Subject: Protocol Action: 'Port Randomization in the Network Time Protocol Version 4' to Proposed Standard (draft-ietf-ntp-port-randomization-08.txt)

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2021 06:58:29 -0700

The IESG has approved the following document:
- 'Port Randomization in the Network Time Protocol Version 4'
  (draft-ietf-ntp-port-randomization-08.txt) as Proposed Standard

This document is the product of the Network Time Protocol Working Group.

The IESG contact persons are Erik Kline and Éric Vyncke.

A URL of this Internet Draft is:
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-ntp-port-randomization/

Technical Summary

   The Network Time Protocol can operate in several modes.  Some of
   these modes are based on the receipt of unsolicited packets, and
   therefore require the use of a well-known port as the local port
   number.  However, in the case of NTP modes where the use of a well-
   known port is not required, employing such well-known port
   unnecessarily increases the ability of attackers to perform blind/
   off-path attacks.  This document formally updates RFC5905,
   recommending the use of transport-protocol ephemeral port
   randomization for those modes where use of the NTP well-known port is
   not required.

Working Group Summary

   There was nothing particularly noteworthy in the WG process. 

Document Quality

   Many/most implementations already exhibit this behaviour.  More
   implementation text is in Section 5.

Personnel

   Karen O'Donoghue is the Document Shepherd.
   Erik Kline is the Responsible Area Director.