Secure communication over the unreliable UDP transport with DTLS
The End
DTLS brings encryption capabilities similar to TLS to the connectionless UDP protocol. Both the OpenSSL and GnuTLS libraries provide a high level of security for DTLS connections. It is not a problem to perform the cookie exchange procedure during the DTLS handshake, but it is difficult to refuse this high level of protection. You can't use the only option to turn off the cookie exchange when configuring the DTLS object. You also can't use any stubs or NULL-pointer arguments.
GnuTLS makes you write a part of the server-side handshake procedure manually, which is not a user-friendly approach. OpenSSL already has all the necessary pieces in place, but the current implementation of the library is rather strange. In the future, greater adoption of DTLS will depend upon developers having access to simple and reliable libraries and frameworks with predictable behavior.
Infos
- DTLS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datagram_Transport_Layer_Security
- RFC 6347: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6347
- OpenSSL: https://www.openssl.org/
- GnuTLS: https://www.gnutls.org/
- GnuTLS documentation: https://www.gnutls.org/documentation.html
- Code for this article: ftp://ftp.linux-magazine.com/pub/listings/linux-magazine.com/247/
The Author
Andrei Kuzmenko is a professional software engineer and researcher. He is particularly interested in network technologies and Bash scripting. In the last 15 years, he has been working on Linux and its applications. C++ is his old passion.
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.
-
CachyOS Adds Support for System76's COSMIC Desktop
The August 2024 release of CachyOS includes support for the COSMIC desktop as well as some important bits for video.
-
Linux Foundation Adopts OMI to Foster Ethical LLMs
The Open Model Initiative hopes to create community LLMs that rival proprietary models but avoid restrictive licensing that limits usage.
-
Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1.4 Release Includes Improvements and Bug Fixes
The latest release from the KDE team improves the KWin window and composite managers and plenty of fixes.
-
Manjaro Team Tests Immutable Version of its Arch-Based Distribution
If you're a fan of immutable operating systems, you'll be thrilled to know that the Manjaro team is working on an immutable spin that is now available for testing.