On Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 12:23 PM Toerless Eckert <[email protected]> wrote:

> I think it's a +1 if i recommend to not explicitly mention the ISE track
> option,
> because the ISE is really VERY independent, and i don't think that the
> random
> crypto algo/use-case would suit the ISE track. So it's NOT a generic
> fallback
> option IMHO that we should enlist in the doc if it should go forward.
>
> However, i wonder if there is any rule against using an individual draft
> (that will
> never become RFC) to be a sufficient reference for IANA "documentation
> required".
>

This is how it already works. See:
https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8447.html

Note:  The role of the designated expert is described in RFC 8447
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8447>.
      The designated expert [RFC8126
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8126>] ensures that the
specification is
      publicly available.  It is sufficient to have an Internet-Draft
      (that is posted and never published as an RFC) or a document from
      another standards body, industry consortium, university site, etc.
      The expert may provide more in-depth reviews, but their approval
      should not be taken as an endorsement of the supported group.



Likewise, if this doc would go ahead, i think it would be useful to mention
> that
> by now there should be no reason why other WGs or RGs should not be
> allowed to
> publish RFCs with such a crypto algorithm/code-point. For example CFRG
> could do
> this, or for example something like IOTOPS or MOPS or any othre group that
> isworking off some specific (industry) use-case that may already have some
> crypto they "need" to use. One can of course argue if other groups beside
> TLS
> should be allowed to produce recommended=Y, but recommended=N should
> certainly
> be allowed.
>

As noted above, anyone can register, though if I were the IESG I would
refuse
to publish any TLS code point that hadn't gone through some review by the
TLS WG.


Practically speaking i would foremost wonder about e.g.: the military, which
> typically loves to use their own crypto ("obfuscation always works" (TM)),
> and if a documentation would suffice that simply then states the clearance
> level
> you need to access the document. So far i only see a bunch of "Reserved"
> entries by Pasi Eronen, which could or could not be placeholders for such
> secret codecs.


I'm not sure what you mean by "codecs" as TLS doesn't have codecs.

I don't recall the reason for the block of cipher suites Pasi reserved, but
given where it is, I expect it was just ordinary code point squatting.

-Ekr




>
> Cheers
>     Toerless
>
> On Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 10:27:43AM +0000, Stephen Farrell wrote:
> >
> > Hiya,
> >
> > On 24/02/2026 09:15, Bellebaum, Thomas wrote:
> > > Hi Nadim,
> > >
> > > > > 1. Make ECHDE/MLKEM Recommended=Y (as also suggested by Bas's
> draft).
> > > > > 2. Decline to publish draft-ietf-tls-mlkem
> > > >
> > > > This is the best case scenario outcome for TLS’s security and
> benefit to humanity in my view and I strongly support it.
> > >
> > > I agree. The medium-term (i.e. after WGLC) question regarding 2. would
> be whether that draft
> > >
> > > a) should be sent to the ISE for publication elsewhere (which in case
> of no conflicts any author may do without WG approval), or
> >
> > Note that the above phrasing could be misleading - authors *ask* the ISE
> > for publication, and the ISE can also decline to publish, for basically
> > whatever reason the ISE decides. (The "I" does mean independent:-) The
> > ISE can also decide to only publish if some ISE-chosen caveats are added
> > to a document. Or the ISE might conclude that the fact that the WG has
> > decided to not publish such RFCs means that it'd be too close to a
> > conflict with the IETF stream for the ISE to publish 'em instead.
> >
> > The point is that if Richard's plan were adopted, one can't assume that
> > TLS codepoint RFCs, not adopted by the WG, would instead be emitted by
> > the ISE.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > S.
> >
> > PS: I'm not arguing for or against Richard's plan in the above.
> >
> > > b) should be held at the WG for eventual reevaluation/publication in a
> few years.
> > >
> > > Personally, I think we have seen enough interest in deploying this
> particular PQ-no-seatbelt algorithm to prefer b) and expand the
> considerations in the document in the meantime.
> > >
> > > -- TBB
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > TLS mailing list -- [email protected]
> > > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
> >
>
>
>
>
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