🚀 go-pugleaf

"David Mohring" <heretic@localhost.localdomain> wrote in message
news:slrn8lp40t.86v.heretic@localhost.localdomain...
> On Fri, 30 Jun 2000 23:57:26 +1200, Slow
>              <aputto@htomail.com.no.spam> wrote:
> >"Adam Warner" <Adam.Warner@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
> >news:8jhds5$q2b$1@news.ihug.co.nz...
> >> Microsoft-signed files are trusted by default. This and the ability to
> >> automatically download the files to a users hard disk at any location
> >allows
> >> any unprotected files (read: virtually all) to be overwritten.
> >
> >IE objects made by Microsoft are trusted by IE (this actually makes
sense).
> >All other object downloads (including Microsoft's) will display the
> >'certificate' window.
> >
>
> So it is OK for Microsoft to have unrestricted access to your network via
> any downloaded executable or script signed as "Trusted by IE" without
> notifying the user?
>
> IMHO the problem is that, even if you trust Microsoft implicitly, it looks
as
> if the digital signature system may have been compromised. This could be
the
> reason for the rushed release of the patch.

I very much doubt that the dig sig has been compromised, that would be a
very serious case of industrial espionage.

Sig files can be revoked, most code files use a sub cert so they can be
individually revoked too. It is unlikly that any one would use a top level
cert to sign code, as this makes it costly to revoke (you revoke everything
else with it).

As a user of IE you can revoke trust to Microsoft certs and Microsoft
Corporation as a signing authority. These are installed as trusted agencies
in the IE setup process. Don't remove all the certs cause then SSL etc will
fail !

The whole process of sig file etc is very secure. The prob is there is no
process to use sig files for common files like standalone EXE's, BAT, CMD,
and VBS files yet.

Considering that the US has just accepted dig sigs into law (as of Oct 1
2000), it seems only a mater of time before everything on the net will be
signed, including HTML pages etc, it is only a small overhead (typically
only 1000 bytes).

Note: Dynamic pages are a pain to sign on the way out each time (SSL type
overhead), so expect more sites using pure SSL instead.

When software is smart enough to expect it with every document, graphic,
EXE, VBS etc, we will know where the code comes from, and whom wrote it. And
if bad code gets out, or some one steals a sig file and passkey, it can be
easily revoked from the sig authority.

Role on dig sig's

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----