Re: [TLS] Asking the browser for a different certificate

[Martin Rex <[e-mail]>]

Peter Gutmann wrote:
> 
> Martin Rex <[e-mail]> writes:
> > 
> >IMHO there are a number of defects in the TLS protocol related to client
> >certificate authentication, and some of them should probably be fixed at the
> >TLS protocol level.  But fixes at the TLS protocol level may take a huge
> >amount of time before they become a useful feature in the installed base...
> 
> Yeah, because this is going to affect the vast numbers of users of
> SSL client certs :-).

The non-users of SSL client certs are much more affected.

Currently, if you enable a Web Server to request a client cert
in the initial handshake, the users without SSL client cert suffer
the worst user experience of all.  Would the browser be able to
tell the server in a ClientHelloExtension "Don't bother sending
me a CertificateRequest, because I don't have one", then
the server could skip the CertificateRequest message if the
application/configuration allows the handshake to complete without
client certificate.

> 
> >[Issues]
> 
> Couldn't a lof of this be handled via TLS extensions?

Sure.  Preferably with one single TLS extension that carries all the
necessary signals.


-Martin