Comments on the current AES draft
Wes Hardaker <[email protected]> Tue, 07 Oct 2003 15:34:37 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.ietf.snmpv3 |
|---|---|
| Organization | Sparta |
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
I had a few comments on the current aes-usm draft. I noticed it has gone through 2 revisions since last call, and I just noticed it is in IESG review but here they are anyway. First off, the draft is much better worded and clearer than the last time I read it, so thanks to the authors for doing a nice job. - I find the discussion in section 1.2 and 1.3 a bit confusing because it doesn't paint a clear picture of how passwords get converted into master keys (Ku) and then converted into localized keys (Kul). I understand it as is but only because I adequately understand the semantics with how the USM keying mechanisms work. It would be better, IMHO, if you tie the wording together with RFC3414 a bit better. - 1.3: "Implementation SHOULD support the use of randomly generated passwords as a stronger form of security". I think you mean "randomly generated keys" (Ku) instead here. - Section 3.1.2.1 4th paragraph: The problem is much more prevalent when considering a large number of agents sending INFORMs to a manager, which is a much more likely case for a IV collision than a few managers to a large number of agents. The odds are still remote for "todays technology" but a few decades (2ish, maybe less) out it might be more of a problem. - Section 4: Security Considerations. The first paragraph basically says that all the SHOULDs in section 1.3 MUST be implemented. This certainly MUST/SHOULD be corrected before publication as an RFC. -- Wes Hardaker Sparta