Hi, Mike...comments inline:

MH Michael Hammer (5304) wrote:
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jim Fenton [mailto:[email protected]]
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 6:10 PM
>> To: MH Michael Hammer (5304)
>> Cc: John L; [email protected]
>> Subject: Re: [ietf-dkim] Next steps for draft-ietf-dkim-ssp
>>
>> It really applies to the implementation of the checker, and not to the
>> publication of ADSP records.
>>
>> At the risk of repeating myself, here's an example of when it's
>> important.  Suppose the ietf.org mailing list manager signs its mail
>> using [email protected].  The IETF Chair sends a message to the list,
>> using From: <[email protected]>.  I contend it would be bad for the
>>     
> mailing
>   
>> list manager signature to be confused with an author signature.
>>
>>     
>
> But in terms of the receiving domain checking, why would they make a
> distinction from an ADSP perspective? The question at hand is whether
> all email from a particular (sub) domain is signed. If a domain is
> making this type of assertion, then it is looking at ietf.org and
> shouldn't really care whether the user is chair@ or i...@. If you are
> asserting that one might be signed and the other not then I think there
> is an issue. If you assert that both are signed but the signatures might
> be different (within the same domain but with different selectors for
> example then I'm going to say fine because if ietf.org asserts it signs
> all mail then it still works. It is the domain that is important, not
> the user part for the all assertion. 
>   

Suppose that ietf.org asserts an ADSP record but doesn't require
signatures on incoming messages, even from its own domain (there's no
requirement that they do).  Someone spoofs a message from
[email protected], which is of course unsigned.  The message coming out of
the list looks like it has an author signature.  I have a problem with that.

In this situation, we could require that the mailing list manager not
apply a signature if it might be confused with an author signature, but
then there's no way for it to apply a signature representing the list.
>   
>> This example involves the use of local-parts, but one could also come
>>     
> up
>   
>> with (somewhat more contrived) examples where the mailing list manager
>> is at lists.example.com and some users are at users.example.com.  If
>>     
> the
>   
>> keys are published in the example.com domain (d=example.com) and i=
>> isn't being used, it isn't possible to distinguish author signatures
>>     
> and
>   
>> list signatures.
>>
>>     
>
> Distinguish to what purpose Jim? 
>
> Either they are signed or they aren't signed from an ADSP perspective.
> If distinguishing at this granularity is important then publish ADSP for
> lists.example.com/DKIM sign for that domain (d=) and publish ADSP for
> users.example.com/DKIM sign for that domain (d=). The author signatures
> are clearly distinguished from the list signatures. 
>   

The d=/i= distinction was originally created to simplify key management
by domains having many subdomains, in that they could publish the keys
in a parent domain (d=) while signing for a subdomain (i=).  You're
basically suggesting that we abandon that optimization so that we can
use the d= domain  rather than the i= domain for ADSP.

Remember that the lookup address for ADSP is always the domain of the
>From address (users.example.com) and not the d=domain.  In this
situation ADSP records for lists.example.com and for example.com would
never be referenced.

-Jim
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