All,
IMHO, Blake did an outstanding job of drafting the "4 Nov 97 S/MIME Version
3 Message Specification" document. I have a few comments:
1) The spec "defines how to create certification requests that conform to
PKCS #10 [PKCS-10], and the application/pkcs10 MIME type for transporting
those requests." Shouldn't the spec also define how to create certification
requests that conform to the PKIX Certificate Management Protocol spec?
2) Sec 2.2, I am not sure what you mean by "DH/DSS" as the "MUST support"
DigestEncryptionAlgorithmIdentifier. The PKIX X.509 Certificate and CRL
Profile (aka PKIX I), Section 7.2.2, recommends using the Digital Signature
Algorithm (DSA) OID (and asscoiated ASN.1 syntaxes) defined in the X9.57
specification as follows: id-dsa-with-sha1 ID ::= {iso(1) member-body(2)
us(840) x9-57 (10040) x9cm(4) 3 }. The problem with this OID is that
combines the SHA-1 and DSA into one value. The X9.57 id-dsa OID {1 2 840
10040 4 1} is intended for use in the X.509 Certificate subjectPublicKeyInfo
algorithmIdentifier field to identify a DSA public key, but I assume that it
could also be used as a DigestEncryptionAlgorithmIdentifier (with parameters
absent). I recommend using id-dsa with text explaining that the algorithm
parameters will always be absent.
3) Sec 2.6.1-2.6.3: IMHO, the text regarding the process by which the
applications chooses the encryption algorithm to use to encrypt data was
useful and should be reinstated with the few text changes required to make
RC2 optional and 3DES the default.
4) Sec 4.1, 1rst para, 1rst sent: Please delete "RSA" from: "An S/MIME agent
or some related administrative utility or function MUST be capable of
generating RSA key pairs on behalf of the user."
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John Pawling
jsp(_at_)jgvandyke(_dot_)com
J.G. Van Dyke & Associates, Inc.
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