Package signature

With Anaconda Inc.

Current work:

start with a 1st working implementation similar or using conda-content-trust to:
- sign repodata.json metadata
- read and update roles from the client
- verify packages signatures

Future work:

handling of multiple servers/channels
- TUF model scalable at channel level (= 1 root key/channel)?
- how to deal with multiple servers/channels having their own root certificates/keys
Issues with v1.0 spec
- different roles (snapshot, timestamp in v1.0), (key_mgr in v0.6)
  - sign the repodata.json itself
  - no delegation of the root role itself but of the top-level targets role
- scalability
  - handling large repodata.json files
    - compatibility with json patches
  - numerous delegations
    - filesystem bottleneck (on win)
  - etc.
- v0.6
  - published?
  - what versions are audited ? https://theupdateframework.io/audits/
    - does v0.6 contains known vulnerabilities?
what workflow for the final user
- integration with CI/runners
- support for maintainers privates keys? or only server signing online?
  - reproducible builds?

Meeting objectives:

Attendees:

Discussion:

how to sign a package at build time and persist that signature
- when moving package through channels, or servers (mirrors, etc.)
conda-content-trust uses an adaptation of TUF
- mainly to simplify the implementation
  - we still need to take care about the diff to TUF spec
    - for security
    - TUF is audited and it provides some guarantees about its design
  - having a spec/design doc about conda content trust would be great
    - maybe just a diff vs TUF vx.y.z is enough!
    - we can join efforts to do that
- snapshot, timestamp, targets -> requires to know what's in the repo
  - more protections (mix match, etc.) would be great
  - have to figure out how to implement it in the future
QS people will be happy to open PRs on conda-content-trust repo
- use JSON schema?
- work on using GPG or other ED25519 key storage?
- etc.

Wolf notes:

To not download too much metadata: hashed bin delegations (https://github.com/theupdateframework/tuf/blob/develop/docs/TUTORIAL.md#delegate-to-hashed-bins)
Interesting reference papers: diplomat or mercury papers

Actions:

QS: start to contribute on conda-content-trust / provide feedback on it
Sebastien: figure out if it's possible to sign a delegation for QS, for testing compatibility
Sebastien: provide doc about signing protocol
All: start a conda trust model/spec? or diff vs TUF?