All Interaction Model operations (read attribute, write attribute, invoke command, read event) are governed by access control, and will be denied (status 0x7E Access Denied) if sufficient privilege for the operation is not obtained.
The initial Administer
privilege is obtained by the commissioner implicitly
over the PASE commissioning channel. This implicit Administer
privilege is
used to invoke commands on the server node during commissioning.
As part of commissioning, the commissioner invokes the AddNOC
command,
providing a CaseAdminNode
argument. As well as commissioning the server node
onto the fabric, that command automatically installs an ACL on the server node
for Administer
privilege using the provided CaseAdminNode
argument as CASE
subject. The subject may be a single node, or multiple nodes (by providing a
CAT). These nodes become fabric administrators on that server node.
During and after commissioning, administrators manage ACLs for the fabric on the
server node by reading and writing the fabric-scoped ACL
attribute of the
Access Control Cluster, which is always present on endpoint 0 on the server
node. It is these ACLs that govern which Interaction Model operations are
allowed or denied on that server node, for subjects on the fabric, via CASE and
group messaging.
ACLs are fabric-scoped data structures with the following fields:
- Privilege
- AuthMode
- Subjects
- Targets
Privileges are:
- View
- Operate
- Manage
- Administer
An additional ProxyView
privilege is not yet supported in the Matter SDK.
By default, the View
privilege is required to read attributes or events, and
the Operate
privilege is required to write attributes or invoke commands.
However, clusters may require stricter privileges for certain operations on
certain endpoints. For example, the Access Control Cluster requires the
Administer
privilege for all its operations.
If applicable, the ACL grants the privilege, and all less strict privileges
subsumed by it. Therefore an ACL for Manage
privilege will work for operations
which require Operate
or View
privilege (but not Administer
privilege).
Authentication modes are:
- CASE
- Group
The ACL applies only to subjects using that authentication mode.
Subjects is a list containing zero, one, or more subject identifiers, which are:
- Node ID for CASE auth mode
- Group ID for Group auth mode
A CASE subject may be a CAT, which has its own tag and version mechanism.
The ACL applies only to the listed subjects; if no subjects are listed, the ACL applies to any subjects using the authentication mode.
Targets is a list containing zero, one, or more structured entries with fields:
- Cluster
- Endpoint
- DeviceType
All fields are nullable, but at least one must be present, and the endpoint and device type fields are mutually exclusive (only one of those two may be present).
If cluster is present, the ACL is targeted to just that cluster.
If endpoint is present, the ACL is targeted to just that endpoint.
If device type is present, the ACL is targeted to just endpoints which contain that device type (as reported by the Descriptor Cluster).
Specifying device type in targets is not yet supported in the Matter SDK.
The ACL applies only to the listed targets; if no targets are listed, the ACL applies to any targets on the server node.
The Matter Specification states that a Matter implementation must support at least:
- 3 ACLs per fabric
- 4 subjects per ACL
- 3 targets per ACL
There is no guarantee that an implementation supports any more than those minimums.
In the Matter SDK, using the example access control implementation, these values
can be configured globally in CHIPConfig.h
or per-app in
CHIPProjectAppConfig.h
by setting:
- CHIP_CONFIG_EXAMPLE_ACCESS_CONTROL_MAX_ENTRIES_PER_FABRIC
- CHIP_CONFIG_EXAMPLE_ACCESS_CONTROL_MAX_SUBJECTS_PER_ENTRY
- CHIP_CONFIG_EXAMPLE_ACCESS_CONTROL_MAX_TARGETS_PER_ENTRY
A single controller commissions a server node, providing its own CASE node ID for the automatically installed ACL:
- Privilege:
Administer
- AuthMode:
CASE
- Subjects:
112233
- Targets: (all)
The controller will be able to perform all Interaction Model operations on the server node, since it is the administrator.
The commissioner provides a CAT for the automatically installed ACL:
- Privilege:
Administer
- AuthMode:
CASE
- Subjects:
0xFFFFFFFD00010001
- Targets: (all)
All controllers which have the CAT as part of their CASE credentials will be administrators for the server node.
The commissioner installs an ACL for non-administrative controllers:
- Privilege:
View
- AuthMode:
CASE
- Subjects:
4444
,5555
,6666
- Targets: (all)
The non-administrative controllers are granted View
privilege for the entire
server node. This doesn't mean they can view the entire server node, as some
clusters may require stricter privileges for reading attributes or events.
The commissioner installs an ACL for group messaging:
- Privilege:
Operate
- AuthMode:
Group
- Subjects:
123
,456
- Targets:
{cluster:onoff}
,{endpoint:1}
,{cluster:levelcontrol,endpoint:2}
Members of groups 123 and 456 are granted Operate
privilege for the on/off
cluster on any endpoint, any cluster on endpoint 1, and the level control
cluster on endpoint 2.
The Access Control Cluster's ACL
attribute is a list.
Currently, list operations for single entries (append, update, delete) are not yet supported in the Matter SDK, so the entire list must be written to the attribute to change any ACL.
The write operation may employ multiple messages, making it unreliable. In any case, ACLs are updated as they are processed, and take effect immediately.
The implication of this is that the administrator must ensure the first ACL in
the list it is writing to the ACL
attribute is one granting itself
Administer
privilege. Otherwise, the administrator may lose its administrative
access during the write operation.
The tool requires all fields to be provided, even if null.
Incorrect: {"cluster": 6}
Correct: {"cluster": 6, "endpoint": null, "deviceType": null}
The ACL
attribute is fabric-scoped, so each ACL has a fabric index.
The tool requires this field to be provided, but ignores it when performing the actual write.
When reading ACLs, the proper fabric index is shown.
The tool requires numerical values for enums and identifiers.
The privileges are:
- View: 1
- Operate: 3
- Manage: 4
- Administer: 5
The authentication modes are:
- CASE: 2
- Group: 3
Some typical clusters:
- On/Off: 6
- Level Control: 8
- Descriptor: 29
- Binding: 30
- Access Control: 31
- Basic: 40
After commissioning with chip-tool, assuming CaseAdminNode
is 112233, the
automatically installed ACL is:
out/debug/standalone/chip-tool accesscontrol read acl 1 0
Endpoint: 0 Cluster: 0x0000_001F Attribute 0x0000_0000 DataVersion: 2578401031
ACL: 1 entries
[1]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 5
AuthMode: 2
Subjects: 1 entries
[1]: 112233
Targets: null
}
out/debug/standalone/chip-tool accesscontrol write acl '[{"fabricIndex": 0, "privilege": 5, "authMode": 2, "subjects": [112233], "targets": null}, {"fabricIndex": 0, "privilege": 1, "authMode": 2, "subjects": [4444, 5555, 6666], "targets": null}]' 1 0
Endpoint: 0 Cluster: 0x0000_001F Attribute 0x0000_0000 DataVersion: 2578401034
ACL: 2 entries
[1]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 5
AuthMode: 2
Subjects: 1 entries
[1]: 112233
Targets: null
}
[2]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 1
AuthMode: 2
Subjects: 3 entries
[1]: 4444
[2]: 5555
[3]: 6666
Targets: null
}
out/debug/standalone/chip-tool accesscontrol write acl '[{"fabricIndex": 0, "privilege": 5, "authMode": 2, "subjects": [112233], "targets": null}, {"fabricIndex": 0, "privilege": 1, "authMode": 2, "subjects": [4444, 5555, 6666], "targets": null}, {"fabricIndex": 0, "privilege": 3, "authMode": 3, "subjects": [123, 456], "targets": [{"cluster": 6, "endpoint": null, "deviceType": null}, {"cluster": null, "endpoint": 1, "deviceType": null}, {"cluster": 8, "endpoint": 2, "deviceType": null}]}]' 1 0
Endpoint: 0 Cluster: 0x0000_001F Attribute 0x0000_0000DataVersion: 2578401041
ACL: 3 entries
[1]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 5
AuthMode: 2
Subjects: 1 entries
[1]: 112233
Targets: null
}
[2]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 1
AuthMode: 2
Subjects: 3 entries
[1]: 4444
[2]: 5555
[3]: 6666
Targets: null
}
[3]: {
FabricIndex: 1
Privilege: 3
AuthMode: 3
Subjects: 2 entries
[1]: 123
[2]: 456
Targets: 3 entries
[1]: {
Cluster: 6
Endpoint: null
DeviceType: null
}
[2]: {
Cluster: null
Endpoint: 1
DeviceType: null
}
[3]: {
Cluster: 8
Endpoint: 2
DeviceType: null
}
}
See the important notes in the chip-tool section, as they also apply to chip-repl.
Null fields may be omitted.
OK: Target(cluster=6, endpoint=Null, deviceType=Null)
Also OK: Target(cluster=6)
The above assumes Target and Null are defined at global scope, which is not normally the case.
The ACL
attribute is fabric-scoped, so each ACL has a fabric index.
The REPL ignores it when performing the actual write. Because null fields can be omitted, simply do not provide it when writing ACLs.
When reading ACLs, the proper fabric index is shown.
The REPL accepts numerical values for enums and identifiers, but it also accepts strongly typed values:
The privileges are:
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kView
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kOperate
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kManage
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kAdminister
The authentication modes are:
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kCASE
- Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kGroup
Some typical clusters:
- Clusters.OnOff.id
- Clusters.LevelControl.id
- Clusters.Descriptor.id
- Clusters.Binding.id
- Clusters.AccessControl.id
- Clusters.Basic.id
After commissioning with chip-repl, assuming CaseAdminNode
is 1, the
automatically installed ACL is:
await devCtrl.ReadAttribute(1, [ (0, Clusters.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl ) ] )
{
│ 0: {
│ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl'>: {
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Attribute.DataVersion'>: 556798280,
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl'>: [
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kAdminister: 5>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kCase: 2>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 1
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=Null
│ │ │ │ )
│ │ │ ]
│ │ }
│ }
}
await devCtrl.WriteAttribute(1, [ (0, Clusters.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl( [
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.AccessControlEntry(
privilege = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kAdminister,
authMode = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kCase,
subjects = [ 1 ]
),
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.AccessControlEntry(
privilege = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kView,
authMode = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kCase,
subjects = [ 4444, 5555, 6666 ],
),
] ) ) ] )
{
│ 0: {
│ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl'>: {
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Attribute.DataVersion'>: 556798289,
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl'>: [
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kAdminister: 5>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kCase: 2>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 1
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=Null
│ │ │ │ ),
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kView: 1>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kCase: 2>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 4444,
│ │ │ │ │ │ 5555,
│ │ │ │ │ │ 6666
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=Null
│ │ │ │ )
│ │ │ ]
│ │ }
│ }
}
await devCtrl.WriteAttribute(1, [ (0, Clusters.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl( [
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.AccessControlEntry(
privilege = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kAdminister,
authMode = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kCase,
subjects = [ 1 ]
),
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.AccessControlEntry(
privilege = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kView,
authMode = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kCase,
subjects = [ 4444, 5555, 6666 ],
),
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.AccessControlEntry(
privilege = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.Privilege.kOperate,
authMode = Clusters.AccessControl.Enums.AuthMode.kGroup,
subjects = [ 123, 456 ],
targets = [
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.Target(
cluster = Clusters.OnOff.id,
),
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.Target(
endpoint = 1,
),
Clusters.AccessControl.Structs.Target(
cluster = Clusters.LevelControl.id,
endpoint = 2,
),
]
),
] ) ) ] )
{
│ 0: {
│ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl'>: {
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Attribute.DataVersion'>: 556798301,
│ │ │ <class 'chip.clusters.Objects.AccessControl.Attributes.Acl'>: [
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kAdminister: 5>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kCase: 2>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 1
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=Null
│ │ │ │ ),
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kView: 1>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kCase: 2>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 4444,
│ │ │ │ │ │ 5555,
│ │ │ │ │ │ 6666
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=Null
│ │ │ │ ),
│ │ │ │ AccessControlEntry(
│ │ │ │ │ fabricIndex=1,
│ │ │ │ │ privilege=<Privilege.kOperate: 3>,
│ │ │ │ │ authMode=<AuthMode.kGroup: 3>,
│ │ │ │ │ subjects=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ 123,
│ │ │ │ │ │ 456
│ │ │ │ │ ],
│ │ │ │ │ targets=[
│ │ │ │ │ │ Target(
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ cluster=6,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ endpoint=Null,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ deviceType=Null
│ │ │ │ │ │ ),
│ │ │ │ │ │ Target(
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ cluster=Null,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ endpoint=1,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ deviceType=Null
│ │ │ │ │ │ ),
│ │ │ │ │ │ Target(
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ cluster=8,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ endpoint=2,
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ deviceType=Null
│ │ │ │ │ │ )
│ │ │ │ │ ]
│ │ │ │ )
│ │ │ ]
│ │ }
│ }
}