matrix-org / matrix-org/matrix-spec

Add a signing-key pinning mechanism to the federation key APIs (SPEC-329)

Open
#148 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
A-S2S enhancement p2
Dominant language
HTML
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330
Forks
150
Avg merge
2h 21m
Merged PRs (30d)
3

Description

Add a way for home-server operators to promise in the /key responses that they won't lose the private keys for their HS.

Then other HSes that have observed that key won't accept a different key for that domain, giving stronger guarantees against MITM attacks.

Something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Public_Key_Pinning

(Imported from https://matrix.org/jira/browse/SPEC-329)

(Reported by @NegativeMjark)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the federation /key responses described in the issue and review the linked HTTP Public Key Pinning background. Define the signing-key pinning mechanism, including how home servers promise key retention and how other servers handle a changed key. Done means the federation key API specification clearly documents the behavior and its security guarantees.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
api, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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