Re: [gentoo-dev] [RFC] New project: Crypto

[Kristian Fiskerstrand <k_f@gentoo.org>]

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On 12/28/2015 07:35 PM, Rich Freeman wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 10:07 AM, Kristian Fiskerstrand
> <k_f@gentoo.org> wrote:
>>> On 28 Dec 2015, at 15:58, James Le Cuirot <chewi@gentoo.org>
>>> wrote:
>>> 


> That concern is hardly unique to phones.  PCs suffer just as much
> from this problem.  The solution could potentially be the same.
> For

But here we already have smartcards (that everyone should and _is_
using... right?)

> signing it is a straightforward problem since there is nothing to
> be kept secret except the key material itself (just send the
> message to the signing device, and return the signature back).  For
> encryption

for clarity (and what I think you already mean), the message in this
case is the message to be signed (which is likely a blinded hash or
something, so much shorter than the original data)

> you have additional challenges if you want to be able to make any
> use of the plaintext without it getting stolen - once decrypted it
> is only secure as any device that comes in contact with it.  And
> there is no

Indeed, but at least the device won't be able to decrypt further
communication as it'd only have access to the session key of the
particular message. Loosing control of the private (sub)key is
substantially worse, so that might actually be ok for the security
parameters of the users.

> reason that mobile and browser frameworks couldn't talk to such 
> devices with the right standards.
> 
> If it were up to me the government would hand out signing devices
> just as they hand out passports.

This already happen in several countries, including Germany and on a
semi-related variant Norway (its government approved to sign
electronically using BankID, where the banks does the verification).
In germany there is even a CA that checks the government ID and
certify OpenPGP keys based on it.

- -- 
Kristian Fiskerstrand
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