At 11:49 AM -0400 6/17/02, Keith Moore wrote: > > I think you raise a valid concern, but it's one we always face when >> transitioning from an insecure system to a more secure system. People >> may misuse any security technology by imbuing it with more >> capabilities than the developers of the technology intended. However, >> if we always let that concern deter us, we will rarely make progress. >> Also, this is not a suggestion to deploy a DNS-based PKI in lieu of >> other PKIs; I am a believer in multiple. independent PKIs. > >so am I, but I also believe that a DNS-based PKI will displace other PKIs - >if we really want multiple independent PKIs we shouldn't try to make one >that is based on the DNS hierarchy. using DNS to return certs might be okay, >(assuming you can work out the protocol warts), using DNS delegation as >the framework for a distinguished PKI isn't. > >Keith Keith, Yes, one could use the DNS merely as a repository for certs from any PKI. But, the DNS provides a unique opportunity to take advantage of an existing name system that is very widely used and which is precisely the way we usually communicate the name of the machine to which we wish to connect (or the name of the person to whom we wish to send a message). Any time we try to create a new naming system we run into lots of problems. Any time we try to map from a PKI name space to a different name space used by an application, we get into trouble. Ultimately I do not think there is any substitute for a DNS-based PKI to support most of our Internet communication, because that communication is naturally expressed in terms of DNS names. Now, having said that, I acknowledge that one can have such a PKI but not choose to have a single root for it. One could have each TLDs act as its own root and cross certify (using name constraints) to link the TLDs together. There are a small enough number of TLDs to make this feasible. The number of second tier domains is way to big to make this work well. It would be much simpler to have a single root, but ... Steve Steve