



Network Working Group                                         T. Madaras
Internet-Draft                                                  P. Estis
Intended status: Experimental                      GuardSuite, VXMSecure
Expires: 6 June 2026                                     3 December 2025


          PRE-RCT: Pre-Execution Authorization Receipt Format
                   draft-madaras-preauth-receipts-00

Abstract

   This document defines PRE-RCT, the Pre-Execution Authorization
   Receipt, a cryptographically signed and attestation-aware receipt
   format used to record high-risk authorization events.  PRE-RCT is
   intended for use with pre-execution authorization protocols such as
   GNA.

Status of This Memo

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   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 6 June 2026.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
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   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.




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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   3.  Design Goals  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   4.  Receipt Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   5.  Required Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   6.  Verification  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   7.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   9.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4

1.  Introduction

   Pre-execution authorization systems require durable, verifiable
   records capturing action parameters, policy state, approver
   decisions, and attestation evidence at the moment of authorization.
   PRE-RCT defines a standard structure to support interoperability,
   auditing, compliance, and long-term integrity.

2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
   BCP 14 ([RFC2119], [RFC8174]) when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

3.  Design Goals

   PRE-RCT is intended to:

   * Provide strong non-repudiation.

   * Bind action parameters to policy state.

   * Support HAE attestation evidence.

   * Support N-of-M approvals.

   * Be portable across authorization systems.

4.  Receipt Structure

   PRE-RCT defines a structured object with required fields and optional
   domain extensions.  The receipt MUST be integrity protected and
   cryptographically signed.



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5.  Required Fields

   The following fields MUST be present:

   receipt_id

   action_hash

   policy_hash

   approver_identities

   approver_signatures

   timestamp

   execution_token

   hae_masking_profile_id

   hae_attestation_token

   context_snapshot (OPTIONAL)

6.  Verification

   Verifiers SHOULD:

   * Validate structural integrity.

   * Verify all digital signatures.

   * Recompute and compare action_hash and policy_hash.

   * Validate attestation tokens if present.

   * Enforce timestamp bounds and replay protection.

7.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA actions.

8.  Security Considerations

   PRE-RCT improves auditability and tamper-evidence but does not
   prevent collusion, coercion, or compromise below the firmware root of
   trust.  Implementations MUST protect receipt confidentiality and
   integrity.



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9.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, May 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8174>.

Authors' Addresses

   Tom Madaras
   GuardSuite, VXMSecure
   Hollywood, FL
   United States of America
   Email: tom@vxmsecure.com


   Pat Estis
   GuardSuite, VXMSecure
   Houston, TX
   United States of America
   Email: pat.estis@gmail.com



























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