Re: BGP Security and PKI Hierarchies (was: Re: Wifi Security)

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () cs columbia edu>]

In message <17283.32422.105302.757816 () roam psg com>, Randy Bush writes:
> > I believe a web of trust can be operationally feasible only if the web
> > is more like a forest - if there are several well known examples of
> > "tops" to the web.  Otherwise, you have to be storing a plethora of
> > different signers' certificates to be able to validate all the
> > institution's certificates that come in.
>
> you need those certs to verify the live data anyway
Right.  The real issue is the trust determination -- how do you know 
that the certificate corresponds to something resembling reality 
(whatever that is)?

                --Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb