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    RE: iSCSI:SRP



    
    David,
    I think we need to lower our exposure here.  I suggest SRP as Must
    Implement, Chap (as it is today) as Must implement, and a pointer to the
    new draft your are making for DH+Chap, as a MAY implement.
    
    They asked us to "consider" DH+Chap but it was not a hard requirement, you
    told us that they would accept Chap, but wanted us to consider a way to
    make it more secure.  I think the work that has been done, is clearly
    considering it, and with the combination of SRP and current Chap clearly
    meets requirements.  If DH+Chap end up with some problems we will not be
    impacted.  And if DH+Chap works, I think it will attract a lot of
    attention, and many folks will use it.  I can even accept DH+Chap as a
    SHOULD implement, as long as it does not hold us up and it looks
    reasonable.  That would at least give us an out if we find an important
    technical hold, etc.
    
    So, SRP MUST, Chap today as MUST, and DH+CHAP as MAY or if necessary,
    SHOULD --   But we need to put this to bed, right away.
    
    .
    .
    .
    John L. Hufferd
    Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM)
    IBM/SSG San Jose Ca
    Main Office (408) 256-0403, Tie: 276-0403,  eFax: (408) 904-4688
    Home Office (408) 997-6136, Cell: (408) 499-9702
    Internet address: hufferd@us.ibm.com
    
    
    Black_David@emc.com@ece.cmu.edu on 04/03/2002 07:45:12 AM
    
    Sent by:    owner-ips@ece.cmu.edu
    
    
    To:    marjorie_krueger@hp.com
    cc:    ips@ece.cmu.edu
    Subject:    RE: iSCSI:SRP
    
    
    
    Marjorie,
    
    > I don't see your reasoning here David, please explain.  As Mallikarjun
    says,
    > it's up to this WG to decide what the authentication reqmts are for iSCSI
    > and choose a protocol.  Why would the IESG second guess that?
    
    See Section 6.1.2 of RFC 2026 where the IESG is responsible for "technical
    quality" of RFCs, and the discussion of this in my response to Mallikarjun.
    If I replace the word "authentication" with "confidentiality", in the
    above text, I observe that we've been through a worked example of the IESG
    exerting its authority to set security requirements.
    
    > If that's the case, perhaps there's an unknown, unbounded list of
    > authentication protocols that we haven't considered that the IESG will
    > make us go back and consider?
    
    I don't believe so - my understanding is that consideration of
    DH-strengthened CHAP will be sufficient.  For example, I see little need
    to investigate the notion of a signed CHAP challenge that was lurking
    in one of Ted Ts'o's posts - if the signing keys are available, one of
    the SPKM methods should be used instead.
    
    > It's my understanding that DH-strenghthened CHAP is only "proposed", not
    > currently standard (not even a draft)?  So I can't believe the IESG will
    > make us go consider requiring a draft in our proposed standard, that's
    > against their own stated rules?
    
    Internet-Draft coming soon, I hope, after expert review of the proposal's
    cryptographic soundness.  FWIW, I agree with Paul Koning's concerns:
    
    > I'm definitely not the world's greatest fan of SRP, but I much prefer
    > a requirement for an existing RFC (even if not yet widely implemented)
    > over a diversion towards a not yet defined, not yet analyzed, new
    > protocol with unknown security properties.
    
    IMHO, DH-strengthened CHAP will fly only if it is a sufficiently
    straightforward combination of DH and CHAP that reasonable confidence
    can be obtained in it without the need for the years of public scrutiny
    that are required for major new security mechanisms/protocols.  From
    a procedural standpoint, that has to be the case in order to advance
    the definition through this WG as opposed to one in the Security Area.
    
    At the moment, I'm taking much of the responsibility for writing up
    DH-CHAP because somebody has to do it.  Please keep in mind that the
    last time I wrote this class of thing up (SRP key generation for ESP,
    last summer), the WG decided not to pursue it.  So don't assume that the
    "fix is in" because I'm one of the WG chairs, but please take seriously
    the responsibility to give the proposal a fair hearing when it appears.
    
    I'd really like to get the DH-CHAP Internet-Draft out this week, but
    that's starting to look dicey; it will appear by the end of next week,
    come h*** or high water.  I'm not 100% thrilled about this situation,
    but I am certain that a procedural battle with the IESG is not the
    best way out of it.
    
    Thanks,
    --David
    ---------------------------------------------------
    David L. Black, Senior Technologist
    EMC Corporation, 42 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
    +1 (508) 249-6449 *NEW*      FAX: +1 (508) 497-8500
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    ---------------------------------------------------
    
    
    
    


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