Re: [Keyrings] Re: [PATCH 01/04] Add multi-precision-integer maths library

[David Härdeman]

On Sat, Jan 28, 2006 at 11:37:51AM -0500, Trond Myklebust wrote:
> On Sat, 2006-01-28 at 11:46 +0100, David Härdeman wrote:
> > Not necessarily, if you have your ssh-keys in ssh-agent, a compromise of 
> > your account (forgot to lock the screen while going to the bathroom? 
> > did the OOM-condition occur which killed the program which locks the
> > screen? remote compromise of the system? local compromise?) means that a large 
> > array of attacks are possible against the daemon.
> >
> > In addition, as stated before, the "backup" account, or whatever user the 
> > daemon which wants to sign stuff with your key is running as, might be 
> > compromised.
> >
> > Currently, if you want to give the daemon access to the keys via 
> > ssh-agent (or something similar), you have to change the permissions on 
> > the ssh-agent socket to be much less restricted (especially since it's 
> > unlikely that you have permission to change the uid or gid of the socket 
> > to that of the daemon). Alternatively you can provide the backup daemon 
> > with the key directly (via fs, or loaded somehow at startup...etc), but 
> > then a compromise of the daemon means that the attacker has the private 
> > key.
> >
> > Finally, the in-kernel system also provides a mechanism for the daemon 
> > to request the key when it is needed should it realize that the proper 
> > key is missing/has changed/whatever.
>
> Then fix ssh, not the kernel. As I said before, this is a problem that
> has been solved entirely in userspace by means of proxy certificates:
> they allow the user to issue time-limited certificates that are signed
> by the original certificate (hence can be authenticated as such), and
> that authorise a service to do a specific thing.

What about the first paragraph of what I wrote? You are going to want to 
keep often-used keys around somehow, proxy certificates is not a 
solution for your own use of your personal keys and with the exception 
of hardware solutions such as smart cards, the keys will be safer in the 
kernel than in a user-space daemon...

Further, the mpi and dsa code can also be used for supporting signed 
modules and binaries...the "store dsa-keys in kernel" part adds 376 
lines of code (counted with wc so comments and includes etc are also 
counted)...

Regards,
David
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