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Re: [ietf-dkim] Proposal: get rid of x=

2006-04-07 12:04:42
Paul Hoffman wrote:

The signer has measured the transit time to location A, and it is always less than ten seconds. The signing system sets x= to a day to be safe. Location A's SMTP server, becomes unavailable due to a backhoe incident. The outgoing mail sits on the signer's system for a day and a half before connectivity to A is restored. The message arrives with an non-verifiable signature, even though the signer made a reasonable assumption when signing.

If what the WG wants is signatures whose life is the time of transit, we should say that in the protocol definition, not optionally in each message.

The alternative is to just put normative guidance in the document to the effect that x= MUST be greater than t=+2weeks, and less than t=+2 months or something,
and that it SHOULD be set to t=+4 weeks.

I guess I worry a little about codifying an _exact_ number.

      Mike
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