Memory Hole spec and documentation: https://github.com/modernpgp/memoryhole/ Workshop at 2nd OpenPGP Email Summit, Dec 2015 run by dkg

Overview / Status

t.b.d.

Workshop Notes

Parts of toipc to regard: UI, Generation, Interpreting

General

  • memhole headers have to be first mime part within email/protected area.
  • protected email = memory hole signed/encrypted email ??? first memhole headers found within protected part of email should bubble out and be displayed to the user.

Signed

Generating

  • Memhole for signed message easiest to accomplish, presentation available already in every mua
  • Select headers to protect when signing:
  • From
  • To, CC
  • Date
  • Reply-To
  • Message-ID
  • References, In-Reply-To
  • memoryhole header line, including memhole version
  • include flag if first existing rfc822 part inside protected area should be interpreted as force-display header
  • Order to interpret each line has protection info, starts with 0 exclude content-type! just from top level how to resolve differences

Display/UI

  • show that headers are memhole headers somehow
  • show memhole headers accordingly to mua style of showing (non) tampered signatures/emails
  • when receiving emails with signed and unsigned parts, user should be able to show unsigned/”weird” parts of email. by default only display signed parts
  • memhole is designed to ensure that the mime body of email is signed! (or at least some specific parts are signed)
  • if memhole message protected only display protected/signed header lines.
  • display in mua if (un)signed (=(un)protected) email is not memhole protected!
  • strikeout
  • prefix text
  • click-to-display
  • color/background
  • frames
  • fonts (italics/bold)
  • icons

Encryption

  • including protected headers in encrypted part preempts splicing attack (combining headers from mail a and encrypted mail b)

Generating

  • Choose by yourself which headers to force-display and which are stripable when encrypting:
  • From
  • To, CC
  • Date
  • Reply-To
  • Message-ID
  • References, In-Reply-To
  • memoryhole header line, including memhole version
  • memhole headers may only appaer in the first protected mime part or in the force-display section (text/rfc-822headers part)

Displaying/UI

  • how to communicate unencrypted headers (metadata) to the user?

Open questions

  • include/protect conten-description in signed emails?
  • email manifest/separate headers? -> discussion about manifests should be started/continued within mailing list
  • how do i detect stubbing securely?
  • non-stripped-encryption-protected-headers: how to display?

Updated: