The IETF "common authentication technology" working group (the folks behind GSSAPI and, now, basically, all application-level security protocols on the Internet) are looking at providing first-class support for anonymity. Here's a reent message. cat-ietf-request@mit.edu to join. /r$ ---------- Begin Forwarded Message ---------- Message 173:

From owner-cat-ietf@cam.ov.com Mon Jan 30 07:15:20 1995 Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 12:35:24 --100 From: danisch@ira.uka.de (Hadmut Danisch) Message-Id: <9501301135.AA29078@elysion.iaks.ira.uka.de> To: cat-ietf@mit.edu Subject: Anonymity by mechanism ? Content-Length: 1142 Status: R

Currently there is a discussion about providing anonymity. To avoid the problems of recognizing the name string syntax for anonymous names and the necessity to implement the anonymous way into every gssapi mechanism I want to propose the following: - No anonymity within any gssapi mechanism except one special anonymous-only mechanism. - Allow to use distinct authentication methods for both sides. If an application accepts anonymous connections, it uses the anonymous mechanism. If it accepts non-anonymous connections also, it chooses both the anonymous and the non-anonymous mechanism and asks for negotiation. If only one peer wants to be anonymous, it can use the anonymous mechanism and the other side a non-anonymous mechanism (e.g. an ftp-server where the client wants to be sure to be connected to the requested server). This make programmers life easier and improves security: A context is anonymous if and only if it was generated by the anonymous mechanism. And the other mechanism don't have to be extended for anonymity. Anonymous mechanism doesn't mean no security. Just no authentication of the peer. Hadmut ----------- End Forwarded Message -----------