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Re: PEM/MIME Encryption

1994-12-20 07:39:00
From: "Theodore Ts'o" <tytso(_at_)MIT(_dot_)EDU>
Subject: Re: PEM/MIME Encryption
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 14:44:56 +0500

   The present MIME/PEM proposal does support this. If it doesn't then there's
   something broken that needs to be fixed, I agree.

I somehow interpreted Jim Galvin's two page posting as a very long,
roundabout way of saying that the current MIME/PEM proposal does *not*
support CR/LF/CRLF cannonicalization when the message is encrypted.  If
I misunderstand what he said, then I apologize ---- and that's great!

Thanks, Ted. This is exactly what we should clarify at first.

Jim and Ned, please answer the following questions.

(Q) Does the current MIME/PEM cannonicalize a text message when it is
encrypted? 

If yes, which statement of the I-D says so.

If no, can a Unix user communicate with a Mac user with an encrypted
text message? Please tell me why base64 cannonicalizes a text before
encoding. 



From: Harald(_dot_)T(_dot_)Alvestrand(_at_)uninett(_dot_)no
Subject: Re: Forward: PEM/MIME Encryption
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 14:29:25 +0100

On page 9 of my version (November 1994), it says:
"prior to the application of the digital signature service, the body
part must be in a canonical form. Transforming the body part to
be signed into a canonical form is a necessary and essential part
in the digital signature process.......Second, the body part must
have its line delimiters converted to a unique and unambiguos
representation prior to computing the digital signature and prior
to each verification of the digital signature"

Harald, we are talking about encryption, not signature.

--Kazu

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