BSON Binary Subtype 6
- Status: Accepted
- Minimum Server Version: 4.2
Abstract
Client side encryption requires a new binary subtype to store (1) encrypted ciphertext with metadata, and (2) binary markings indicating what values must be encrypted in a document. (1) is stored in the server, but (2) is only used in the communication protocol between libmongocrypt and mongocryptd described in Driver Spec: Client Side Encryption Encryption.
META
The keywords "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
Specification
This spec introduces a new BSON binary subtype with value 6. The binary has multiple formats determined by the first byte, but are all related to client side encryption. The first byte indicates the type and layout of the remaining data.
All values are represented in little endian. The payload is generally optimized for storage size. The exception is the intent-to-encrypt markings which are only used between libmongocrypt and mongocryptd and never persisted.
struct {
uint8 subtype;
[more data - see individual type definitions]
}
| Name | Type | Description |
| subtype | uint8 | Type of blob format. |
| Type | Name | Blob Description |
| 0 | Intent-to-encrypt marking. | Contains unencrypted data that will be encrypted (by libmongocrypt) along with metadata describing how to encrypt it. |
| 1 | AEAD_AES_CBC_HMAC_SHA512 deterministic ciphertext. | The metadata and encrypted data for deterministic encrypted data. |
| 2 | AEAD_AES_CBC_HMAC_SHA512 randomized ciphertext. | The metadata and encrypted data for random encrypted data. |
Type 0: Intent-to-encrypt marking
struct {
uint8 subtype = 0;
[ bson ];
}
bson is the raw bytes of the following BSON document:
| Name | Long Name | Type | Description |
| v | value | any | Value to encrypt. |
| a | algorithm | int32 | Encryption algorithm to use. Same as fle_blob_subtype: 1 for deterministic, 2 for randomized. |
| ki | keyId | UUID | Optional. Used to query the key vault by _id. If omitted, then "ka" must be specified. |
| ka | keyAltName | string | Optional. Used to query the key vault by keyAltName. If omitted, then "ki" must be specified. |
Types 1 and 2: Ciphertext
struct {
uint8 subtype = (1 or 2);
uint8 key_uuid[16];
uint8 original_bson_type;
uint8 ciphertext[ciphertext_length];
}
| Name | Description |
| subtype | Type of blob format and encryption algorithm used. |
| key_uuid[16] | The value of _id for the key used to decrypt the ciphertext. |
| original_bson_type | The byte representing the original BSON type of the encrypted data. |
| ciphertext[] | The encrypted ciphertext (includes IV prepended). |
Test Plan
Covered in Driver Spec: Client Side Encryption Encryption.
Design Rationale
Why not use a new BSON type?
An alternative to using a new binary subtype would be introducing a new BSON type. This would be a needless backwards breaking change. Since FLE is largely a client side feature, it should be possible to store encrypted data in old servers.
Plus, encrypted ciphertext is inherently a binary blob. Packing metadata inside isolates all of the encryption related data into one BSON value that can be treated as an opaque blob in most contexts.
Why not use separate BSON binary subtypes instead of a nested subtype?
If we used separate subtypes, we'd need to reserve three (and possibly more in the future) of our 124 remaining subtypes.
Why are intent-to-encrypt markings needed?
Intent-to-encrypt markings provide a simple way for mongocryptd to communicate what values need to be encrypted to libmongocrypt. Alternatively, mongocryptd could respond with a list of field paths. But field paths are difficult to make unambiguous, and even the query language is not always consistent.
What happened to the "key vault alias"?
In an earlier revision of this specification the notion of a "key vault alias". The key vault alias identified one of possibly many key vaults that stored the key to decrypt the ciphertext. However, enforcing one key vault is a reasonable restriction for users. Users can migrate from one key vault to another without ciphertext data including a key vault alias. If we find a future need for multiple key vaults, we can easily introduce a new format with the fle_blob_subtype.
Why distinguish between "deterministic" and "randomized" when they contain the same fields?
Deterministic and randomized ciphertext supports different behavior. Deterministic ciphertext supports exact match queries but randomized does not.
Why is the original BSON type not encrypted?
Exposing the underlying BSON type gives some validation of the data that is encrypted. A JSONSchema on the server can validate that the underlying encrypted BSON type is correct.
Reference Implementation
libmongocrypt and mongocryptd will be the reference implementation of how BSON binary subtype 6 is used.
Security Implication
It would be a very bad security flaw if intent-to-encrypt markings were confused with ciphertexts. This could lead to a marking inadvertently being stored on a server – meaning that plaintext is stored where ciphertext should have been.
Therefore, the leading byte of the BSON binary subtype distinguishes between marking and ciphertext.
Changelog
- 2024-03-04: Migrated from reStructuredText to Markdown.
- 2022-10-05: Remove spec front matter and create changelog.