[OAUTH-WG] Richard Barnes' Discuss on draft-ietf-oauth-assertions-17: (with DISCUSS and COMMENT)

"Richard Barnes" <rlb@ipv.sx> Thu, 16 October 2014 03:47 UTC

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From: Richard Barnes <rlb@ipv.sx>
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Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:47:35 -0700
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Subject: [OAUTH-WG] Richard Barnes' Discuss on draft-ietf-oauth-assertions-17: (with DISCUSS and COMMENT)
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Richard Barnes has entered the following ballot position for
draft-ietf-oauth-assertions-17: Discuss

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DISCUSS:
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"The assertion MUST contain an Audience that identifies the Authorization
Server as the intended audience.  Assertions that do not identify the
Authorization Server as an intended audience MUST be rejected."

Could you please identify the threat model within which this "MUST" is
required?  This requirement doesn't follow from any of the threats
elaborated in Section 8.

The Audience is only necessary if the Issuer wishes to constrain the set
of Authorization Servers with which an assertion may be used.  So ISTM
that this should be "MAY contain..."


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COMMENT:
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"keyed message digest" -> "Message Authentication Code"

That's the proper terminology [RFC4949], especially since there are MACs
that are not based on digests.

"This mechanism provides additional security properties." -- Please
delete this or elaborate on what security properties it provides.

Section 8.2 should note that "Holder-of-Key Assertions" are also a
mitigation for this risk.