Re: Number of developers, keyring map

[Craig Brozefsky <craig@red-bean.com>]

Joel Klecker <jk@espy.org> writes:

> At 16:25 +0200 1999-05-30, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
> >Previously Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> >> It is the single most important field to check. It serves the same purpose
> >> as the keyID except that it is much more reliable and cannot be faked at
> >> all.
> >
> >If I remember things correctly both the key-ID and the fingerprint
> >can be faked, although the the fingerprint is harder. You really
> >want the combination of both.
> 
> For RSA keys, you want the keyid, fingerprint and keylength. I've 
> seen keys that had identical fingerprints and keyids, but different 
> keylengths.

Yes, the key length is critical.  It's because of the ability to vary
the key length that this attack is possible.  MD5 is a hash, and there
are an infinite number of sequences that will generate any particular
MD5 identifier.  Obviously we are limited to throwing our much much
much smaller than "infinetly large" keys, but even within the range of
those keys acceptable to pgp there are ways to generate collisions.

-- 
Craig Brozefsky        <craig@red-bean.com>
Less matter, more form!      - Bruno Schulz
ignazz, I am truly korrupted by yore sinful tzourceware. -jb
The Osmonds! You are all Osmonds!! Throwing up on a freeway at dawn!!!