Re: Fixing exchange of host keys in the SSH key exchange

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

>> [SSH] _does_ give the tools to those competent to use them; I think
>> that's about all any such protocol can really expect to do.
> It also warns about key changes so you can take action if necessary,
> which is something that SSL doesn't.

Most implementations of SSH do; most implementations of SSL don't.
Neither protocol requires or forbids it (a protocol is not really in a
position to either compel or prohibit such a thing - fuzzy memory says
the SSH RFCs have some SHOULDs on the matter, though).

> (I've only ever encountered one SSL-using app that warns that the
> key/cert you're getting now differs from the one you got last time.
> I'm sure there are more out there, but none of the mainstream stuff
> does it).

Of course not.  That might confuse users!

> [O] I know, I like to bash PKI, but with farcical behaviour like this
> it's hard not to.

It's part of why I don't like SSL: it isn't really providing the
security it pretends to be providing.  The human-layer mechanisms don't
help; far too many people - users and service providers both - think of
security as a boolean: "It's Secure!".  Never mind that the correct
reaction to that is "...secure against what?".

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