- See
Possum for main information
Technology/Laboratory/Software/Possum for the developed design scope of the Software
Technology/Laboratory/Hardware/Possum for the developed design scope of the Hardware
Brain/Study/Possum/Hardware for the ongoing project concept
CAcert.org Possum Project
Possum is a cross-competence Project for an Open Source Security Module. This is like a commercial HSM, but driven to CAcert's more open requirements.
The Possum Project can be the basis of Next Generation Open Source CAcert.org Security Module / Signing-Server, and part of the Next Generation Design of CAcert.org Open Source Software BirdShack as well.
Business Proposal
- Possum is not yet designed. In order to design Possum, we could (hypothetically)
Design it ourselves
Contract it to an expert group
Tag along with a group like Cryptech open security hardware group.
This concept is about exploring the the third option.
A Design Competition for Possum
- This could be run along the lines of the NIST/AES effort. An open-to-all call asking for a design for each module. Each module should be specified to a sufficient standard.
- A time-line should be set with phases. For example, following the lines of the AES effort:
- 1. Announce
- 2. Open presentation of all designs, X months later
- 3. Comment and attack period
- 4. Selection of finalists
- 5. Presentation of finalists
- 6. Comment and attack period
- 7. Selection of winner
- 8. Production of reference implementations
- This fits the criteria of a peer-reviewed exercise, so it is most of the way to being academically viable. To further market it, budget for the team(s) travel and accomodation to present their proposals within a major related conference.
- Funding could be found from a number of sources.
Requirements
- Possum needs to be:
- - Buildable by small independent groups.
- - Low-cost
- - Relatively secure
- - Protect the key data from extraction
- - Protect the system from unauthorised requests
- - Small verifiable software footprint
- - Simple, trailing edge hardware footprint
- - Single standardised protocol
- - Open access
- - All components buildable and usable without license issues
- - Published design
- - No patents
Components
There are these Major Tech Components:
Hardware Platform
- Hardware Interfaces
- Physical Protection Module
- -
Protocol
- Serial
Software
- Crypto, protocol driver, key store, application
Hardware
- - Hardware must be readily sourcable and low cost.
- - Security not speed.
- - It should have an application interface and a management interface,
- - Small footprint: Low power, low heat, small size.
Requirements for the Hardware are developed at Technology/Laboratory/Hardware/Possum.
Notes on the project-work for the hardware side are at Brain/Study/Possum/Hardware.
Protocol
- - Certificate operations
- - Capable of layering over different packet networks.
- - Simple layout
- - Some Management requests
- - Highly reliable
- - Simple layout
See fuller requirements at Technology/Laboratory/Software/Possum.
Software
- - Capable of digital signing
- - Keeps logs of all requests received and handled
- - Protocol driver
- - Management access
See fuller requirements at Technology/Laboratory/Software/Possum.
Misc
Other Applications
- Our Primary interest is CAcert's digital signing server, but this design can be turned to other things:
- Digital cash server, e.g., Ricardo or Epointsystem.
- - Personal safe for private information
- - MP3 server
- Tahoe server or other file-sharing technology
References
- Peter Gutmann, "An Open-source Cryptographic Coprocessor," Usenix 2000.
- Peter Gutmann, "Hardware Encryption Modules," forthcoming book.
Feedbacks
- iang at c.o
Inputs & Thoughts, below:
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