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Re: [openpgp] SHA3 algorithm ids.

2015-08-11 07:29:08
On 11/08/2015 11:10 am, Werner Koch wrote:
...
We have a lot of experience in how to deploy new algorithms and we are
very conservative here.  My request for adding SHA3 algo ids does not
mean in any way that I endorse its use or would even suggest that
4880bis should contain a SHOULD or MAY for implementing such an
algorithm.  When we come to the point on deciding on algorithms I would
suggest something like this:

  - Implementations MUST implement SHA-1.  Implementations MAY implement
  - other algorithms.  MD5 is deprecated.
  + Implementations MUST implement SHA-1 and SHA2-FIXME.  Implementations
  + MUST NOT implement MD5.  Implementations SHOULD NOT implement
  + SHA3-xxxx.  Implementations MAY implement other algorithms.

The algo ids are a different case and I would be fine with the RFC-7120
method.  Iff the unexpected case happens that a severe weakness in SHA2
is found, the pre-allocated SHA3 ids will allow us to quickly switch to
SHA3.  Isn't that the whole point of SHA3 being plugin-in replacements
for SHA2?

I suggest to use a different thread for discussing algorithm selection
because that is a different topic than assigning algorithm ids.



Hmmm... I understand that. What I'm not convinced of is that at the current time we can sensibly allocate the numbers.

As far as I can see, to sensibly allocate the numbers, we'd want:

* to choose which SHA3 we're going for. This not only means addressing the additionals (like the 4 lengths) but also resolving the uncertainty (perhaps in my mind only) about SHAKES.

* to build a more comprehensive alg-failure recovery strategy. By this I mean, more than handwaving at SHA3 as a potential drop in; making it the actual drop in with a process by which we trigger that move and a series of events listed that we anticipate happening; text in the draft that lays that out; etc.

Otherwise, we're fortune gazing.

(It may sound like I'm engaging in waffly rhetoric again - but there is a known discipline for this. It's called *disaster recovery* and it's a required component of many compliance programmes, taught and certified in various places. There are many people who know how to do this stuff, it's just that it is a relatively new and/or infrequent delivery in the open source crypto world.)



iang

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