Netscape Navigator 2.0 will implement secure e-mail
I just got off of Netscapes home page and they have announced Netscape Navigator 2.0. It will include full e-mail funtionality with S/MIME implemented. Does anybody know anything about the S/MIME Protocol? How secure is it? Dan Weinstein danjw@earthlink.net http://www.earthlink.net/~danjw PGP public key is available from my Home Page. "I understand by 'freedom of Spirit' something quite difinite - the unconditional will to say No, where it is dangerous to say No. Friedrich Nietzsche
In article <199509180727.AAA23196@atlas.earthlink.net>, danjw@earthlink.net (Dan Weinstein) writes:
I just got off of Netscapes home page and they have announced Netscape Navigator 2.0. It will include full e-mail funtionality with S/MIME implemented. Does anybody know anything about the S/MIME Protocol? How secure is it?
You can find some documents about s/mime on RSA's web site: http://www.rsa.com/ftpdir/pub/S-MIME/ S/MIME is basicly a mime body enveloped in a PKCS7 message. You can find out more about PKCS from: http://www.rsa.com/ftpdir/pub/pkcs The implementation guide recommends using rc2-cbc 40-bit for content encryption when there is no way to determine the capabilities of the recipient. When you do know what the recipient can do, it recommends using RC2-CBC with a longer key or DES-CBC. For key encryption support for RSA with key sizes of 512 to 1024 is required, and support for 2048 bit keys is recommended. A minimum key size of 768 bits is recommended for US users.
Dan Weinstein
Hi Dan. Yes, we are related. :-) -- Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist Netscape Communication Corporation jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw Any opinions expressed above are mine.
On 18 Sep 1995, Jeff Weinstein wrote:
The implementation guide recommends using rc2-cbc 40-bit for content encryption when there is no way to determine the capabilities of the recipient. When you do know what the recipient can do, it recommends using RC2-CBC with a longer key or DES-CBC.
Hmm.... notice the use of a non public cipher as the base cipher.... what a shame.... A note for non-USA people, the next version of SSLeay will include the full fuctionality of RSAref/RSAeuro and I should soon have the PKCS-7 stuff finished in the next release after that. I've almost finished the documentation of the encryption/RSA type routines. The encryption/open/seal routines supporting any cipher that conforms with a specified Cipher API. It will be shipping with examples of des-ecb, des-cfb, des-cbc, des-ede2, des-ede3, idea-ecb, idea-cfb, idea-cbc and rc4-128. If people could send me the official Object identifiers for these ciphers, I'll be able to support them in PKCS-7, otherwise they will only be supported in PEM mode. eg, rc4 is '1 2 840 113549 3 4' but I don't even know what des in cbc mode is. I lack documentation. If any-one can email SMIME/PKCS-7 stuff that is encrypted/sealed, I'll be able to extract the object identifiers.
For key encryption support for RSA with key sizes of 512 to 1024 is required, and support for 2048 bit keys is recommended. A minimum key size of 768 bits is recommended for US users.
Again, SSLeay has no restrictions, 4096 bits anyone :-) eric (who is just lacking documentation :-( -- Eric Young | Signature removed since it was generating AARNet: eay@mincom.oz.au | more followups than the message contents :-)
Eric Young writes:
On 18 Sep 1995, Jeff Weinstein wrote:
The implementation guide recommends using rc2-cbc 40-bit for content encryption when there is no way to determine the capabilities of the recipient. When you do know what the recipient can do, it recommends using RC2-CBC with a longer key or DES-CBC.
Hmm.... notice the use of a non public cipher as the base cipher.... what a shame....
Its also a shame that they aren't sticking to MOSS, which is the open IETF standard for such stuff. Perry
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.950918185301.29263B-100000@orb>, eay@mincom.oz.au (Eric Young) writes:
Hmm.... notice the use of a non public cipher as the base cipher.... what a shame....
The only reason for this is US export laws.
It will be shipping with examples of des-ecb, des-cfb, des-cbc, des-ede2, des-ede3, idea-ecb, idea-cfb, idea-cbc and rc4-128. If people could send me the official Object identifiers for these ciphers, I'll be able to support them in PKCS-7, otherwise they will only be supported in PEM mode.
Here are the ones I have: DES-ECB OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 6 } DES-CBC OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 7 } DES-OFB OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 8 } DES-CFB OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 9 } DES-MAC OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 10 } DES-EDE OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { algorithm 17 } where algorithm OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= {iso(1) identified-organization(3) oiw(14) secsig(3) algorithm(2)} --Jeff -- Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist Netscape Communication Corporation jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw Any opinions expressed above are mine.
participants (4)
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danjw＠earthlink.net -
Eric Young -
jsw＠neon.netscape.com -
Perry E. Metzger