Re: Certificate proposal

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 4:46 PM 10/9/95, Hal wrote:
>Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com> writes:
....
>>also a signed attribute statement from the Bank's key that it's a bank, etc.
>>The meaning of the certificates changes a bit, but there's still a certificate
>>from the bank binding Alice's Key to Alice's Bank Account.
>
>I can see using keys with attributes in this way, for credentials or as
>other forms of authorization.  But what about for communications privacy?
>What is the attribute that tells you that using this key will prevent
>eavesdropping?

For communication, the only credential Alice needs to ensure that only Bob
can read her message is that she uses Bob's public key. If "Bob the Key"
reads it, presumably it was "Bob the Person" who read it.

(Again, Bob the Key = Bob the Person to many of us. If Bob the Person has
let his private key out, so that Chuck the Person is also able to read the
Bob the Key stuff, etc., then of course cryptography cannot really handle
this situtation.)

--Tim May


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