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Re: A fix for main mode with preshared keys



On Sun, 12 Dec 1999 21:22:27 PST francisco_corella@hp.com  wrote
> 
> When I said that the ID_KEY_ID solution only seems to work for keys shared 
> between two parties, I was referring to ID_KEY_ID with your method for 
> preventing traffic analysis.  Without it, ID_KEY_ID seems like a weak 
> mechanism for identity protection, especially given that the protocol 
> includes a DH exchange that allows you to provide proper encryption for the 
> identities.

Why is it weak? How can you invert a blob of bits into an identity? Which
frequent poster to the IPSec list does this blob of bits correspond to:

             85e0a2896935d536891956d853b1243a371490f1

> The synchonization problem between two parties, when using the method for 
> preventing traffic analysis, does not require a disk crash.  It can also 
> happen if there is a reboot due to a software error or power failure or 
> anything else before the latest value of the key has been written out to 
> secondary storage.  This means that whenever there is an uncontrolled 
> reboot, an operator will have to manually resynchronize *all* the preshared 
> keys in case one of them has become out of sync.

Then don't rehash ID_KEY_ID and tell me who that blob of bits is. But, again,
this is not the type of problem that can be solved by a session establishment
and key exchange protocol, the "what if" game is endless.

> The redefinition of SKEYID_e described by Hugo solves the problem elegantly. 
> If
> adopted, it would also clarify the IKE protocol by removing any need to rely 
>on 
> source IP addresses in IP packets for identification instead of relying on th
>e 
> ID payload.

What problem? It would help if you could say exactly what you're trying to 
solve. It started out as a way to not require keys to be bound to an IP 
address. But that problem is solved. So what is it that you're trying to 
solve now?

  Dan.



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