code: 9ferno

ref: 44ce0097b612a1fefd754065bdf8d9d2e5ef60c8
dir: /man/8/signer/

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.TH SIGNER 8
.SH NAME
signer, verify, countersigner \- set-top box authentication
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B auth/signer
.PP
.BI auth/verify " set-top-box-id"
.PP
.B auth/countersigner
.SH DESCRIPTION
.I Signer
and
.I countersigner
listen for requests on the service ports
.B infsigner
and
.BR infcsigner ,
respectively.
They are typically run via
.IR svc (8)
on a machine acting as authentication server for a network.
.I Verify
is invoked on the same server, after
.I signer
but before
.IR countersigner ,
following an independent check of a caller's credentials.
.PP
.I Signer
constructs an authentication certificate from the signer's key (in
.BR /keydb/signerkey )
and information from the requesting client, including
the set top box ID.
The signer's key can be created using
.IR createsignerkey (8),
but if the key does not yet exist,
.I signer
creates and initialises
.B /keydb/signerkey
itself, with an owner name of
.LR * .
.PP
.I Signer
`blinds'
the certificate by XOR-ing it with a random bit mask, then sends the result to the requesting client.
The client machine's user uses that information to establish identity with a human agent on the
signing machine.
.I Signer
also saves the both the `blinded' and `unblinded' result from the input in
.BI /keydb/signed/ set-top-box-id
for
.I verify
(see below).
.PP
.I Verify
is run on the signing server
by the agency running the authentication server, in response to
a call from a remote user who has invoked
.IR register (8)
or an equivalent.
.I Verify
checks a caller's identity using information from the file
.BI /keydb/signed/ set-top-box-id
created by
.IR signer .
The file contains the previously crafted authentication certificate and the `blinded' version of the certificate that was sent to the requesting client.
.PP
.I Verify
displays the `blinded' version textually or graphically, as appropriate, so that it can be compared to that reported by the set-top-box owner over a secure independent mechanism (for example, telephone). If the operator of
.I verify
is convinced of the identity of the caller, the operator should accept when prompted by
.IR verify .
.I Verify
then writes the authentication certificate to
.BI /keydb/countersigned/ set-top-box-id,
as input for
.I countersigner
(see
.IR signer (8)).
.PP
.I Note:
if the operator of
.I verify
accepts the identity, the set-top-box owner should be requested
to answer `yes' to the prompt displayed by
.IR register (8).
The order of
acceptance\-first on the signer, then on the client\-is essential,
to produce the countersigned certificate before invoking
.I countersigner
to read it.
.PP
.I Countersigner
sends the blinding data in
.BI /keydb/countersigned/ set-top-box-id
to the requesting client.
.SH FILES
.TF /keydb/countersigned/set-top-box-id
.TP
.B /keydb/signerkey
Secret key of the `signer' host.
.TP
.BI /keydb/signed/ set-top-box-id
Repository of `blinded' and clear certificates.
.TP
.BI /keydb/countersigned/ set-top-box-id
Repository of `unblinded' certificates.
.SH SOURCE
.B /appl/cmd/auth/signer.b
.br
.B /appl/cmd/auth/verify.b
.br
.B /appl/cmd/auth/countersigner.b
.SH SEE ALSO
.IR createsignerkey (8),
.IR register (8),
.IR svc (8)