Re: [Trans] [trans] #73 (rfc6962-bis): Section 3 text re log certvalidation is ambiguous

Rob Stradling <rob.stradling@comodo.com> Mon, 06 July 2015 15:15 UTC

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Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2015 16:15:15 +0100
From: Rob Stradling <rob.stradling@comodo.com>
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Subject: Re: [Trans] [trans] #73 (rfc6962-bis): Section 3 text re log certvalidation is ambiguous
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On 06/07/15 16:06, Stephen Kent wrote:
> If there is no standard for the validation checks logs perform, because
> of a desire to accept malformed certs from (sloppy) CAs, then a CA cannot
> know whether its submission will be rejected by a log.

Huh?  Why can't the (potentially sloppy) CA call add-chain (or 
add-pre-chain) and see what happens?

Either the log will return an SCT (in which case it accepted the 
submission), or it won't (in which case it rejected the submission).

> The alternative is to specify a way for
> each log to specify what checks it performs, and to publish that the
> same way other log info is advertised.
>
> Steve
>
>
>> #73: Section 3 text re log cert validation is ambiguous
>>
>>
>> Comment (by benl@google.com):
>>
>>   On the issue of specifying deviations, I am not sure how that could
>>   realistically be done. For example, our logs will permit whatever
>>   deviations OpenSSL permits. I don't think anyone knows precisely what
>>   those are, and I'm prepared to bet they vary between versions.
>>
>>   Even leaving that aside, experience suggests we have to permit
>> deviations
>>   in order to admit incorrect certificates that are accepted by
>> browsers. I
>>   don't think we can anticipate what all of those are.
>>
>
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>

-- 
Rob Stradling
Senior Research & Development Scientist
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