GNU bug report logs - #15792
24.3; Builtin TLS support should enable certificate verification support by default

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Vincent Bernat <bernat <at> luffy.cx>
Subject: bug#15792: closed (Re: bug#15792: 24.3; Builtin TLS support
 should enable certificate verification support by default)
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 21:08:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#15792: 24.3; Builtin TLS support should enable certificate verification support by default

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 15792 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
15792: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=15792
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Vincent Bernat <bernat <at> luffy.cx>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 15792-close <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15792: 24.3;
 Builtin TLS support should enable certificate verification support by
 default
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 22:07:16 +0100

 ❦  2 novembre 2013 19:48 CET, Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org> :

> See http://debbugs.gnu.org/13374 and related discussion.

Thanks! Sorry for the duplicate, I didn't find this bug report.
-- 
printk("??? No FDIV bug? Lucky you...\n");
	2.2.16 /usr/src/linux/include/asm-i386/bugs.h

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From: Vincent Bernat <bernat <at> luffy.cx>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 24.3;
 Builtin TLS support should enable certificate verification support by
 default
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 16:05:21 +0100

Hi!

New builtin TLS support disables certificate verification by
default. This is a very bad practice and the default should be to check
for certificate validity.

Moreover, the end-user of a package using this builtin support has no
easy way to enable the verification of TLS certificates. For example,
Gnus does not provide anything to enable this and as a simple user, it
seems quite difficult to ensure that certificates are verified. And each
package has the responsability to enable this option. This is
cumbersome.

Previously, enabling/disabling certificate verification was easy. You
set `tls-program` variable to something that checks or don't check for
certificates. For gnutls-client, this was a matter of using or not using
the `--insecure` switch.

I didn't find a way to disable the builtin TLS support (other than to
recompile Emacs).

I propose:

 1. Verify the certificates by default.
 2. Prompt the user if there is a problem.
 3. Add the possibility to not check for certificates by default.

I can provide a patch for the first step but I have little Emacs-fu for
the other two parts (all the more that most of the code is in C).
-- 
Use variable names that mean something.
            - The Elements of Programming Style (Kernighan & Plauger)

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