Provided by: tpm2-tools_5.4-1_amd64 bug

NAME

       tpm2_loadexternal(1) - Load an external object into the TPM.

SYNOPSIS

       tpm2_loadexternal [OPTIONS]

DESCRIPTION

       tpm2_loadexternal(1)  -  This  command loads an external object into the TPM, forgoing TPM
       protections.  Ie, the key material is not protected by the parent object’s seed.   It  can
       also  be used to load TSS2 Private Keys in pem format.  The command allows loading of just
       the public portion of an object or both the public and private portions of an object.  For
       TSS2 Private Keys, only the public portion of the key is loaded.

       The  tool  outputs  the name of the loaded object in a YAML dictionary format with the key
       name where the value for that key is the name of the object in hex format, for example:

              name: 000bac25cb8743111c8e1f52f2ee7279d05d3902a18dd1af694db5d1afa7adf1c8b3

       It also saves a context file for future interactions with the object.

OPTIONS

-C, --hierarchy=OBJECT:

         Hierarchy to use for the ticket, optional.  Defaults to n, null.  Supported options are:

         • o for the owner hierarchy.

         • p for the platform hierarchy.

         • e for the endorsement hierarchy.

         • n for the null hierarchy.

       • -G, --key-algorithm=ALGORITHM:

         The algorithm used by the key to be imported.  Supports:

         • aes - AES 128,192 or 256 key.

         • rsa - RSA 1024 or 2048 key.

         • ecc - ECC NIST P192, P224, P256, P384 or P521 public and private key.

       • -u, --public=FILE:

         The public portion of the object, this can be one of the following file formats:

         • TSS - The TSS/TPM format.  For example from option -u of command tpm2_create(1).

         • RSA - OSSL PEM formats.  For example public.pem  from  the  command  openssl  rsa  -in
           private.pem -out public.pem -pubout

         • ECC  -  OSSL  PEM  formats.   For  example  public.pem from the command openssl ec -in
           private.ecc.pem -out public.ecc.pem -pubout-r, --private=FILE:

         The sensitive portion of the object, optional.  If one wishes to use the private portion
         of  a  key,  this  must  be  specified.  Like option -u, this command takes files in the
         following format:

         • RSA - OSSL PEM formats.  For example private.pem from the command openssl genrsa  -out
           private.pem  2048  Since  an  RSA public key can be derived from the private PEM file,
           their is no need to specify -u for the public portion.

         • TSS2 PrivateKey PEM formats.

         Note: The private portion does not respect TSS formats  as  it’s  impossible  to  get  a
         TPM2B_SENSITIVE output from a previous command.  They are always protected by the TPM as
         TPM2B_PRIVATE blobs.

       • -p, --auth=AUTH:

         The authorization value for the key, optional.

       • -L, --policy=FILE or HEX_STRING:

         The input policy file or hex string, optional.  A file or hex string containing the hash
         of a policy derived from tpm2_createpolicy or another policy digest generating source.

       • -g, --hash-algorithm=ALGORITHM:

         The  hash  algorithm  for generating the objects name.  This is optional and defaults to
         sha256 when  not  specified.   However,  load  external  supports  having  a  null  name
         algorithm.  In this case, no cryptographic binding checks between the public and private
         portions are performed.

       • -a, --attributes=ATTRIBUTES:

         The   object   attributes,   optional.    The   default   for   created   objects    is:
         TPMA_OBJECT_SIGN_ENCRYPT|TPMA_OBJECT_DECRYPT.   Optionally,  if -p is specified or no -p
         or -L is specified then TPMA_OBJECT_USERWITHAUTH is added to the default attribute set.

         Note:  If  specifying  attributes,  the  TPM  will  reject   certain   attributes   like
         TPMA_OBJECT_FIXEDTPM, as those guarantees cannot be made.

       • -c, --key-context=FILE

         The file name to save the object context, required.

       • -n, --name=FILE:

         An optional file to save the object name, which is in a binary hash format.  The size of
         the hash is based on name algorithm or the -g option.

       • --passin=OSSL_PEM_FILE_PASSWORD

         An optional password for an Open SSL (OSSL) provided input file.  It mirrors the -passin
         option  of  OSSL  and  is  known  to  support the pass, file, env, fd and plain password
         formats of openssl.  (see man(1) openssl) for more.

   References

Context Object Format

       The type of a context object, whether it is a handle or file name, is determined according
       to the following logic in-order:

       • If  the  argument  is  a  file path, then the file is loaded as a restored TPM transient
         object.

       • If the argument is a prefix match on one of:

         • owner: the owner hierarchy

         • platform: the platform hierarchy

         • endorsement: the endorsement hierarchy

         • lockout: the lockout control persistent object

       • If the argument argument can be loaded as a  number  it  will  be  treat  as  a  handle,
         e.g. 0x81010013 and used directly._OBJECT_.

Authorization Formatting

       Authorization  for  use of an object in TPM2.0 can come in 3 different forms: 1.  Password
       2.  HMAC 3.  Sessions

       NOTE: “Authorizations default to the EMPTY PASSWORD when not specified”.

   Passwords
       Passwords are interpreted in the following forms below using prefix identifiers.

       Note: By default passwords are assumed to be in the string form when they do  not  have  a
       prefix.

   String
       A  string password, specified by prefix “str:” or it’s absence (raw string without prefix)
       is not interpreted, and is directly used for authorization.

   Examples
              foobar
              str:foobar

   Hex-string
       A hex-string password, specified by prefix “hex:” is converted  from  a  hexidecimal  form
       into  a  byte  array  form, thus allowing passwords with non-printable and/or terminal un-
       friendly characters.

   Example
              hex:1122334455667788

   File
       A file based password, specified be prefix “file:” should be the path of a file containing
       the  password  to  be  read by the tool or a “-” to use stdin.  Storing passwords in files
       prevents information leakage, passwords passed as options can be  read  from  the  process
       list or common shell history features.

   Examples
              # to use stdin and be prompted
              file:-

              # to use a file from a path
              file:path/to/password/file

              # to echo a password via stdin:
              echo foobar | tpm2_tool -p file:-

              # to use a bash here-string via stdin:

              tpm2_tool -p file:- <<< foobar

   Sessions
       When  using a policy session to authorize the use of an object, prefix the option argument
       with the session keyword.  Then indicate a path to a session file that  was  created  with
       tpm2_startauthsession(1).   Optionally,  if  the session requires an auth value to be sent
       with the session handle (eg policy password), then append a + and a string as described in
       the Passwords section.

   Examples
       To use a session context file called session.ctx.

              session:session.ctx

       To use a session context file called session.ctx AND send the authvalue mypassword.

              session:session.ctx+mypassword

       To use a session context file called session.ctx AND send the HEX authvalue 0x11223344.

              session:session.ctx+hex:11223344

   PCR Authorizations
       You  can  satisfy  a PCR policy using the “pcr:” prefix and the PCR minilanguage.  The PCR
       minilanguage is as follows: <pcr-spec>=<raw-pcr-file>

       The PCR spec is documented in in the section “PCR bank specifiers”.

       The raw-pcr-file is an optional argument that contains the output of the raw PCR  contents
       as returned by tpm2_pcrread(1).

       PCR bank specifiers

   Examples
       To satisfy a PCR policy of sha256 on banks 0, 1, 2 and 3 use a specifier of:

              pcr:sha256:0,1,2,3

       specifying AUTH.

Algorithm Specifiers

       Options that take algorithms support “nice-names”.

       There  are  two  major  algorithm  specification string classes, simple and complex.  Only
       certain algorithms will be accepted by the TPM, based on usage and conditions.

   Simple specifiers
       These are strings with no additional specification  data.   When  creating  objects,  non-
       specified  portions  of an object are assumed to defaults.  You can find the list of known
       “Simple Specifiers” below.

   Asymmetric
       • rsa

       • ecc

   Symmetric
       • aes

       • camellia

       • sm4

   Hashing Algorithms
       • sha1

       • sha256

       • sha384

       • sha512

       • sm3_256

       • sha3_256

       • sha3_384

       • sha3_512

   Keyed Hash
       • hmac

       • xor

   Signing Schemes
       • rsassa

       • rsapss

       • ecdsa

       • ecdaa

       • ecschnorr

       • sm2

   Asymmetric Encryption Schemes
       • oaep

       • rsaes

       • ecdh

   Modes
       • ctr

       • ofb

       • cbc

       • cfb

       • ecb

   Misc
       • null

   Complex Specifiers
       Objects, when specified for creation by the TPM, have numerous algorithms to  populate  in
       the  public  data.  Things like type, scheme and asymmetric details, key size, etc.  Below
       is the general format for specifying this data: <type>:<scheme>:<symmetric-details>

   Type Specifiers
       This portion of the complex algorithm specifier is required.   The  remaining  scheme  and
       symmetric  details  will  default  based  on the type specified and the type of the object
       being created.

       • aes - Default AES: aes128

       • aes128<mode> - 128 bit AES with optional mode (ctr|ofb|cbc|cfb|ecb).   If  mode  is  not
         specified, defaults to null.

       • aes192<mode> - Same as aes128<mode>, except for a 192 bit key size.

       • aes256<mode> - Same as aes128<mode>, except for a 256 bit key size.

       • sm4 - Default SM4: sm4128

       • sm4128  or  sm4_128  <mode>  - 128 bit SM4 with optional mode (ctr|ofb|cbc|cfb|ecb).  If
         mode is not specified, defaults to null.

       • ecc - Elliptical Curve, defaults to ecc256.

       • ecc192 or ecc_nist_p192 - 192 bit ECC NIST curve

       • ecc224 or ecc_nist_p224 - 224 bit ECC NIST curve

       • ecc256 or ecc_nist_p256 - 256 bit ECC NIST curve

       • ecc384 or ecc_nist_p384 - 384 bit ECC NIST curve

       • ecc521 or ecc_nist_p521 - 521 bit ECC NIST curve

       • ecc_sm2 or ecc_sm2_p256 - 256 bit SM2 curve

       • rsa - Default RSA: rsa2048

       • rsa1024 - RSA with 1024 bit keysize.

       • rsa2048 - RSA with 2048 bit keysize.

       • rsa3072 - RSA with 3072 bit keysize.

       • rsa4096 - RSA with 4096 bit keysize.

   Scheme Specifiers
       Next, is an optional field, it can be skipped.

       Schemes are usually Signing  Schemes  or  Asymmetric  Encryption  Schemes.   Most  signing
       schemes  take  a  hash  algorithm  directly  following  the  signing  scheme.  If the hash
       algorithm is missing, it defaults to sha256.   Some  take  no  arguments,  and  some  take
       multiple arguments.

   Hash Optional Scheme Specifiers
       These  scheme  specifiers  are followed by a dash and a valid hash algorithm, For example:
       oaep-sha256.

       • oaep

       • ecdh

       • rsassa

       • rsapss

       • ecdsa

       • ecschnorr

       • sm2

   Multiple Option Scheme Specifiers
       This scheme specifier is followed by a count (max size UINT16) then followed by a  dash(-)
       and  a  valid  hash  algorithm.   *  ecdaa  For  example,  ecdaa4-sha256.   If no count is
       specified, it defaults to 4.

   No Option Scheme Specifiers
       This scheme specifier takes NO arguments.  * rsaes

   Symmetric Details Specifiers
       This field is optional, and defaults based on the type of object being  created  and  it’s
       attributes.  Generally, any valid Symmetric specifier from the Type Specifiers list should
       work.  If not specified, an asymmetric objects symmetric details defaults to aes128cfb.

   Examples
   Create an rsa2048 key with an rsaes asymmetric encryption scheme
       tpm2_create -C parent.ctx -G rsa2048:rsaes -u key.pub -r key.priv

   Create an ecc256 key with an ecdaa signing scheme with a count of 4 and sha384 hash
       /tpm2_create -C parent.ctx -G ecc256:ecdaa4-sha384 -u key.pub  -r  key.priv  cryptographic
       algorithms ALGORITHM.

Object Attributes

       Object  Attributes  are  used  to  control  various  properties  of created objects.  When
       specified as an option, either the raw bitfield mask or “nice-names”  may  be  used.   The
       values  can  be  found  in Table 31 Part 2 of the TPM2.0 specification, which can be found
       here:

       <https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/wp-content/uploads/TPM-
       Rev-2.0-Part-2-Structures-01.38.pdf>

       Nice  names  are  calculated  by taking the name field of table 31 and removing the prefix
       TPMA_OBJECT_ and lowercasing the result.   Thus,  TPMA_OBJECT_FIXEDTPM  becomes  fixedtpm.
       Nice names can be joined using the bitwise or “|” symbol.

       For   instance,   to   set   The   fields   TPMA_OBJECT_FIXEDTPM,   TPMA_OBJECT_NODA,  and
       TPMA_OBJECT_SIGN_ENCRYPT, the argument would be:

       fixedtpm|noda|sign specifying the object attributes ATTRIBUTES.

COMMON OPTIONS

       This collection of options are common to many programs and provide information  that  many
       users may expect.

       • -h,  --help=[man|no-man]:  Display the tools manpage.  By default, it attempts to invoke
         the manpager for the tool, however, on failure will output a short tool  summary.   This
         is  the  same  behavior  if  the “man” option argument is specified, however if explicit
         “man” is requested, the tool will provide errors from man on stderr.   If  the  “no-man”
         option if specified, or the manpager fails, the short options will be output to stdout.

         To  successfully  use  the  manpages feature requires the manpages to be installed or on
         MANPATH, See man(1) for more details.

       • -v, --version: Display version information for this tool, supported tctis and exit.

       • -V, --verbose: Increase the information that the tool prints to the console  during  its
         execution.  When using this option the file and line number are printed.

       • -Q, --quiet: Silence normal tool output to stdout.

       • -Z, --enable-errata: Enable the application of errata fixups.  Useful if an errata fixup
         needs  to  be  applied  to  commands  sent  to  the  TPM.   Defining   the   environment
         TPM2TOOLS_ENABLE_ERRATA is equivalent.  information many users may expect.

TCTI Configuration

       The  TCTI  or “Transmission Interface” is the communication mechanism with the TPM.  TCTIs
       can be changed for communication with TPMs across different mediums.

       To control the TCTI, the tools respect:

       1. The command line option -T or --tcti

       2. The environment variable: TPM2TOOLS_TCTI.

       Note: The command line option always overrides the environment variable.

       The current known TCTIs are:

       • tabrmd        -        The        resource        manager,         called         tabrmd
         (https://github.com/tpm2-software/tpm2-abrmd).   Note  that  tabrmd  and abrmd as a tcti
         name are synonymous.

       • mssim - Typically used for communicating to the TPM software simulator.

       • device - Used when talking directly to a TPM device file.

       • none - Do not initalize a connection with the TPM.  Some tools allow for off-tpm options
         and  thus  support  not  using  a  TCTI.   Tools  that do not support it will error when
         attempted to be used without a TCTI connection.  Does not support ANY options  and  MUST
         BE presented as the exact text of “none”.

       The  arguments  to  either  the command line option or the environment variable are in the
       form:

       <tcti-name>:<tcti-option-config>

       Specifying an empty string for either the <tcti-name> or <tcti-option-config>  results  in
       the default being used for that portion respectively.

   TCTI Defaults
       When  a TCTI is not specified, the default TCTI is searched for using dlopen(3) semantics.
       The tools will search for tabrmd, device and mssim TCTIs IN THAT ORDER and USE  THE  FIRST
       ONE  FOUND.   You can query what TCTI will be chosen as the default by using the -v option
       to print the version information.  The “default-tcti” key-value pair will  indicate  which
       of the aforementioned TCTIs is the default.

   Custom TCTIs
       Any  TCTI  that implements the dynamic TCTI interface can be loaded.  The tools internally
       use dlopen(3), and the raw tcti-name value is used for the lookup.  Thus, this could be  a
       path to the shared library, or a library name as understood by dlopen(3) semantics.

TCTI OPTIONS

       This collection of options are used to configure the various known TCTI modules available:

       • device:  For  the  device TCTI, the TPM character device file for use by the device TCTI
         can be specified.  The default is /dev/tpm0.

         Example: -T device:/dev/tpm0 or export TPM2TOOLS_TCTI=“device:/dev/tpm0”mssim: For the mssim TCTI, the domain name or IP address and port  number  used  by  the
         simulator can be specified.  The default are 127.0.0.1 and 2321.

         Example:          -T          mssim:host=localhost,port=2321          or          export
         TPM2TOOLS_TCTI=“mssim:host=localhost,port=2321”abrmd: For the abrmd TCTI, the configuration string format is a  series  of  simple  key
         value  pairs separated by a `,' character.  Each key and value string are separated by a
         `=' character.

         • TCTI abrmd supports two keys:

           1. `bus_name' : The name of the tabrmd service on the bus (a string).

           2. `bus_type' : The type of the dbus instance (a  string)  limited  to  `session'  and
              `system'.

         Specify the tabrmd tcti name and a config string of bus_name=com.example.FooBar:

                \--tcti=tabrmd:bus_name=com.example.FooBar

         Specify the default (abrmd) tcti and a config string of bus_type=session:

                \--tcti:bus_type=session

         NOTE: abrmd and tabrmd are synonymous.  the various known TCTI modules.

NOTES

       • If  the  hierarchy is null or the name hashing algorithm is null, tickets produced using
         the object will be NULL.

       • If the private portion of an object is specified, the hierarchy must be null or the  TPM
         will reject loading it.

EXAMPLES

   Load a TPM generated public key into the owner hierarchy
              tpm2_createprimary -c primary.ctx

              tpm2_create -C primary.ctx -u pub.dat -r priv.dat

              tpm2_loadexternal -C o -u pub.dat -c pub.ctx
              name: 000b9be4d7c6193a57e1bfc86a42a6b03856a91d2f9e77c6cbdb796a783d52d4b3b9

   Load an RSA public key into the owner hierarchy
              openssl genrsa -out private.pem 2048

              openssl rsa -in private.pem -out public.pem -outform PEM -pubout

              tpm2_loadexternal -C o -Grsa -u public.pem -c key.ctx
              name: 000b7b91d304d16995d42792b57d0fb25df7abe5fdd8afe9950730e00dc5b934ddbc

   Load an RSA key-pair into the null hierarchy
              openssl genrsa -out private.pem 2048

              tpm2_loadexternal -C n -Grsa -r private.pem -c key.ctx
              name: 000b635ea220b6c62ec1d02343859dd203c8ac5dad82ebc5b124e407d2502f88691f

   Load an AES key into the null hierarchy
              dd if=/dev/urandom of=sym.key bs=1 count=16

              tpm2_loadexternal -C n -Gaes -r sym.key -c key.ctx
              name: 000bfc4d8dd7e4f921bcc9dca4b04f49564243cd9def129a3740002bfd4b9e966d34

   Load TSS2 Private Key into the null hierarchy
              tpm2_loadexternal -r tss_privkey.pem -c tss_privkey.ctx
              name: 000bc5a216702aca9ba226af1214c50dc4dc33ce6269677aa581ea6d9eec7f27000d

Returns

       Tools can return any of the following codes:

       • 0 - Success.

       • 1 - General non-specific error.

       • 2 - Options handling error.

       • 3 - Authentication error.

       • 4 - TCTI related error.

       • 5 - Non supported scheme.  Applicable to tpm2_testparams.

BUGS

       Github Issues (https://github.com/tpm2-software/tpm2-tools/issues)

HELP

       See the Mailing List (https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/tpm2)