SEC-CACHING editorial issue...
Jim Gettys (jg@pa.dec.com)
Thu, 12 Feb 1998 11:05:55 -0800
Larry is worried we don't say enough explicitly in security considerations
on the threats that proxy caching represent...
I just drafted and added this text to Rev-02 in preparation (expect by
the end of next week).
- Jim
15.7 Proxy Caching
By their very nature, HTTP proxies and proxy caches are men-in-the-middle,
and open up clients to men-in-the-middle attacks. Compromise of the systems
on which the proxies run can result in both serious security and privacy
problems. Operators of HTTP proxy caches should treat the systems on which
the proxies run as very sensitive systems, since both personal information
and security related information usually present in the proxies, and all
sorts of potential attacks on clients are possible from such systems.
Log information gathered at such proxies often contains highly sensitive
personal information, and should be carefully guarded and appropriate
guidelines for use developed and followed. (Section 15.1.1).
Users of proxy caches need to be aware that they are no more trustworthy
than the people who run the proxy caches; HTTP itself cannot solve this
problem.
--
Jim Gettys
Industry Standards and Consortia
Digital Equipment Corporation
Visting Scientist, World Wide Web Consortium, M.I.T.
http://www.w3.org/People/Gettys/
jg@w3.org, jg@pa.dec.com