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Re: [ietf-dkim] Policy decision tree outcomes

2006-11-14 06:06:45
On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 21:06:58 -0000, Hallam-Baker, Phillip <pbaker(_at_)verisign(_dot_)com> wrote:

LEMMA-1: The objective of policy is to allow a verifier to draw conclusions from the absence of satisfactory authentication
PROOF:
    AXIOM-1:   The objective of policy is to influence the verifier
    AXIOM-2:   A verifier only looks at the policy record if
                      it fails to find satisfactory authentication.

AXIOM-2 denied.

If it finds a satisfactory authentication from a signer with an apalling reputation, it should be _very_ suspicious.

    THEREFORE: LEMMA-1 follows from the axioms.

FALSE

......

C: An acceptable signature is present that failed verification
C1:   A genuine signature that failed because the message was modified
C2:   A fake signature

D: An unacceptable signature is present that assed verification
D1:   A genuine signature
D2: A fake signature added by a party that has compromised the algorithm

I am not clear what you mean by "acceptable/unacceptable signature".


LEMMA-2: There is no value in distinguishing between any of the cases A, B, C, D


    AXIOM-4:    There is no value in distinguishing between states that
                can be reached by an attacker.

AXION-4 Denied.

Attackers can easily do bad things before the message is submitted to the MSA.

It is much harder to attack a message once it has left its originating MUA. You either need to have accomplices inside the ISP, or to be able to hack into it, or to have discovered a weakness in its procedures, ... . This limits the states that attackers can easily be reach, and verifiers are quite entitled to attribute more suspicion to the easier states.

AXIOM-5: Stastes A2, B2, C2, D2 can be reached by an attacker [by definition]

    THEREFORE: LEMMA-2 follows.

FALSE

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