Re: [TLS] sect571r1

AIUI, OpenSSL's default highest preference curve is sect571r1 (aka 
B-571).  See [1] and [2].

The result of calling OpenSSL's recommended SSL_CTX_set_ecdh_auto(ctx, 
1) function is that "the highest preference curve is automatically used 
for ECDH temporary keys used during key exchange." [3]

And sure enough, when my SSL scanner (an OpenSSL-based client) scans 
itself (an httpd/mod_ssl/OpenSSL-based server) [4], it reports that 
sect571r1 is used.  I haven't explicitly configured it to use this 
curve.  In fact, I would reconfigure it to use secp256r1 if I could find 
a mod_ssl directive that would let me do that.

So I'm wondering if most people using sect571r1 are using it simply 
because it's a default setting that they can't change, not because they 
have a particularly strong desire to use it.

+1 to dropping sect571r1 and to Tony's suggestion of further trimming 
the curve list.

[1] 
https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewClient.html?name=OpenSSL&version=1.0.1l

[2] 
https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewClient.html?name=OpenSSL&version=1.0.2

[3] http://openssl.org/docs/ssl/SSL_CTX_set_ecdh_auto.html

[4] https://sslanalyzer.comodoca.com/?url=sslanalyzer.comodoca.com

On 15/07/15 22:42, Dave Garrett wrote:
> On Wednesday, July 15, 2015 05:39:26 pm Dave Garrett wrote:
>> It's the most used of the rarely used curves.
>
> This statement is potentially confusing, actually, because in comparison to P256 _everything_ is rarely used when it comes to ECDHE.
>
>
> Dave
>
> _______________________________________________
> TLS mailing list
> TLS@ietf.org
> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/tls
>

-- 
Rob Stradling
Senior Research & Development Scientist
COMODO - Creating Trust Online