May 2020 - Uwe Gradenegger

Certificate request fails with error message "Bad Data. 0x80090005 (-2146893819 NTE_BAD_DATA)."

Assume the following scenario:

A user sends a certificate request to a certificate authority.
The certificate request fails with the following error message:

Bad Data. 0x80090005 (-2146893819 NTE_BAD_DATA).
Denied by Policy Module.

Windows Server Migration Matrix for the Certification Authority

At the latest when the End of product support by the manufacturer (Microsoft) approaches, the question arises as to how and to which operating system a certification authority should be migrated.

Migration of an Active Directory integrated certification authority (Enterprise Certification Authority) to another server

Often a certification authority lives significantly longer than the server on which it was installed. Reasons for migrating the certification authority to a new server, i.e. while retaining the data, can be:

Defect or end of life of the server hardware
End of life of the server operating system
Change of the server name

The procedure for migration is described in detail below.

End of product support by the manufacturer (Microsoft)

Each Windows Server operating system has a defined end date after which there is no longer any product support from the manufacturer. Certification authorities are also bound to this date, and should therefore be migrated before this date expires.

Basics and risk assessment Delegation settings

Delegation is required whenever there is an intermediary between the user and the actual service. In the case of certification authority web registration, this would be the case if it is installed on a separate server. It then acts as an intermediary between the applicant and the certification authority.

Performing a functional test for the Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service (CEP)

After installing a Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service (CEP), or after more extensive maintenance work, an extensive functional test should be performed to ensure that all components are working as desired.

The certification authority service does not start and throws the error message "Object was not found. 0x80090011 (-2146893807 NTE_NOT_FOUND)".

Assume the following scenario:

A certification authority is implemented in the network.
The certification authority service does not start.
When trying to start the Certification Authority service, you get the following error message:

Object was not found. 0x80090011 (-2146893807 NTE_NOT_FOUND)

Configuration of security event monitoring (auditing settings) for certification authorities

In contrast to operational events, which are often understood under the term "monitoring", auditing for the certification authority is the configuration of logging of security-relevant events.

Standard auditing rules for Windows Server operating systems

Once a group policy with audit settings is active, the default auditing rules preconfigured with the operating system are turned off and only the explicitly configured audit settings are applied.

Checking the connection to the private key of a certificate (e.g. when using a hardware security module)

For a function test or during troubleshooting, it can be useful to check whether the private key of a certificate is usable. If the key is secured with a hardware security module (HSM), for example, there are significantly more dependencies and possibilities for errors than with a software key.

Perform functional test for a Certification Authority

After installing a certification authority, after migrating to a new server, or after more extensive maintenance work, an extensive functional test should be performed to ensure that all components of the certification authority are working as desired.

Publish a certificate revocation list (CRL) to an Active Directory revocation list distribution point (CDP).

Sometimes it is necessary for a certificate issued by a certification authority to be withdrawn from circulation even before its expiration date. To make this possible, a certification authority keeps a revocation list. This is a signed file with a relatively short expiration date, which is used in combination with the certificate to check its validity.

In some cases (for example, with an offline certificate authority, or if non-standard LDAP revocation list distribution points have been configured), the certificate revocation list must be manually published to Active Directory.

Create and publish a certificate revocation list

After a certificate has been revoked, a new revocation list must be created and published so that entities that check the revocation status are informed of the revocation. Since the revocation list has a relatively short expiration date, it must be reissued at regular intervals even if the content is not changed.

Revoking an issued certificate

When a certificate is revoked, its serial number is placed on the revocation list. Entities that check the revocation of a certificate then consider it to be no longer valid.

Required Windows security permissions for the Certificate Enrollment Web Service (CES)

Assuming one implements Microsoft's Active Directory Administrative Tiering Model, or applies similar hardening measures to one's servers, this will impact the CES components.