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Re: Merging CSS Shaders proposal into Filter Effects

From: Dean Jackson <dino@apple.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:50:46 -0700
Cc: Vincent Hardy <vhardy@adobe.com>, Patrick Dengler <patd@microsoft.com>, Dirk Schulze <vbs85@gmx.de>, "public-fx@w3.org" <public-fx@w3.org>
Message-id: <3D994783-2029-48E5-838D-1889FD4861F7@apple.com>
To: "Tab Atkins Jr." <jackalmage@gmail.com>

On 31/10/2011, at 4:34 PM, Tab Atkins Jr. wrote:

> On Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:30 AM, Vincent Hardy <vhardy@adobe.com> wrote:
>> Tab: you mention that more things than the shading language are contentious.
>> Can you explain what these contentious issues are?
>> Are you referring to the issues raised on the mailing list:
>> http://www.w3.org/Graphics/fx/wiki/Custom_Filters#Issues_List
>> or something else?
> 
> I'm specifically referring to the issue of selecting through a vertex
> filter, and the security issues with using a fragment shader to
> extract information through a timing channel.  Both of these are
> unaddressed and probably difficult to deal with, and may take a decent
> amount of time to deal with.

I don't think either of these are limited to shaders. Regular XML/SVG filters have the same issues: A displacement map can significantly move content making selection confusing, and a filter can be written to theoretically run faster/slower depending on the input (component transfer, for example).

Regarding the timing attack in particular, CSS filters have the benefit that it's much harder to measure the effect. Unlike <canvas>, you don't really control the drawing operation. You can't be sure that the element you're attacking was the only thing rendered. That doesn't mean the attack is impossible.

Dean

> 
> 
>> The CSS shaders proposal responds to the feCustom 'question' in the 'Filter
>> Effects' specification and it seems more natural to integrate it than keep
>> it a separate specification.
> 
> Or we can just move the definition of <feCustom> to Shaders.
> 
> ~TJ
> 
Received on Monday, 31 October 2011 23:51:22 UTC

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