One clarification below. e
On 02/02/2015 02:54 PM, Eric Voskuil wrote: > On Feb 2, 2015, at 11:53 AM, Mike Hearn wrote: >> >> In sending the first-signed transaction to another for second >> signature, how does the first signer authenticate to the second >> without compromising the independence of the two factors? >> >> Not sure what you mean. The idea is the second factor displays the >> transaction and the user confirms it matches what they input to the >> first factor. Ideally, using BIP70, but I don't know if BA actually >> uses that currently. >> >> It's the same model as the TREZOR, except with a desktop app instead >> of myTREZOR and a phone instead of a dedicated hardware device. > > Sorry for the slow reply, traveling. > > My comments were made in reference to this proposal: > >>> On Feb 2, 2015, at 10:40 AM, Brian Erdelyi <brian.erde...@gmail.com >>> <mailto:brian.erde...@gmail.com>> wrote: >>> >>> Another concept... >>> >>> It should be possible to use multisig wallets to protect against >>> malware. For example, a user could generate a wallet with 3 keys and >>> require a transaction that has been signed by 2 of those keys. One >>> key is placed in cold storage and anther sent to a third-party. >>> >>> It is now possible to generate and sign transactions on the users >>> computer and send this signed transaction to the third-party for the >>> second signature. This now permits the use of out of band transaction >>> verification techniques before the third party signs the transaction >>> and sends to the blockchain. >>> >>> If the third-party is malicious or becomes compromised they would not >>> have the ability to complete transactions as they only have one >>> private key. If the third-party disappeared, the user could use the >>> key in cold storage to sign transactions and send funds to a new wallet. >>> >>> Thoughts? My comments below start out with the presumption of user platform compromise, but the same analysis holds for the case where the user platform is clean but a web wallet is compromised. Obviously the idea is that either or both may be compromised, but integrity is retained as long as both are not compromised and in collusion. > In the multisig scenario the presumption is of a user platform > compromised by malware. It envisions a user signing a 2 of 3 output with > a first signature. The precondition that the platform is compromised > implies that this process results in a loss of integrity of the private > key, and as such if it were not for the second signature requirement, > the malware would be able to spend the output. This may be extended to > all of the keys in the wallet. > > The scenario envisions sending the signed transaction to an another > ("third") party. The objective is for the third party to provide the > second signature, thereby spending the output as intended by the user, > who is not necessarily the first signer. The send must be authenticated > to the user. Otherwise the third party would have to sign anything it > received, obviously rendering the second signature pointless. This > implies that the compromised platform must transmit a secret, or proof > of a secret, to the third party. > > The problem is that the two secrets are not independent if the first > platform is compromised. So of course the malware has the ability to > sign, impersonate the user and send to the third party. So the third > party *must* send the transaction to an *independent* platform for > verification by the user, and obtain consent before adding the second > signature. The user, upon receiving the transaction details, must be > able to verify, on the independent platform, that the details match > those of the transaction that user presumably signed. Even for simple > transactions this must include amount, address and fees. > > The central assumptions are that, while the second user platform may be > compromised, the attack against the second platform is not coordinated > with that of the first, nor is the third party in collusion with the > first platform. > > Upon these assumptions rests the actual security benefit (increased > difficulty of the coordinated attack). The strength of these assumptions > is an interesting question, since it is hard to quantify. But without > independence the entire security model is destroyed and there is thus no > protection whatsoever against malware. > > So for example a web-based or other third-party-provisioned > implementation of the first platform breaks the anti-collusion > assumption. Also, weak comsec allows an attack against the second > platform to be carried out against its network. So for example a simple > SMS-based confirmation could be executed by the first platform alone and > thereby also break the the anti-collusion assumption. This is why I > asked how independence is maintained. > > The assumption of a hardware wallet scenario is that the device itself > is not compromised. So the scenario is not the same. If the user signs > with a hardware wallet, nothing can collude with that process, with one > caveat. > > While a hardware wallet is not subject to onboard malware, it is not > inconceivable that its keys could be extracted through probing or other > direct attack against the hardware. It's nevertheless an assumption of > hardware wallets that these attacks require loss of the hardware. > Physical possession constitutes compromise. So the collusion model with > a hardware wallet does exist, it just requires device possession. > Depending on the implementation the extraction may require a non-trivial > amount of time and money. > > In a scenario where the user signs with HW, then sends the transaction > to a third party for a second of three signatures, and finally to a > second platform for user verification, a HW thief needs to collude with > the third party or the second platform before the owner becomes aware of > the theft (notifying the third party). This of course implies that > keeping both the fist and second platforms in close proximity > constitutes collusion from a physical security standpoint. This is > probably sufficient justification for not implementing such a model, > especially given the cost and complexity of stealing and cracking a > well-designed device. A device backup would provide comparable time to > recover with far less complexity (and loss of privacy). > > Incidentally the hardware wallet idea breaks down once any aspect of the > platform or network to which it connects must be trusted, so for these > purposes I do not consider certain hybrid models as hardware wallets at > all. For example one such device trusts that the compromised computer > does not carry out a MITM attack between the signing device and a shared > secret entered in parts over time by the user. This reduces to a single > factor with no protection against a compromised platform. > > Of course these questions address integrity, not privacy. Use of a third > party implies loss of privacy to that party, and with weak comsec to the > network. Similarly, use of hardware signing devices implies loss of > privacy to the compromised platforms with which they exchange transactions. > > e
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