*   But I don't know of anywhere else with broad enough remit
  *   to mandate a behavior for all applications using TLS.
This is a common perception, and it is exactly why publishing SSLKEYLOGFILE 
documents in the context of the IETF is a bad idea. This creates additional 
pressure on other implementers to support the backdoor.


  *   So, while it is fine for some company's program to output arbitrary debug 
files for their own development,
  *   this wouldn't enable others to understand these files.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the IETF standardizing debugging 
interfaces and tracing/logging formats. My argument is that protocol debugging 
is feasible without complete compromise/exposure of the plaintext.


  *   For me this sounds more like,
  *   "we know it's done, but we don't want to be aware of it"
We know it's done, we know it's not secure, we know this practice will continue 
with or without IETF standardization. It does not follow that we should 
standardize existing insecure practices.
If the TLS WG is willing to work on TLS tracing/debugging interfaces, the scope 
of the work should go beyond standardizing an existing insecure practice.

Cheers,

Andrei

From: Yaakov Stein <ystein=40allot....@dmarc.ietf.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 4:53 AM
To: tls@ietf.org
Cc: Bellebaum, Thomas <thomas.belleb...@aisec.fraunhofer.de>; Aaron Zauner 
<azet=40azet....@dmarc.ietf.org>
Subject: [TLS] Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: 2nd Working Group Last Call for The 
SSLKEYLOGFILE Formatfor TLS

You don't often get email from 
ystein=40allot....@dmarc.ietf.org<mailto:ystein=40allot....@dmarc.ietf.org>. 
Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification>
All,

I fully support standardizing the SSLKEYLOGFILE Format.

While it is a debugging tool, that doesn't mean it doesn't have to be 
standardized.

Where I work we maintain a large set of protocol analysis tools
used to verify correct operation of various programs, and document variant 
behaviors.
This often requires visibility into the internal operation of various browsers 
and apps.
So, while it is fine for some company's program to output arbitrary debug files 
for their own development,
this wouldn't enable others to understand these files.

The documentation really doesn't have to be produced by the IETF,
as long as everyone abides by it.
But I don't know of anywhere else with broad enough remit
to mandate a behavior for all applications using TLS.

Y(J)S

From: Aaron Zauner 
<azet=40azet....@dmarc.ietf.org<mailto:azet=40azet....@dmarc.ietf.org>>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:27 AM
To: Martin Thomson <m...@lowentropy.net<mailto:m...@lowentropy.net>>
Cc: Bellebaum, Thomas 
<thomas.belleb...@aisec.fraunhofer.de<mailto:thomas.belleb...@aisec.fraunhofer.de>>;
 tls@ietf.org<mailto:tls@ietf.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [TLS] Re: 2nd Working Group Last Call for The SSLKEYLOGFILE 
Formatfor TLS

Hey,

On Mon 24. Feb 2025 at 22:54, Martin Thomson 
<m...@lowentropy.net<mailto:m...@lowentropy.net>> wrote:
On Tue, Feb 25, 2025, at 06:56, Aaron Zauner wrote:
> To be clear; I agree with that in principle but have the feeling that
> the discussion around an applicable threat model misses the issue of
> what should be in IETF and what should be in development docs,
> debugging tools etc entirely. I'm not currently working on maintaining
> a crypto lib as many of you are but you can't honestly tell me it's not
> possible to work on your end without IETF guidance on debug specifics
> that allow encrypted traffic detail export -- which you already have in
> place for debug and dev anyway.

This also misses the point.  The existence of this format (it will exist 
whether the IETF publishes a document or not) has enabled interoperation 
between a number of tools.  The point of moving this work to the IETF was to 
transfer governance from what was ad hoc to something recognized and respected 
by the community of people who build the interoperating tools.

Some people view interoperable standards as somehow changing the demand and 
availability of the thing they document.  Maybe that's true in some markets, 
but my experience is that the demand is what causes the creation of standards, 
not the other way around.  Also, if there were not already interoperation and 
you were concerned that interoperation would cause problems, this might be 
problematic, but this is a case where that interoperation already exists

I understand your point and just like config formats I see why you'd want to 
have a published document. But just like with configs it's part of the local 
tool chain and not a wire format. Open source projects have been able to work 
with them and use them without involving IETF. I'm just not sure this is the 
right place for the document. You've done the work and documentation anyway 
already, and you're interoperable. What do you really gain by having this in 
IETF? It's also a fringe topic; With that I mean in this case that it's debug 
specific to a few projects related to TLS and while this is the TLS WG it's 
still a tooling issue in my estimate. I'm really not sure what the big upside 
is of having it published here. A lot of chrome, openssl and other tool chain 
specifics are likewise only documented in the relevant project documents and it 
works fine for everyone involved; Is there any precedent that showed we need 
this in IETF - ie. where interop and debugging didn't work out because you 
couldn't already agree on a format and document it? Because it seems to me the 
community has already achieved all of this due to your and other people's 
contribution without adding it as an IETF doc.

Thanks,
Aaron



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