Hi Joel,


> On 16 Jul 2019, at 14:59, Joel Halpern Direct <[email protected]> 
> wrote:
> 
> I am having trouble connecting your reply with my request.
> Let's take the direct issue first, and then the analogy.
> 
> I had suggested a specific enhancement to device behavior.  The response was 
> "but that removes the theft protection."  It is that form of theft protection 
> that I am objecting to.  As far as I can tell, the mechanism I suggested does 
> not break zero touch.  It allows someone who controls their network, and who 
> physically controls a new device, to put that new device in their network 
> without asking anyone's permission.
> It does not permit someone with a device, but not network control, from 
> adding that device to the network.  It does not permit someone with control 
> of the network, but not physical access to the device, to achieve anything 
> special.  So it seems compatible with the goals.

My apologies I took your statement as something more general than you intended. 
 With respect to this from earlier:

> I have assumed that what we needed is the ability for a buyer, who has 
> physical possession of the device, and possibly some simple (non 
> cryptographic) credentials provided by the seller to force the device to 
> reset what it thinks it is part of, and to emit in some accessible form the 
> information the buyer needs to be able to make this device part of his 
> network, using his authentication servers, etc.


That was indeed what we discussed.  We just got into means a bit more than 
perhaps necessary.  I’ll point out that it’s always going to be a manufacturer 
call on how best to do this; and how to transport credentials, and how to keep 
them safe, even.

> 
> In terms of the analogy, I would have problem with IEtF defining a new 
> protocol that added significant risk to the buyer when they buy from new 
> vendors.
> And existing vendors do go out of businesses.  And vendors do end-of-life 
> products.  (You can't get a new key to your car because the vendor has 
> stopped supporting that model???)

I wouldn’t implement a 1:1 mapping products->MASA server function.  That seems 
excessive.  And rare is the case when a vendor EOLs a product and then cripples 
it through an update mechanism.  The only issue here is whether a database 
entry would stay around.


> 
> Now it may be that the particular approach I suggested won't work.  But it 
> seems to me that there needs to be a way for folks to keep using, and to keep 
> re-selling, devices without the support of the vendor.  That usage may not 
> get all the zero-touch advantages that supported re-sale would get.  But it 
> has to work.  And putting the onus for that on the original vendor does NOT 
> seem an effective solution.

I think you mean, “requiring the vendor to stay around for ever doesn’t seem 
like an effective solution.”  Again, I don’t want to overgeneralize.

Eliot

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