Re: Usefulness of WebCrypto API

Hi.
for this issue, I think it is important.

we need consensus for securing JS codes.

Harry's opinion "ability to write new secure protocols in JS" is one of
good consideration.

in details

Signed JS (
http://www.w3.org/2012/webcrypto/wiki/Use_Cases#Signed_web_applications) is
already listed in our UseCase.
to generate and verify JS, generating JS code hash is also required.

can these features be focused more?

regards
mountie.


On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 5:51 AM, Harry Halpin <hhalpin@w3.org> wrote:

>  On 10/08/2012 09:22 PM, Vijay Bharadwaj wrote:
>
>  Ø  Then, what threat model does crypto in JA make sense for at all?
> Obviously, when there's some lack of trust on the server *or* connection to
> the server that can be ameliorated by public key crypto.
>
> ****
>
> Harry asked the above on a different email thread. This is an important
> question. But first we should be precise about what we’re asking. WebCrypto
> is not (only) about “crypto in JS”. It is about giving JS access to the
> crypto capabilities of the underlying platform. This includes cases in
> which the actual crypto is done elsewhere such as in a smart card.****
>
> ** **
>
> So when does it make sense to give JS access to the platform’s crypto
> capabilities? In my mind, there are a few possible answers.****
>
> ** **
>
> It makes sense when one wants a trusted piece of JS in a trusted UA to
> interact with a less trusted data store. This is the Facebook use case. It
> is also David’s cloud storage use case if the script is retrieved from
> somewhere other than the server that keeps the data.****
>
> ** **
>
> It makes sense when one wants a trusted piece of JS in a trusted UA to be
> able to interoperate with a server using an existing protocol (e.g. sign
> requests to access-controlled REST APIs, JimD’s use cases on authenticating
> to government services).
>
>  ****
>
> ** **
>
> It makes sense when a server wants to deliver JS that uses a trusted piece
> of pre-provisioned crypto hardware to establish end-to-end trust
> independent of the UA (e.g. using a smart dongle for online banking, some
> of the Netflix use cases).****
>
> ** **
>
> There may be others, and I’d love to hear what others think.****
>
> ** **
>
> It’s important to note that the “trusted UA” assumption is not as
> outlandish as it might seem at first; as Ryan points out on other threads,
> we routinely make an assumption that the OS is trusted when talking about
> native apps. One does not argue that including crypto APIs in operating
> systems is futile just because malware and rootkits exist. Many methods
> exist to improve the trust in the UA, including the use of non-browser JS
> implementations. One could also argue that various crypto primitives –
> notably hash and RNG – are only meaningful if one accepts this assumption.
>
>
> I agree with all the above, and thanks for listing them out, as I think
> they are all quite valid.  Again, most of the critiques we've gotten on the
> API are about not having trust in the JS at all, yet in general, I would
> maintain that arguments about server's being compromised are similar to
> arguments over rootkits on the OS level - its just XSS is generally easier
> than rootkits.
>
> I guess what some developers want is:
>
> 1) ability to write new secure protocols in JS for use with WebApps with
> functions such as digital signatures . This would be very useful for a
> whole range of functions involving multiple servers besides the
> same-origin, such as OpenID Connect flows where one passes a signed token
> from a browser to identity provider, who then can pass that to a relying
> party in order to access personal data.
>
> 2) Developers want the crypto API to be a silver bullet for security as
> they assume access to "crypto functions = must be secure", but of course in
> reality there's quite a few more bases to be covered. Off the top of my
> head,  the developer should use CSP combined with HSTS/Cert
> Transparency/pinning for TLS (anything missing here?).  That's about as
> close as we're going to get to allowing them to creating secure protocols
> in a reasonable manner for WebApps.
>
> Also, its unclear if the server and client should be considered *one*
> application, as is traditional in web-apps. We have not yet the spec stable
> enough where we can have a use-case where  the user can have a private key,
> store it, but not let secret key material be arbitrarily replaced by key
> material from the same-origin. I'd personally like to see that as a
> possibility, as that would enable use-cases where the server might be not
> be entirely trusted.
>
>    cheers,
>        harry
>
>
>
> ** **
>
>  Since this question seems to keep coming up in feedback, maybe we should
> develop a position on it as a group. Does anyone else have any thoughts on
> the matter?****
>
> * *
>
> ** **
>
>
>


-- 
Mountie Lee

PayGate
CTO, CISSP
Tel : +82 2 2140 2700
E-Mail : mountie@paygate.net

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