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CMS: signed attributes?

1998-03-23 11:04:39

I suggest that the CMS SignerInfo fields "authenticatedAttributes" and
"unauthenticatedAttributes" be renamed to "signedAttributes" and
"unsignedAttributes" respectively.

There are two justifications for this request, one trivial and one
substantive:

* Trivial reason: "signed" is easier to type than "authenticated",
  and it sounds pretentious to use five syllables when one will do.

* Real reason: signing is a mechanical process - attributes are either
  covered by a digital signature or not.  Authentication is a process
  involving policies and procedures - an attribute is not "authenticated"
  unless the signature (including the cert path) verifies correctly and
  the certificate policies allow the use of the attribute.  It is incorrect
  to call an attribute authenticated solely because it is signed, just
  as it is incorrect to call a certificate "valid" because it is signed.

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