dkim-ops
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [dkim-ops] key validation question

2011-04-12 01:47:43
On 4/9/2011 3:17 AM, SM wrote:

The text in Section 3.6.1 is confusing due to the MUST.  It mixes 
implementation and operations.  It can be read as:

 If you have the h= in the DNS record, you MUST include "sha1" and
 "sha256" in the list of acceptable hash algorithms.

Murray mentioned a case when "h=" may be useful.  Even if you rewrite 
the "MUST", people reading the RFC might still be confused.  It would 
be clearer if the following was removed:

  'Signers and Verifiers MUST support the "sha256" hash algorithm.
   Verifiers MUST also support the "sha1" hash algorithm.'

-1

I think the text is needed.

IMV, the issue here is not considering the key OP concern regarding 
declaration mismatches and not correctly spelling out why and when h= 
can be used.

There is only one practical reason - security, using policy semantics 
to exclude insecure methods a DKIM Bad Guy can exploit.

Even if another possible "flexibility" reason to declare new 
additional hash methods it would be still about security using a 
matching or better hash method that may be supported by some 
verifiers. e.g.;

    h=sha256;future-method

That would allow a deployment with an high interest in security to 
send signed mail to standard verifiers expected to honor only sha256 
messages or exclusive targeted verifiers known to support a 
non-standard but better future-method.

-- 
Hector Santos, CTO
http://www.santronics.com
http://santronics.blogspot.com


_______________________________________________
dkim-ops mailing list
dkim-ops(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org
http://mipassoc.org/mailman/listinfo/dkim-ops