Blockchain TLD’s, Identity Key Management

Blockchain Top Level Domains (TLDs): Identity, Key Management

Day/Session:Wednesday 4D

Convener:Greg Slepak

Notes-taker(s): Heather Vescent

Discussion notes, key understandings, outstanding questions, observations, and, if appropriate to this discussion: action items, next steps:

Link to Heather’s google doc & notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qNx-MWzoc9PpMrYGH9jNFJnYTkzhKLH6Kw3W1bfzPZw/edit?usp=sharing

What's a TLD - top level domain.

e.e.g .com .org

What's not a top level domain: apple.com (just a normal domain)

Security problems: someone eavesdropping on the conversation.

A digital communication problems since the beginning of digital communications.

Solution: Https

Certificate Authorities - entities you’ve never met. Root authorities.

You’re trusting the weakest link in this list.

A certificate authority can add someone to the list - called Intermediate authorities.

There are more than 1000-1600 combination of these two groups.

What is the fundamental difference btwn blockchains and this system?

Blockchain - collection of independent entity for consensus - aka voting. VOting on what transactions to include in a chain of blocks.

.bit was the first TLD

Truth is the longest chain.

Consensus based on proof of work.

There are other consensus models.

Trusting a collective vs trusting the weakest link of security certificates (weakest link security).

Trusting a collective is stronger.

Smart objects are not secure because… communication is not secure.

How is software running on IOT / smart objects verified? It’s not.

To verify the software you need digital signature & key management.

Key management with certificate authority is weak

But key management with blockchain, is more secure.

DPKI - decentralized public key infrastructure

Weboftrust.info

Smart contracts

A piece of computer code/program registered on the blockchain.

Bob

Bob.ens (etherium name space)

Key management

Register bob.ens and point the blockchain.

This smartcontract has a public key, managed by bob.

Iphone has a key

Ipad has a key

Laptop has a key

Three devices to sign software.

Smart contract has multisig code.

Removes iphone

Replaces it with a Fairphone / Libram 5

Create a new key

Shamir secret - sharding the key.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_Secret_Sharing

How are these keys held?

Preference: trusted computing modules…

AES256 - symmetric cipher.

Question: why did namecoin not work?

A: it’s not that it didn’t work, it works, the project doesn’t have much backing and there are competitors that are running much farther. Etherium makes smart contracts much easier.