Re: Was: Draft Blog Post on Cryptography API, Now: Potential API recommendation caveats

Perhaps I should not use "SysApps" in this context, but rather a cryptographically signed "Open WebApp" which is delivered to the browser via a "trusted" AppStore. Extensions can also be signed and verified.

Firefox OS (and Firefox itself) will have signed zipfile-based "webapps" that are installed locally, the signature verified, the apps' cache is its own along with cookies and web storage. This environment is more a "trustworthy" one in which to allow the use of a Web Crypto API.

The concerns I have are the same old story, malleable DOM, XSS, application script changes that can happen between reloads of the page, etc. An Open Web App will be much more static and the source verifiable.  

Cheers,

David

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ryan Sleevi" <sleevi@google.com>
To: "David Dahl" <ddahl@mozilla.com>
Cc: "David Rogers" <david.rogers@copperhorses.com>, public-webcrypto@w3.org, hhalpin@w3.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 3:18:40 PM
Subject: Re: Was: Draft Blog Post on Cryptography API, Now: Potential API recommendation caveats

David (Dahl),

Could you please explain what security properties you see as being
available to SysApps/Extensions that are not available to generic web
applications?

Extensions can just as well be compromised via things like XSS, as has
been demonstrated by a number of novel attacks. For reasons like this,
Chrom[e/ium] has started to require Content-Security-Policy for
extensions, and supplying a default one.

At this time, the security model of SysApps has not been discussed in
the W3C. So your statements that SysApps improve security is without
empirical evidence. I'd like to understand how "SSL only + CSP"
fundamentally differs from SysApps, and what concerns with the API you
think are addressed.

On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 1:14 PM, David Dahl <ddahl@mozilla.com> wrote:
> Wow. I am actually talking about preffing *off* the Web Crypto API and adding hindrances for use in the content DOM of web browsers and now you are concerned about the well being of millions of users? Perhaps you have not read the whole thread? You do understand that I think that this API should not be used in production web applications, only in more trusted environments like Open WebApps or extensions?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Rogers" <david.rogers@copperhorses.com>
> To: ddahl@mozilla.com
> Cc: public-webcrypto@w3.org, hhalpin@w3.org, sleevi@google.com
> Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 2:34:19 PM
> Subject: Re: Was: Draft Blog Post on Cryptography API, Now: Potential API
>     recommendation caveats
>
> Hi David,
>
> I have severe reservations about this and I think you are risking the credibility of this entire community by implementing it in this way, not least by putting millions of innocent users at risk.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> David.
>
>
> Sent from MobileDavid Dahl <ddahl@mozilla.com> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "David Rogers" <david.rogers@copperhorses.com>
>> To: ddahl@mozilla.com, sleevi@google.com
>> Cc: public-webcrypto@w3.org, hhalpin@w3.org
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 12:25:23 PM
>> Subject: Re: Was: Draft Blog Post on Cryptography API, Now: Potential API    recommendation caveats
>>
>> Hi David,
>>
>> I haven't been able to keep up with all the discussion, but is this a
>> serious proposal to deploy an experimental crypto api in a
>> production build? Apologies if I have missed something, but if
>> people want to experiment that is fine, but don't do it in a shipped
>> product, it doesn't make sense and will inevitably lead to security
>> issues?
>
> Yes, of course, people will still use this API unsafely, however, if the spec has security considerations that warn developers about using this API in content DOM as dangerous and browser vendors raise warnings upon use, and even (as horrible as this sounds) a geolocation-like prompt each time the API is first used per origin, developers and endusers will be warned.
>
> I think it should be up to the browser vendor exactly how this is handled - the API may even be preffed off in content DOM, only available to an "Open Webapp" or "SysApp".
>
> Allowing it to be activated one way or another will still have value for developers working on experiments.
>
> Cheers,
>
> David

Received on Tuesday, 9 October 2012 20:36:24 UTC