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Re: AD review of draft-zorn-radius-pkmv1-04.txt

2009-08-15 22:33:27
d(_dot_)b(_dot_)nelson(_at_)comcast(_dot_)net wrote: 

Yeah. I've always been a bit uncomfortable with the "security 
functionality" escape clause in the RADIUS Design Guidelines draft.  
Lots of things can reasonably be claimed to be "security related". I 
would have preferred the exception to be crafted a bit narrower, just 
for this reason. But, unless wording of Design Guidelines is changed, 
you have a legitimate argument. 

I believe the intent was "related to RADIUS security". 

This statement puzzles me: section 2.1.3 of the design guidelines document
says:

   As can be seen in Appendix B, most of the existing complex attributes
   involve authentication or security functionality.  Supporting this
   functionality requires code changes on both the RADIUS client and
   server, regardless of the attribute format.  As a result, in most
   cases, the use of complex attributes to represent these methods is
   acceptable, and does not create additional interoperability or
   deployment issues.

But none of the Attributes mentioned in Appendix B have anything to do with
RADIUS security as I understand it.  Can you explain?

The guidelines 
document could be updated to address this. 
 
RADIUS could transport parameters for *another* protocol. 

Like EAP?

Those 
attributes are not security related. 

I see.  What attributes (besides Message-Authenticator) are related to
RADIUS security?

They either follow the RADIUS data 
model (int, IP address, etc.), or they are "opaque data" that RADIUS is 
simply transporting on the behalf of the other protocol. 
 
Alan DeKok. 

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