Re: SRI, cache validation and ServiceWorkers

I have long argued that privacy and security issues are the biggest threats to the Web.
Yes, https and other forms of encryption do increase server load but as an enterprise
would you choose to save a few bucks and expose your users to identity theft and other
forms of malice?  Ask Target!
Best, Ashok

On 5/19/2014 7:11 PM, Alex Russell wrote:
> Replying here because my previous response didn't cc the TAG. Apologies for thread-splitting.
>
>
> On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 3:46 AM, Daniel Appelquist <Daniel.Appelquist@telefonica.com <mailto:Daniel.Appelquist@telefonica.com>> wrote:
>
>     Yoav Weiss <yoav@yoav.ws <mailto:yoav@yoav.ws>> wrote:
>     > Anne van Kesteren <annevk@annevk.nl <mailto:annevk@annevk.nl>> wrote:
>     > > And sites that use service workers ought to be using HTTPS anyway.
>     >
>     > Why?
>
>
>     +1.
>
>     I have a concern about this orthodoxy of always putting service worker
>     apps under TLS.  Since the STRINT workshop, and also in light of the
>     coming move to http/2, I¹ve been talking to a lot of web developers about
>     moving to https.  I¹ve heard a lot of concerns with this, even from large,
>     established web sites.  Developers¹ concerns generally fall into the
>     following categories:
>
>     1. TLS itself is a pain to administer - the logistics of the certificates,
>     installing them, making sure they remain valid, ensuring they cover all
>     the needed domains, keeping up to date with best practice, etc...
>
>
> In the post-Snowden world this is the new normal. We are tool-building animals. We should build some better tools.
>
>     2. https sites require beefier hardware to serve
>
>
> This is sanke-oil.
>
>     3. https sites are more difficult to load balance
>
>
> SNI helps here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Name_Indication
>
>     4. serving over https makes it much more difficult to use third party
>     content (scripts, images, videos, ad networks, whatever) in your webapp
>
>
> Now you get to choose: work with reputable services that work over TLS or don't persist your thing offline. I'm comfortable with giving developers that choice. In a world where the TAG is concerned enough about pervasive monitor (which we have spent many hours on at F2F meetings), this seems like the least painful way to help encourage the transition. It's not removing old functionality, it's providing a carrot (which also simplifies deployment vs the design alternatives) for a /new/ feature.
>
>     A head of advertising for a major UK web site told me ³moving to https
>     means we will lose money.²
>
>
> Then I recommend they continue to serve over HTTP and not attempt to persist offline.
>
>     I¹m not saying these concerns aren¹t addressable in the long term, but I
>     wonder, specifically looking at service worker, and considering that
>     adopting service worker will already mean a big learning curve for web
>     developers, whether enforcing TLS-only for this burgeoning technology is
>     the right approach.
>
>
> Yes, yes it is.
>
>     In this light, I think Yoav¹s proposal deserves some additional
>     consideration.
>
>     Alex, Jake - would be good to hear your opinions on this.
>
>     Dan
>
>     Apologies for the wordy disclaimer below which is stripped in by my
>     employer:
>
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>

Received on Monday, 19 May 2014 23:57:00 UTC