptography.
    Supported hybrid key exchange groups:
    • X25519MLKEM768 (0x11ec)—Combines X25519 elliptic curve with ML-KEM-768 for NIST Level 3 quantum resistance.
    • SecP256r1MLKEM768 (0x11eb)—Combines NIST P-256 curve with ML-KEM-768 for NIST Level 3 quantum resistance.
    • SecP384r1MLKEM1024 (0x11ed)—Combines NIST P-384 curve with ML-KEM-1024 for NIST Level 5 quantum resistance (highest security).
    The TLS 1.3 connection automatically negotiates the strongest supported key exchange group between the ION device and Strata Cloud Manager.

    Configure TLS 1.3 Settings

    You can configure TLS version preferences and cipher suite selection using the web interface or CLI commands. Use these settings when you need to force TLS 1.2 fallback for troubleshooting or select specific cipher suites for compliance requirements.
    Configure TLS Settings in the Web Interface
    To configure TLS 1.3 and cipher suite preferences for controller connections:
    1. Select a branch site and navigate to the Configuration tab.
    2. Click Advanced in the top right corner and choose Configure Ciphers.
    3. In the Configure Ciphers dialog, locate the CONTROLLER CONNECTION section.
    4. To enable or disable TLS 1.3, select or clear the Enabled checkbox in the TLS 1.3 section.
      When enabled, the connection uses TLS 1.3 with quantum-safe hybrid key exchange groups. When disabled, the connection falls back to TLS 1.2.
    5. (Optional) To select a specific TLS 1.3 cipher suite, choose one of the available options:
      • TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384—AES-256 in GCM mode with SHA-384 (recommended for high security)
      • TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256—AES-128 in GCM mode with SHA-256 (balanced security and performance)
      • TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256—ChaCha20-Poly1305 stream cipher with SHA-256 (optimized for software implementations)
      If you do not select a specific cipher, the ION device automatically negotiates the strongest mutually supported cipher suite with the controller.
    6. Click Save to apply the changes.
    Configure TLS Settings Using CLI Commands
    You can also configure TLS settings directly on the ION device using CLI commands:
    Enable or Disable TLS 1.3
    config controller tls13 <enable|disable>
    By default, TLS 1.3 is enabled. Disable TLS 1.3 only if you need to force connections to use TLS 1.2 for troubleshooting or compatibility with older infrastructure components.
    Select TLS 1.3 Cipher Suite
    config controller tls13-cipher <cipher-suite>
    TLS 1.3 supports the following cipher suites via CLI. Each cipher suite combines an AEAD (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data) algorithm with a hash function:
    • TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
    • TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
    • TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256
    • TLS_AES_128_CCM_SHA256
    • TLS_AES_128_CCM_8_SHA256
    The web interface displays the three most commonly used cipher suites. All five cipher suites are available via CLI for advanced configurations.

    Verify TLS Version and PQC Status for MRL Connections

    To verify the TLS version and Post-Quantum Cryptography status for controller connections, use the following CLI command on the ION device:
    dump controller mrl-tlsinfo
    The output displays the TLS version, cipher suite, key exchange group, and PQC status for each active MRL connection. For TLS 1.3 connections using quantum-resistant key exchange, the Key Exchange field shows the hybrid key exchange group (for example, X25519MLKEM768) and the PQC field shows true. This command helps you confirm that TLS 1.3 with quantum resistance is in use or identify connections that have fallen back to TLS 1.2 or classical key exchange due to peer compatibility limitations.

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