Since there are some concerns, maybe have it as informational for now
as you already have some implementations done ?


"If an RPK
   signing key is compromised, the server SHOULD remove its hash from
   trusted_keys."

Is there a reason this can't be a MUST ?

Overall, I see a use-case for this draft.



On Tue, 3 Mar 2026 at 03:03, Nick Sullivan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> We've posted draft-sullivan-tls-signed-ech-updates-01, which defines a
> mechanism for authenticating ECH retry configurations independently
> of the server's TLS certificate for the public name.
>
> https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-sullivan-tls-signed-ech-updates/
>
> The core problem: when ECH fails and the server sends updated configs
> in EncryptedExtensions, the base ECH spec requires the server to hold
> a valid certificate for the public name to authenticate them. This
> limits which public names operators can use and ties ECH key rotation
> to certificate management.
>
> This draft defines two authentication methods:
>
> - RPK: The initial ECHConfig (via DNS) carries SPKI hashes of
> authorized signing keys. Retry configs carry a signature from one of
> those keys. Lightweight, no CA dependency, but requires operator key
> management.
>
> - PKIX: Retry configs carry a certificate chain with a new critical
> X.509 extension (id-pe-echConfigSigning) that authorizes ECH config
> signing for the names in the SAN. The critical bit prevents the
> certificate from being accepted for normal TLS authentication.
>
> Both methods use a not_after timestamp to bound the replay window for
> pre-signed configs. The ECHConfigTBS is constructed by zeroization.
>
> The draft splits authentication policy (ech_authinfo, carried in DNS)
> from the signed authenticator (ech_auth, carried in TLS), so DNS
> records stay compact and the signing material is only present where
> it's needed.
>
> We also have an early interop repo with implementations in Rust, Go, and
> NSS (C), all cross-verified:
>
> https://github.com/grittygrease/ech-auth-interop
>
> We'd welcome review from anyone interested, particularly on:
> - The wire format and TBS construction
> - The PKIX critical extension approach
> - Deployment considerations for key rotation
>
> Nick (with Dennis Jackson, Alessandro Ghedini)
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