Add symbols for ASN1 print functions, update ordinal file.

[openssl.git] / FAQ

diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ
index 82d8a6f887c251e18a9ab359b8fe162fe8a3cd58..c40e7e5f66090a0a1a90e735f46ee8cc8d9e926d 100644 (file)
--- a/FAQ
+++ b/FAQ
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ OpenSSL  -  Frequently Asked Questions
 * Why does my browser give a warning about a mismatched hostname?
 * How do I install a CA certificate into a browser?
 * Why is OpenSSL x509 DN output not conformant to RFC2253?
+* What is a "128 bit certificate"? Can I create one with OpenSSL?
 
 [BUILD] Questions about building and testing OpenSSL
 
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ OpenSSL  -  Frequently Asked Questions
 * Which is the current version of OpenSSL?
 
 The current version is available from <URL: http://www.openssl.org>.
-OpenSSL 0.9.8 was released on July 5th, 2005.
+OpenSSL 0.9.8a was released on October 11th, 2005.
 
 In addition to the current stable release, you can also access daily
 snapshots of the OpenSSL development version at <URL:
@@ -386,6 +387,43 @@ interface, the "-nameopt" option could be introduded. See the manual
 page of the "openssl x509" commandline tool for details. The old behaviour
 has however been left as default for the sake of compatibility.
 
+* What is a "128 bit certificate"? Can I create one with OpenSSL?
+
+The term "128 bit certificate" is a highly misleading marketing term. It does
+*not* refer to the size of the public key in the certificate! A certificate
+containing a 128 bit RSA key would have negligible security.
+
+There were various other names such as "magic certificates", "SGC
+certificates", "step up certificates" etc.
+
+You can't generally create such a certificate using OpenSSL but there is no
+need to any more. Nowadays web browsers using unrestricted strong encryption
+are generally available.
+
+When there were tight export restrictions on the export of strong encryption
+software from the US only weak encryption algorithms could be freely exported
+(initially 40 bit and then 56 bit). It was widely recognised that this was
+inadequate. A relaxation the rules allowed the use of strong encryption but
+only to an authorised server.
+
+Two slighly different techniques were developed to support this, one used by
+Netscape was called "step up", the other used by MSIE was called "Server Gated
+Cryptography" (SGC). When a browser initially connected to a server it would
+check to see if the certificate contained certain extensions and was issued by
+an authorised authority. If these test succeeded it would reconnect using
+strong encryption.
+
+Only certain (initially one) certificate authorities could issue the
+certificates and they generally cost more than ordinary certificates.
+
+Although OpenSSL can create certificates containing the appropriate extensions
+the certificate would not come from a permitted authority and so would not
+be recognized.
+
+The export laws were later changed to allow almost unrestricted use of strong
+encryption so these certificates are now obsolete.
+
+
 [BUILD] =======================================================================
 
 * Why does the linker complain about undefined symbols?