Skip to content

Commit 92ef862

Browse files
committed
Expand Security Considerations with verification requirements
Signed-off-by: Christopher Allen <ChristopherA@LifeWithAlacrity.com>
1 parent b9a44ce commit 92ef862

1 file changed

Lines changed: 24 additions & 3 deletions

File tree

papers/bcr-2026-004-signing-event-assertions.md

Lines changed: 24 additions & 3 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -249,11 +249,32 @@ Common values: approval, acknowledgment, witness, receipt, origin.
249249

250250
## Security Considerations
251251

252-
Signing event assertions are claims by the signer. Relying parties must verify both signatures, confirm they use the same key, resolve the XID, and evaluate plausibility.
252+
### Verification Requirements
253253

254-
For signature-with-assertions, different keys indicate tampering. For wrapped signing, different keys are expected.
254+
For signature-with-assertions pattern, verifiers MUST:
255255

256-
When `signer` is elided, signatures remain valid but identity is hidden.
256+
1. Verify the outer signature (on wrapped signature-with-assertions)
257+
2. Verify the inner signature (on content)
258+
3. Confirm both signatures use the **same public key**
259+
260+
If both signatures are valid but use different keys, the envelope has been tampered with — someone added assertions to another party's signature.
261+
262+
For wrapped signing (third-party assertions), different keys are expected — the third party's key signs the outer envelope.
263+
264+
### Claims vs Proof
265+
266+
Signing event assertions are claims by the signer, not proof. Relying parties must:
267+
- Resolve the XID to verify the claimed identity
268+
- Evaluate whether claims (role, representation) are plausible
269+
- Check delegation chains if `signedOnBehalfOf` is present
270+
271+
### Elision
272+
273+
When `signer` is elided, signatures remain valid but identity is hidden. This enables selective disclosure while preserving cryptographic verification.
274+
275+
### Implementation
276+
277+
For API guidance and reference implementation, see BCR-2024-009.
257278

258279
## References
259280

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)