Certificates (was Re: Fwd: Είχατε δίκιο ....)

[Christos Ricudis]

Nikolaos Lekkas wrote:


> Εχω μια απορία όμως..Κάθε φορά που μπάινω στο site αυτός με ρωτάει αν 
> θέλω να τα καταχωρήσω..Οτι και να το επιλέξω εκει αυτός πάλι το ίδιο 
> κάνει ...Εχει καμια σχέση με τον σερβερ αυτό ή έιναι θέμα browser..?
> 

To mono pou sou leei, entelws psarwtika kai tromaxtika, to firefox, einai 
"den anagnwrizw thn arxh pistopoihshs poy ypegrapse to pistopoihtiko sas".

H swsth apanthsh s'ayto einai sxedon panta "St'arxidia mou, skase kai 
proxwra". To problhma einai oti ayto den to gnwrizoun oi users, kai na giati :

To montelo empistosynhs tou X.509 einai ierarxiko. To pistopoihtiko sou 
einai ypogegrammeno apo mena, to diko mou to ypografei o Mhtsos, tou Mhtsou 
to ypografei o Takhs, kai tou Takh brisketai ston browser tou xrhsth - opote 
o browser de gkriniazei an dei opoiodhpote pistopoihtiko poy akolou8ei th 
sygkekrimenh alysida. Ayto egine kata sxediastikh epilogh, afenos wste na 
yparxei ena direct mapping me to X.400 model, kai afeterou gia na mporei na 
an8ei kai na basileyei to SSL certificate market - dhladh mia agora h opoia 
sou poulaei, gia XONTRA lefta, kati ligotero apo aera :

Se periptwsh poy o browser sou dei ena pistopoihtiko pou den einai telika 
ypogegrammeno apo kapoio apo ta certificate authorities poy yposthrizei, 
arxizei th gkrinia ston user oti "episkepteste ena kako kai apaisio 
apistopoihto site poy endexomenws na mporei na sas klepsei ta lefta sas, na 
sas biasei thn aderfh, kai na bapsei ton skylo sas prasino".

Ayto dinei ston xrhsth thn idea oti *to idio to SSL transaction tou* einai 
ligotero asfales apo oti 8a htan an xrhsimopoiouse ena omorfo gyalistero SSL 
certificate ypogegrammeno apo kapoio "trusted" certification authority - 
idea h opoia bebaiws einai lan8asmenh. To SSL encryption kai stis dyo 
periptwseis einai akribws to idio.

Contrary to popular belief, gia na baleis to root certificate authority sou 
ston IE, de xreiazetai na plhrwseis thn Microsoft. Xreiazetai na plhrwseis 
tous auditors poy 8a sou dwsoun to certification poy sou zhtaei h Microsoft, 
to opoio "pistopoiei" oti eisai ikanos na leitourghseis ena root 
certification authority. Aporw pws kanenas akoma den exei skeftei na 
pistopoiei tous auditors, me ena Root Certification Authority Auditors 
Certification Authority.

Ta antistoixa requirements ths Netscape gia ta dika ths trusted root 
certification authorities einai ligo pio flou, alla ypo8etw oti sthn praksh 
h diadikasia 8a einai peripou h idia - mporei apla na diaferei o 
subcontracted auditor poy sou dinei thn pistopoihsh.

Ayth twra h pistopoihsh ypoti8etai oti ypoxrewnei esena, ws certificate 
authority, na pistopoieis diadikastika oti "O Mpomp o mastoras tou opoiou to 
pistopoihtiko exeis ypograpsei, einai ontws o Mpomp o mastoras kai oxi o 
Mpomp o pastoras, ara den prokeitai na sas biasei thn aderfh, na sas klepsei 
ta lefta kai na sas bapsei opoiodhpote xrwma to skylo, giati o Mpomp o 
mastoras einai kalos, se anti8esh me ton Mpomp ton pastora pou einai kakos".

An ayto sas akougetai ligaki pipa, swsta sas akougetai - kanena commercial 
certification authority den exei oute thn dynatothta, oute th 8elhsh, oute 
to symferon na analabei thn ey8ynh na pistopoiei st'alh8eia tous pelates 
tou. An de mou ypograpsei to phishers SSL certificate mou h Verisign eimai 
apolytws eley8eros na paw sthn Thawte, ktl. Zhtw h eley8erh agora.

H Microsoft malista, kata thn prosfilh ths synh8eia, exei kanei extend to 
montelo. Mporeis na pareis ena "EV" SSL certificate me kapoio attribute to 
opoio to mono pou kanei einai na xrwmatizei to address bar tou IE7 prasino, 
pragma poy dinei ston xrhsth th fobera xrhsimh plhroforia oti "to site poy 
episkefteste den einai apla asfales, einai asfalestata asfales - dhladh pio 
asfales apo ta asfalh sites pou den einai toso asfalh". Ayto to attribute, 
thn teleytaia fora poy koitaksa, poulietai apo ta certificate authorities 
gyrw sta 1000 eurw kapelo sthn normal timh tou SSL certificate - den gnwrizw 
ti pososto apo ayto phgainei sth Microsoft.

Prosfatws to debian exwse anamesa sta ypoloipa root certificates, merika 
epipleon. Dyo dika tous, ena tou cacert.org (ena free certification 
authority pou apo to website tou mou dinei thn entypwsh oti apla perimenei 
na to empisteytei arketos kosmos prin ginei non-free), dyo apparently 
commercial CA's (quovadis, signet) poy mallon ekanan "donations" sto debian 
project gia na mpoun ekei mesa, kai ena tou spi-inc.org (Software in the 
Public Interest, Inc, me web site poy ayth th stigmh den leitourgei, 
dhlwmenh taxydromikh diey8ynsh mia taxydromikh 8yrida sthn Indiannapolis, 
US, kai dhlwmeno thlefwno kapou sthn Agglia).

Ayto fysika eksorgise deontws thn Netscape, poy ths xalane thn piatsa, kai 
frontise na to kanei kseka8aro me anakoinwseis ths oti "pisteyei oti to 
debian project me thn aparadekth ayth energeia tou kanei to world wide web 
akoma pio a8lio, anasfales, kai frixto apo oti einai shmera", h kati analogo.

Good night, and good luck.

-- 
Christos Ricudis				ricudis at itc.auth.gr
Systems Administrator				+30-2310-998656
IT Support Center
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GREECE