Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signatures and other open issues
Breno <breno.demedeiros@gmail.com> Sat, 02 October 2010 16:51 UTC
Return-Path: <breno.demedeiros@gmail.com>
X-Original-To: oauth@core3.amsl.com
Delivered-To: oauth@core3.amsl.com
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by core3.amsl.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id BA19E3A6E96 for <oauth@core3.amsl.com>; Sat, 2 Oct 2010 09:51:31 -0700 (PDT)
X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at amsl.com
X-Spam-Flag: NO
X-Spam-Score: -1.999
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.999 tagged_above=-999 required=5 tests=[BAYES_00=-2.599, J_CHICKENPOX_65=0.6]
Received: from mail.ietf.org ([64.170.98.32]) by localhost (core3.amsl.com [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id GKnZ4b31kiIw for <oauth@core3.amsl.com>; Sat, 2 Oct 2010 09:51:30 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from mail-iw0-f172.google.com (mail-iw0-f172.google.com [209.85.214.172]) by core3.amsl.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 218F23A6C5A for <oauth@ietf.org>; Sat, 2 Oct 2010 09:51:30 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by iwn3 with SMTP id 3so6108116iwn.31 for <oauth@ietf.org>; Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:52:21 -0700 (PDT)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:received:in-reply-to :references:date:message-id:subject:from:to:cc:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=UDrRh0mtvNfdrcYLTIamo2wlmA6a/jVcpVIJpga8U9I=; b=A9+6ucWEgIcKFjqEaa0ciGd5hnP5yvoEI5nD6KJ7K7j4cheMSXzAcrgGH0L6KbuZA6 gbKbl65Qk3dBShbUORoe6ix4mvzgtahX2kDXzZ7heYVT93fg1Qys64xbFiKsmL39NFgo WmnJ+sQihRPGO//wU5QbX+9m+Ol8GVNafd+pg=
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :cc:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=XoBndVSy+Mw4o0+95RQq2JdsDnSdgSHNF6xPytiahgu/WSkD4nWHoZfK/hRq61kZ3C gctbJjW7FpxJUD4Y0ajZ6pXkm3ZxYCBwCpVzlOXICdDZzeWgZwazj/HqmYSTZ6M83Cpy MLOC7fjW1DgJj9nN2M/Xi9z3xH8fAzVg2U4f8=
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.231.35.77 with SMTP id o13mr7462948ibd.92.1286038340917; Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:52:20 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.231.154.213 with HTTP; Sat, 2 Oct 2010 09:52:20 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <90C41DD21FB7C64BB94121FBBC2E72343D460DC0BB@P3PW5EX1MB01.EX1.SECURESERVER.NET>
References: <90C41DD21FB7C64BB94121FBBC2E72343D460DC0BB@P3PW5EX1MB01.EX1.SECURESERVER.NET>
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:52:20 -0700
Message-ID: <AANLkTinR=u2+kb7GD_pfY=rgqPGUvuMi9a-F0sFXH=JS@mail.gmail.com>
From: Breno <breno.demedeiros@gmail.com>
To: Eran Hammer-Lahav <eran@hueniverse.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Cc: "OAuth WG (oauth@ietf.org)" <oauth@ietf.org>
Subject: Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signatures and other open issues
X-BeenThere: oauth@ietf.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
List-Id: OAUTH WG <oauth.ietf.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/oauth>, <mailto:oauth-request@ietf.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/oauth>
List-Post: <mailto:oauth@ietf.org>
List-Help: <mailto:oauth-request@ietf.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/oauth>, <mailto:oauth-request@ietf.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2010 16:51:31 -0000
I support breaking the document into two parts. Methods to access APIs are not going to be many -- there are currently two proposals on the table, OAuth1.0-like signatures and signed JSON tokens -- but the existing proposals are fundamentally different. There's probably little to gain in writing them together. In particular, they require completely different security considerations treatment. On the other hand, the methods to obtain tokens are already many, and I suspect that future use cases will appear that will lead to new ways to obtain tokens [1]. However varied these methods may be, they seem to share enough context that reading them together is not confusing. [1] For e.g., There is a variety of mechanisms to authenticate users that do not involve HTTP but need to provide a bridge to authenticate users to web-based APIs. Even for HTTP-based authentication, there is precedent established by OAuth1.0(a) -- one example of a flow not covered in the protocol spec would be the OpenID+OAuth extension. On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 9:07 PM, Eran Hammer-Lahav <eran@hueniverse.com> wrote: > Given the overwhelming support for this proposal, I am officially asking the > chairs to make a consensus call to break the current document into two > parts. This will be done with the understanding that the result will be > reviewed by the working group again once the parts are stable to determine > if it compromises the overall readability and security analysis of the > protocol. > > > > I am also requesting that the chairs assign a new editor for the bearer > token part of the specification. I will continue as editor on the ‘how to > obtain a token’ part, and will also publish an individual submission I-D for > an alternative signature proposal based on my proposal in the -05 draft. > > > > EHL > > > > > > From: Eran Hammer-Lahav > Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 11:26 PM > > To: OAuth WG (oauth@ietf.org) > Subject: Looking for a compromise on signatures and other open issues > > > > (Please take a break from the other threads and read this with an open mind. > I have tried to make this both informative and balanced.) > > > > --- IETF Process > > > > For those unfamiliar with the IETF process, we operate using rough > consensus. This means most people agree and no one strongly objects. If > someone strongly objects, it takes a very unified group to ignore that > person, with full documentation of why the group chose to do so. That person > can raise the issue again during working group last call, area director > review, and IETF last call - each has the potential to trigger another round > of discussions with a wider audience. That person can also appeal the > working group decision before it is approved as an RFC. > > > > The process is managed by the working group chairs. The chairs elect the > editor and make consensus calls. So far this working group had only a few > consensus calls (breaking the 1.0a RFC into two parts and dropping these in > favor of a unified WRAP + 1.0a draft). From my experience and understanding > of the process, this working group does not have rough consensus on any of > the open items to make consensus calls and close the issues. Simply > dismissing the few objections raised will not accomplish finishing the > document sooner, but will only add more rounds of debates now and at a later > time. > > > > One of the problems we have is that we work without a charter. Usually, the > charter is the most useful tool chairs have when limiting scope and closing > debates. For example, had we fixed the charter last year to explicitly say > that we will publish one document with both bearer tokens and signatures, > the chairs could have ended this argument by pointing to the charter. Since > we have no charter, the chairs have little to offer in terms of ending these > disagreements. We never officially agreed what we are here to solve. > > > > The reality of this working group is that we need to find a way to make > everyone happy. That includes every one of those expressing strong opinions. > Any attempt to push people around, dismiss their views, or reject reasonable > compromises will just keep the issues open. If this small group cannot reach > agreement, the specification will surely fall apart during working group > last call, area director review, IETF last call, application area review, > security area review, general area review, IANA review, and IESG review. > > > > It’s a long process, and at each step, anyone can raise their hand and > object. A united working group is the most important tool to end discussions > over objections and concerns raised at each step. It also give people the > confidence to implement a working group final draft before it is published > as an RFC (because it is much less likely to change). > > > > --- Open Issues > > > > This working group has failed to reach consensus on a long list of items, > among them are the inclusion of signatures, signatures format, use of HTTP > authentication headers, restrictions on bearer tokens, support for specific > profiles, etc. While many of these items faded away, I would not be surprise > to see them all come back. > > > > The current argument over signatures ignores compromises and agreements > reached over the past two years. This working group explicitly rejected WRAP > as the replacement for OAuth 1.0 and the whole point of combining 1.0a with > WRAP was the inclusion of signatures. We reached another agreement to keep > signatures at the Anaheim meeting. The current draft is a version of WRAP > alone. > > > > There are currently three separate threads going on: > > > > 1. OAuth 1.0a style signatures vs. JSON proposals > > 2. Including a signature mechanism in core > > 3. Concerns about bearer tokens and HTTPS > > > > The first item will not be resolved because we are not going to reach > industry consensus over a single signature algorithm (this is a general > comment, not specific to these two proposals). The only thing we can do is > let those who care about each solution publish their own specification and > let the market decide. > > > > The second item, while it was part of the very first compromise this working > group made (when we combined the two specifications), cannot be resolved > because of #1. We can’t agree on which signature method to include, and > including all is not practical. For these reasons, including a signature > algorithm in core is not likely to happen. I have made some proposals but > they received instant negative feedback which means we have no consensus. > > > > The third item has also been debated and blogged for a long time and is not > going to be resolved in consensus. Instead, we will need to find the right > language to balance security concerns with the reality that many providers > are going to deploy bearer tokens no matter what the IETF says. The OAuth > 1.0a RFC was blocked by the IESG until the PLAINTEXT method required HTTPS, > and I would expect the same issue to come up with the current draft. > > > > --- Proposal > > > > 1. Add a parameter to the token response to include an extensible token > scheme. > > > > The default (if omitted) will be whatever the bearer token scheme is called. > This will allow the authorization server to return any token type it deems > appropriate, and for other specifications to define additional parameters > such as token_secret. Others can extend the token request endpoint by allow > the client to request a specific token scheme. > > > > 2. Break the core specification into multiple parts. > > > > Go back to the original working group consensus to break the document into > two parts: getting a token and using a token. Getting a token will include > everything from core expect for section 5. Section 5 will become a new > specification which will describe how to use a bearer token (replacing the > generic ‘OAuth’ scheme with something more descriptive like). > > > > 3. Introduce two signature proposals in one or more documents, for the JSON > token and 1.0a-like method. > > > > One, both, or none can become working group item. > > > > --- Benefits > > > > 1. Remove the HTTP binding from the core specification, leaving it transport > agnostic for using access tokens. > > > > 2. Solve a few open issues: > > > > * Concerns over bearer tokens as the preferred/promoted/default token > method. > > * The use of one or more HTTP authentication schemes, and the general > architecture of using tokens. > > * Issues around scheme names. > > * Concerns over requiring HTTPS will be limited to only one part of the > protocol. > > * The need to pick one signature format. > > * The need to finish signatures before the core (‘how to get an access > token’). > > * The need to decide on discovery for the entire protocol (moves it to each > scheme). > > > > 3. Allow moving the core specification to last call within a few weeks (and > maybe also the bearer token part). > > > > --- Downside > > > > The only downside of this approach is that people will need to read at least > two documents. It will not take any more effort or time, just some guidance. > > > > --- Request for feedback > > > > This proposal represents a purely editorial compromise. I believe it gives > everyone enough to move forward. It has no impact on implementations. By > breaking the problem into pieces, we allow those who strongly disagree to > simply disengage that work and focus on the parts that matter to them. > > > > EHL > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > OAuth mailing list > OAuth@ietf.org > https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/oauth > > -- Breno de Medeiros
- [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signatures… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Manger, James H
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Justin Richer
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Stefanie Dronia
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… George Fletcher
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Luke Shepard
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Marius Scurtescu
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Brian Campbell
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… John Panzer
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Keenan, Bill
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Peter Saint-Andre
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Lu, Hui-Lan (Huilan)
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Lu, Hui-Lan (Huilan)
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Dick Hardt
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Mark Mcgloin
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Anthony Nadalin
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Mark Mcgloin
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Thomas Hardjono
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Luke Shepard
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Lukas Rosenstock
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Dick Hardt
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Dick Hardt
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Pelle Wessman
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Eran Hammer-Lahav
- Re: [OAUTH-WG] Looking for a compromise on signat… Breno