[openssl-users] Certificate validating (openssl -verify ...) and interpreting messages

[Jakob Bohm]

On 18/05/2016 21:38, Walter H. wrote:
> On 18.05.2016 21:10, Viktor Dukhovni wrote:
>>> On May 18, 2016, at 1:26 PM, Walter H.<Walter.H at mathemainzel.info>  
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> openssl verify -CAfile /etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.trust.crt 
>>> -trusted_first -untrusted /tmp/chain.pem /tmp/cert.pem
>>>
>>> /tmp/chain.pem contains a root certificate
>>> /tmp/cert.pem contains a certificate that was signed by this root 
>>> certificate;
>>>
>>> I get the following output
>>>
>>> /tmp/cert.pem: CN = ..., O = ..., ST = ..., C = ...
>>> error 19 at 1 depth lookup:self signed certificate in certificate chain
>>>
>>> of couse the number 19 means 'self signed certificate in certificate 
>>> chain'
>>> as shown here: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/apps/verify.html
>>>
>>> but what does the number 1 (at ... depth) say?
>> It means that while constructing a chain, the immediate issue of the
>> leaf certificate was an untrusted self-signed certificate.  The leaf
>> certificate has depth 1, its issuer has depth 0.
>>
> Ah, ok; in case there had been a chain with 3 certificates
> 2 means the leaf certificate, 1 means the issuing intermediate and 0 
> means the self signed root?
No,

0 is always the leaf,
1 is always the issuer of the leaf
2 is always the issuer of the issuer of the leaf
etc.

So for a chain with 3 certificates, 2 is the root.

Enjoy

Jakob
-- 
Jakob Bohm, CIO, Partner, WiseMo A/S.  https://www.wisemo.com
Transformervej 29, 2860 Søborg, Denmark.  Direct +45 31 13 16 10
This public discussion message is non-binding and may contain errors.
WiseMo - Remote Service Management for PCs, Phones and Embedded