[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [Cfrg] Comments on draft-mcgrew-fundamental-ecc-00.txt



Hi David,

 

I don’t know if there’s a good answer, I believe the answer is essentially that there are several implementations already using the compact representation. And that is also what http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-solinas-rfc4753bis-00, currently in IETF last call, specifies.

 

Thanks,

            Yaron

 


From: David McGrew [mailto:mcgrew at cisco.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 20:34
To: Yaron Sheffer
Cc: cfrg at irtf.org
Subject: Re: [Cfrg] Comments on draft-mcgrew-fundamental-ecc-00.txt

 

Hi Yaron,

 

many thanks for your useful comments, they will improve the next version of the draft.  

 

If there is uncertainty about whether or not IKE uses compact output for ECDH, I wonder: why don't we just not use it?  It is probably the simpler option, at least conceptually.  

 

Sorry for the slow reply, I have been on vacation recently.  

 

David

 

On Jul 8, 2009, at 8:54 AM, Yaron Sheffer wrote:



First and foremost, I would like to thank the author for making this compilation available to the community. It certainly helps to cut through some of the IPR fog.

 

- Sec. 2.1: Using Zp for a general group (not necessarily of prime order) is confusing. Can we have Zn instead?

- 2.1: with all due respect, Knuth is probably unavailable to most of our readers. There must have been something published in the last 28 years to replace it...

- 2.2: similarly for Deskins. Or (if the pre-1994 provenance is critical) add a reference to some modern tutorial coverage. Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein chapter 31, for example. Or better still, a URL.

- 3: the formula pair for x3, y3 "if P is equal to Q" (the last one) is confusing, since the preceding formula refers to a sub-case of this case. Maybe change to "otherwise", or "if P is equal to Q and the previous condition does not hold".

- General: the term "characteristic" (and once, "character") is used multiple times without definition.

- 3.2: "the order n" (not indented, by the way) - is it part of the specification, or a dependent property of the group which is defined by the other parameters?

- 4: can you say something about the security of ECDH? Specifically, are there validity checks required by both parties on the other party's value, so that an attacker cannot force "bad" values that will reveal the private key. Sec. 9.3 mentions that each party should check that the received value is in the group. Is this sufficient?

- 4.1: is group element -> is a group element

- 4.2: since all group operations have been defined in terms of full point (x and y), it is unclear how "compact representation" works, i.e. how both parties compute the shared secret when only X values are transmitted.

- 7.1: when the dust around RFC 4735, its errata etc. settles, IKE (v1 and v2) will use compact output.

 

Thanks,

            Yaron

_______________________________________________
Cfrg mailing list
Cfrg at irtf.org
http://www.irtf.org/mailman/listinfo/cfrg

 



Scanned by Check Point Total Security Gateway.

Attachment: smime.p7s
Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature