[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Machine Identity
> [...]: there is no standard of identity for machines on the Internet.
> Such an identity should be unique and provable.
This is extremely hard to do, since the machine is represented only by
the software running on it, and that can present any identity it
chooses, unique or not.
This could be "solved" by something like public-key crypto in hardware,
but (a) there's no way to prevent a software implementation short of
something like a PKI signer who signs only stored-in-hardware keys
(which has a whole raft of problems of its own) and (b) a hardware
version has a pile of problems of _its_ own, starting with installed
base and end-user resistance. (I know *I* certainly wouldn't use such
a thing.)
/~\ The ASCII der Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
X Against HTML mouse at rodents.montreal.qc.ca
/ \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B