Subject: I-D ACTION:draft-ietf-pkix-usergroup-01.txt

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 08:34:56 -0400

A New Internet-Draft is available from the on-line Internet-Drafts directories.
This draft is a work item of the Public-Key Infrastructure (X.509) Working Group of the IETF.

	Title		: The PKIX UserGroupName GeneralName Type
	Author(s)	: M. StJohns
	Filename	: draft-ietf-pkix-usergroup-01.txt
	Pages		: 14
	Date		: 2002-9-25
	
A number of systems which understand X.509 client certificates have
developed various ad hoc mechanisms to map a certificate to a
'userid'/'group(s)' value which can then be used for access control.
The mechanisms include idiosyncratic name forms for the SubjectName
field such as encoding the userid as a CommonName and the group as an
OrganizationalUnit, or mapping the certificate against an entry in a
directory system.  This document describes an otherName extension of
the GeneralName type which can be used in the SubjectAltName
extension or IssuerAltName extension to directly encode userid and
group information.

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From: "Anders Rundgren" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 10:20:02 +0200

This is indeed an interesting topic...

Essentially there are two ways to make certificates more adapted
to their working environment:

1. Clobber certificates with more "stuff" to as the draft suggests

2. Use a mapping facility that maps a certificate into whatever
    is needed by the working environment

A major advantage with mapping is that you can use TTP-issued
certificates (a.k.a. 100% outsourced PKI), and that the very same
certificates can be used by multiple relying parties in many different
environments.

A major disadvantage with mapping is that Microsoft and probably
most others as well, do not yet support this fundamental capability
except to a very limited extent.  Contributing to that, is the fact that
current PKI-standards do not offer the kind of manageble mapping
support needed for efficient usage of TTP-issued certificates.

If Microsoft and others are to upgrade their PKI support
(which both solutions require), I really hope that they settle
for a mapping solution.

cheers,
Anders

========================================================
    Entities, here denoting individuals and organizations, using the Internet
    for handling sensitive information or performing critical transactions,
    need simple, low-cost, universal, unambiguous, non-forgeable, securely
    multipliable, revocable and renewable "digital handles" to themselves, 
    preferable issued by globally recognized, trusted third parties
========================================================