With Webauthn, it is possible to authenticate a user without username. This behavior implies several constraints:

1. During the registration of the authenticator, a Resident Key must have been asked,

2. The user verification is required,

3. The list of allowed authenticators must be empty

Selection criteria for the registration of the authenticator:

use Webauthn\AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria;
use Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions;


$authenticatorSelectionCriteria = AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::create(
    userVerification: AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::USER_VERIFICATION_REQUIREMENT_REQUIRED,
    residentKey: AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::RESIDENT_KEY_REQUIREMENT_REQUIRED,
);

$publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions = PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions::create(
    $rpEntity,
    $userEntity,
    $challenge,
    authenticatorSelection: $authenticatorSelectionCriteria
);

The Request Options:

// Public Key Credential Request Options

use Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialRequestOptions;

$publicKeyCredentialRequestOptions = PublicKeyCredentialRequestOptions::create(
    random_bytes(32),
    userVerification: PublicKeyCredentialRequestOptions::USER_VERIFICATION_REQUIREMENT_REQUIRED
);

By default, any type of authenticator can be used by your users and interact with you application. In certain circumstances, you may need to select specific authenticators e.g. when user verification is required.

The Webauthn API and this library allow you to define a set of options to disallow the registration of authenticators that do not fulfill with the conditions.

The class Webauthn\AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria is designed for this purpose. It is used when generating the Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions object.

Available Criteria

Authenticator Attachment Modality

You can indicate if the authenticator must be attached to the client (platform authenticator i.e. it is usually not removable from the client device) or must be detached (roaming authenticator).

Possible values are:

• AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::AUTHENTICATOR_ATTACHMENT_NO_PREFERENCE: there is no requirement (default value),

• AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::AUTHENTICATOR_ATTACHMENT_PLATFORM: the authenticator must be attached,

• AuthenticatorSelectionCriteria::AUTHENTICATOR_ATTACHMENT_CROSS_PLATFORM: must be a roaming authenticator.

A primary use case for platform authenticators is to register a particular client device as a "trusted device" for future authentication. This gives the user the convenience benefit of not needing a roaming authenticator, e.g., the user will not have to dig around in their pocket for their key fob or phone.

Resident Key

With this criterion, a Public Key Credential Source will be stored in the authenticator, client or client device. Such storage requires an authenticator capable to store such a resident credential.

User Verification

Example

With this example, with require the user verification (PIN, fingerprint...), a resident key and an authenticator embedded onto a device. This is typacally what you will require for Windows Hello or Face ID authentication.

You can indicate the user verification requirements during the ceremonies by setting the value in your options.

Authenticator registration

User Authentication

If you have troubles during the development of your application or if you want to keep track of every critical/error messages in production, you can use a .

Several classes implement the interface Webauthn\MetadataService\CanLogData. This interface allows setting a PSR-3 logger instance.

The Webauthn data verification is based on cryptographic signatures and thus you need to provide cryptographic algorithms to perform those checks.

The following algorithms are required in most situations:

The complete list of supported algorithms:

The algorithm manager can be injected to your Ceremony Step Manager Factory.

Secured Context

If your are working on a development environment, https may not be available but the context could be considered as secured. You can bypass the scheme verification by passing the list of rpIds you consider secured.

Attestation Statement Support Manager

There are few steps to acheive. First, you have to add support classes for all attestation statement types into your Attestation Metatdata Manager.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Cose\Algorithm\Manager;
use Cose\Algorithm\Signature\ECDSA;
use Cose\Algorithm\Signature\EdDSA;
use Cose\Algorithm\Signature\RSA;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\AndroidKeyAttestationStatementSupport;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\AttestationStatementSupportManager;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\FidoU2FAttestationStatementSupport;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\NoneAttestationStatementSupport;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\PackedAttestationStatementSupport;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\TPMAttestationStatementSupport;
use Webauthn\AttestationStatement\AppleAttestationStatementSupport;
use Symfony\Component\Clock\NativeClock;

//We need a PSR-20 clock
$clock = new NativeClock();

// You normally already do this
$attestationStatementSupportManager = AttestationStatementSupportManager::create();
$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(NoneAttestationStatementSupport::create());

// Additional classes to add
$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(FidoU2FAttestationStatementSupport::create());
$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(AppleAttestationStatementSupport::create());

$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(AndroidKeyAttestationStatementSupport::create());
$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(TPMAttestationStatementSupport::create($clock));

// Cose Algorithm Manager
// The list of algorithm depends on the algorithm list you defined in your options
// You should use at least ES256 and RS256 algorithms that are widely used.
$coseAlgorithmManager = Manager::create();
$coseAlgorithmManager->add(ECDSA\ES256::create());
$coseAlgorithmManager->add(RSA\RS256::create());

$attestationStatementSupportManager->add(PackedAttestationStatementSupport::create($coseAlgorithmManager));

Metadata Statement Repository

Then, you must prepare an Metadata Statement Repository. This service will manage all Metadata Statements depending on their sources (local storage or distant service).

Your Metadata Statement Repository must implement the interface Webauthn\MetadataService\MetadataStatementRepository that has only one method:

• findOneByAAGUID(string $aaguid): this method retrieves the MetadataStatement object with AAGUID. It shall return null in case of the absence of the MDS.

Status Report Repository

To prevent the use of rogue MDS or deprecated by the manufacturers, Status Reports may be used. The Status Report Repository is a simple service that implements the interface Webauthn\MetadataService\StatusReportRepository with a unique method:

• findStatusReportsByAAGUID(string $aaguid): this method returns a list of Status Reports for the given AAGUID.

The verification's success or failure depends on the state reported in the most recent Status Report.

Certificate Chain Validator

When an attestation statement is received, a certificate chain is constructed. This chain combines certificates from the Metadata Service (MDS), which are trusted, with those provided by the authenticator, which are untrusted.

The Certificate Chain Validator is responsible for this task. The library provides the class Webauthn\MetadataService\CertificateChain\PhpCertificateChainValidator that requires a Symfony Http Client (for CRL verification) and a PSR-20 Clock.

<?php

use Webauthn\MetadataService\CertificateChain\PhpCertificateChainValidator;

$certificateChainValidator = PhpCertificateChainValidator::create(
    $httpClient,
    $clock
);

Ceremony Step Manager Factory

The services described above must be set to the Ceremony Step Manager Factory. The CSM you will create will verifiy the attestation statement sent by the authenticator.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Webauthn\CeremonyStep\CeremonyStepManagerFactory;

$csmFactory = new CeremonyStepManagerFactory();
$csmFactory->setAttestationStatementSupportManager($attestationStatementSupportManager);
$csmFactory->enableMetadataStatementSupport(
    $metadataStatementRepository,
    $statusReportRepository,
    $certificateChainValidator,
);

Requesting Attestation Statement

By default, no Attestation Statement is asked to the Authenticators (type = none). To change this behavior, you just have to set the corresponding parameter in the Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions object.

There are 3 conveyance modes available using PHP constants provided by the class Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions:

• ATTESTATION_CONVEYANCE_PREFERENCE_NONE: the Relying Party is not interested in authenticator attestation (default)

• ATTESTATION_CONVEYANCE_PREFERENCE_INDIRECT: the Relying Party prefers an attestation conveyance yielding verifiable attestation statements, but allows the client to decide how to obtain such attestation statements.

• ATTESTATION_CONVEYANCE_PREFERENCE_DIRECT: the Relying Party wants to receive the attestation statement as generated by the authenticator.

<?php

use Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions;

$publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions = PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions::create(
    $relyingParty,
    $userEntity,
    $challenge,
    attestation: PublicKeyCredentialCreationOptions::ATTESTATION_CONVEYANCE_PREFERENCE_DIRECT,
);

The authenticators may have an internal counter. This feature is very helpful to detect cloned devices.

The default behaviour is to reject the assertions. This behaviour might cause some troubles as it could reject the real device whilst the fake one can continue to be used.

It is therefore required to go deeper in the protection of your application by logging the error and locking the associated account.

To do so , you have to create a custom Counter Checker and inject it to your Authenticator Assertion Response Validator. The checker must implement the interface Webauthn\Counter\CounterChecker.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);


namespace App\Service;

use App\SecuritySystem;
use Assert\Assertion;
use Throwable;
use Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialSource;

final class CustomCounterChecker implements CounterChecker
{
    private $securitySystem;

    public function __construct(SecuritySystem $securitySystem)
    {
        $this->securitySystem = $securitySystem ;
    }

    public function check(PublicKeyCredentialSource $publicKeyCredentialSource, int $currentCounter): void
    {
        try {
            Assertion::greaterThan($currentCounter, $publicKeyCredentialSource->getCounter(), 'Invalid counter.');
        } catch (Throwable $throwable) {
            $this->securitySystem->fakeDeviceDetected($publicKeyCredentialSource);
            throw $throwable;
        }
    }
}

The Counter Checker service can be injected to your Ceremony Step Manager Factory.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Webauthn\CeremonyStep\CeremonyStepManagerFactory;

$csmFactory = new CeremonyStepManagerFactory();
$csmFactory->setCounterChecker($customCounterChecker);

The following example is totally fictive. We will add an extension input loc=true to the request option object.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\AuthenticationExtension;
use Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\AuthenticationExtensions;
use Webauthn\PublicKeyCredentialRequestOptions;

// Extensions
$extensions = AuthenticationExtensions::create([
    AuthenticationExtension::create('loc', true)
]);

// Public Key Credential Request Options
$publicKeyCredentialRequestOptions = PublicKeyCredentialRequestOptions::create(
    random_bytes(32), // Challenge
    extensions: $extensions
);

Extension Output Checker

An Extension Output Checker (EOC) will check the extension output.

It must implement the interface Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\ExtensionOutputChecker and throw an exception of type Webauthn\AuthenticationExtension\ExtensionOutputError in case of error.

In the previous example, we asked for the location of the device and we expect to receive geolocation data in the extension output.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Acme\Extension;

use Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\ExtensionOutputChecker;
use Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\ExtensionOutputError;

final class LocationExtensionOutputChecker implements ExtensionOutputChecker
{
    public function check(AuthenticationExtensions $inputs, AuthenticationExtensions $outputs): void
    {
        if (!$inputs->has('loc') || $inputs->get('loc') !== true) {
            return;
        }

        if (!$outputs->has('loc')) {
            //You may simply return but here we consider it is a mandatory extension output.
            throw new ExtensionOutputError(
                $inputs->get('loc'),
                'The location of the device is missing'
            );
        }

        $location = $outputs->get('loc');
        //... Proceed with the output e.g. by logging the location of the device
        // or verifying it is in a specific area.
    }
}

Extension Output Checker Handler

You can create as many EOC as needed. These services can be managed by a handler that will be injected to the Ceremony Step Manager Factory. Extensions will be automatically verified during the validation steps.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Acme\Extension;

use Webauthn\AuthenticationExtensions\ExtensionOutputCheckerHandler;
use Webauthn\CeremonyStep\CeremonyStepManagerFactory;

$eocHandler = ExtensionOutputCheckerHandler::create();
$eocHander->add(new LocationExtensionOutputChecker());
// Add more EOC if needed.

$csmFactory = new CeremonyStepManagerFactory();
$csmFactory->setExtensionOutputCheckerHandler($eocHander);