Re: [TLS] Update spec to match current practices for certificate chain order

[[e-mail] (Martin Rex)]

Peter Gutmann wrote:
> Martin Rex <[e-mail]> writes:
> >Peter Gutmann wrote:
> >> For example my code looks for a cert containing the site name
> >> ("www.whatever.com") and then builds a chain up via the parent links until it
> >> can't find any more useful certs.  That just works no matter what the other
> >> side sends.
> >
> >Adding workarounds for clearly bogus behaviour is a very bad strategy,
> >because it makes the situation worse for everyone in the long run.
> 
> In my case (and possibly others) it's not a workaround since the same code
> that does PKCS #7/CMS also does TLS cert chains, in order to handle the more
> open-ended PKCS #7 requirements it automatically deals with oddball TLS
> chains.

PKCS#7/CMS uses a Issuer&Serial (or alternatively SKI) to clearly
identify the end-entity certificate.  In TLS, the identification is
the first position in certificate_list.  So it is not possible
to "blindly reuse" the code with respect to identifying the
end-entity certificate.

For the certificate path beyond the end entity certificate, the approach
may be similar.

-Martin