Re: [TLS] TLS 1.3 - Support for compression to be removed

[Julien ÉLIE <[e-mail]>]

Hi Geoffrey,

>> I bet other protocols would also need similar new specifications to
>> explain how compression can be enabled.
>
> I think that's the idea.  TLS compression only works for NNTP because no
> confidentiality is required.  In other protocols, there's at least
> something (if not everything) where confidentality is desirable and so
> compression needs to be specified very carefully if at all.

OK, understood.


> Even in NNTP, you don't want compression if you're using
> AUTHINFO---and how do you know AUTHINFO will or won't be used at the
> time of STARTTLS?

Note that AUTHINFO can also use any available SASL mechanisms instead of 
sending plain user/pass.  (Depending on the SASL mechanism, a security 
layer can be negotiated during the SASL exchange.)  Unfortunately, that 
facility is not wide-spread in news clients and servers.

To respond to your question, STARTTLS is not available after a 
successful authentication.  Therefore, it cannot be used after STARTTLS. 
  RFC 4642 states:

    A server supporting the STARTTLS command as defined in this document
    will advertise the "STARTTLS" capability label in response to the
    CAPABILITIES command ([NNTP] Section 5.2).  However, this capability
    MUST NOT be advertised once a TLS layer is active (see Section 2.2.2)
    or after successful authentication [NNTP-AUTH].

However, though that practice is discouraged, most of news clients still 
connect to port 563 (dedicated to NNTPS) and negotiate a TLS security 
layer upon connection.  They do not use STARTTLS in that case; and 
clients can authenticate with AUTHINFO, with an active TLS layer.

-- 
Julien ÉLIE

« Tant qu'il y a des marmites, il y a de l'espoir ! » (Astérix)