Re: Artart last call review of draft-ietf-httpbis-message-signatures-16

I agree; we can amend it to explicitly state what this spec does and does not do. This could be reiterated in section 1.4, Application of HTTP Message Signatures.

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Annabelle Backman (she/her)

> On Mar 14, 2023, at 10:11 PM, Martin Thomson <mt@lowentropy.net> wrote:
> 
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>> On Wed, Mar 15, 2023, at 05:46, Backman, Annabelle wrote:
>> Note that like HTTP Message Signatures, SigV4 is not a complete
>> security protocol.
> 
> I think that this is an important point that is likely lost on readers of this document.  One that can be fixed, I think, relatively easily.
> 
> The framing in the draft pretty much cleaves along the lines of stating that this is a solution, take the introductory sentence from Section 1.4:
> 
>> HTTP Message Signatures are designed to be a general-purpose security mechanism applicable in a wide variety of circumstances and applications. In order to ...
> 
> A more direct acknowledgment of this limitation might head off the sorts of objections Harald raises.  Perhaps something like:
> 
>> HTTP Message Signatures describe a mechanism for signing selected portions of HTTP messages.  This is not intended to be a complete security mechanism; rather, HTTP Message Signatures form a component in a larger system that depends on authenticating messages.  In particular, the choice of which portions of messages are signed will determine what properties might be obtained.  In order to ...
> 

Received on Wednesday, 15 March 2023 11:59:27 UTC