Standardization and renewability

astiglic at okiok.com astiglic at okiok.com
Thu Aug 4 07:53:58 EDT 2005


> 2. Generalize the scheme (like the SPDC concept, or MPEG IPMP), more
> or less by making the standard part general, with non-standard "profiles".

This is kind of the ISO approach.  For example, you standardize some
cryptographic protocol but give several choices of the protocol that
acheive the same goal.  If you make use of a cryptographic primitive in
the protocol (such as hash function, or symmetric algorithm, or public key
algorithm, etc.) you simply refer to another standard that defines several
choices.
So, for example, if MD5 breaks, you only need to modify the hash algorithm
standard to take it out, and in the mean time everybody can swith to
another hash algorithm already defined in the hash standard.

Suggesting key rotation is also useful, but often hard to implement in
practice.  You also want to allow for various key sizes, and various
security parameter size in general (nonce, IV, MAC size, etc.). 
Suggesting a minimum that is considered secure today.  Ex. use of 1024 bit
RSA keys, up to 4096 bits, something like that.

--Anton


---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo at metzdowd.com



More information about the cryptography mailing list