nanog mailing list archives
Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone?
From: Jay Ashworth <jra () baylink com>
Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 15:45:06 -0400 (EDT)
----- Original Message -----
From: "George Bonser" <gbonser () seven com>
So using multicast for things like software updates to computers over the general internet to the general public probably isn't going to work. Encryption is also an issue because it doesn't really work well over multicast. How do I encrypt something in a way that anyone can decrypt but nobody can duplicate? If I have a separate stream per user, that is easy. If I have one stream for all users, that is harder. The answer is probably in some sort of digital signature but not really encryption.
Um, yeah; that'd be private key digital signature.
Using public/private key encryption over multicast, I would have to distribute the private key so others could decrypt the content. If they have the private key, they can generate a public key to use to generate content.
Encryption is probably overkill anyway. What is needed is a mechanism simply to say that the content is certified to have come from the source it claims to come from. So ... basically ... better not to use multicast for anything you really might have any security issues with. Fine for broadcasting a video, not so fine for a kernel update.
Nah; you're overthinking it. Signed updates solve the problem just fine. Note that Linux (SuSE/YAST/YOU) does this already. But you *are* expanding the attack surface, and the signature/PKI infrastructure has to be correspondingly more robust. Cheers, -- jra
Current thread:
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone?, (continued)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Michael Painter (May 11)
- RE: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? George Bonser (May 04)
- RE: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Antonio Querubin (May 04)
- RE: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? George Bonser (May 04)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jeff Wheeler (May 04)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jay Ashworth (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Chris Adams (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Steven Bellovin (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jay Ashworth (May 05)
- RE: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Antonio Querubin (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jay Ashworth (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Scott Helms (May 04)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jeff Young (May 04)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? LorĂ¡nd Jakab (May 05)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Michael Dillon (May 07)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jeffrey S. Young (May 08)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Jay Ashworth (May 08)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Charles Morris (May 06)
- RE: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? George Bonser (May 06)
- Re: How do you put a TV station on the Mbone? Scott Helms (May 06)