[Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Mike Hearn]

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In case you didn't see this yet,

http://gavintech.blogspot.ch/2014/03/it-aint-me-ive-got-pgp-imposter.html

If you're using PGP to verify Bitcoin downloads, it's very important that
you check you are using the right key. Someone seems to be creating fake
PGP keys that are used to sign popular pieces of crypto software, probably
to make a MITM attack (e.g. from an intelligence agency) seem more
legitimate.

I think the Mac DMG's of Core are signed for Gatekeeper, but do we codesign
the Windows binaries? If not it'd be a good idea, if only because AV
scanners learn key reputations to reduce false positives. Of course this is
not a panacea, and Linux unfortunately does not support X.509 code signing,
but having extra signing can't really hurt.

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Re: [Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Gavin Andresen]

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On Sat, Mar 22, 2014 at 1:03 PM, Mike Hearn <mike@plan99.net> wrote:

> do we codesign the Windows binaries?


Yes, the -setup.exe installers are Authenticode (or whatever Microsoft is
calling that these days) code-signed.

-- 
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Gavin Andresen

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Re: [Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Peter Todd]

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On Sat, Mar 22, 2014 at 06:03:03PM +0100, Mike Hearn wrote:
> In case you didn't see this yet,
> 
> http://gavintech.blogspot.ch/2014/03/it-aint-me-ive-got-pgp-imposter.html
> 
> If you're using PGP to verify Bitcoin downloads, it's very important that
> you check you are using the right key. Someone seems to be creating fake
> PGP keys that are used to sign popular pieces of crypto software, probably
> to make a MITM attack (e.g. from an intelligence agency) seem more
> legitimate.

Note that Bitcoin source and binary downloads are protected by both the
PGP WoT and the certificate authority PKI system. The binaries are
hosted on bitcoin.org, which is https and protected by a the PKI system,
and the source code is hosted on github, again, https protected. A MITM
attack would need to compromise the PKI system as well, at least
provided users aren't fooled into downloading over http.

-- 
'peter'[:-1]@petertodd.org
0000000000000000657de91df7a64d25adfd3ff117bc30d00f5aa3065894f4a5

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Re: [Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Oliver Egginger]

Am 22.03.2014 18:03, schrieb Mike Hearn:
> In case you didn't see this yet,
> 
> http://gavintech.blogspot.ch/2014/03/it-aint-me-ive-got-pgp-imposter.html
> 
> If you're using PGP to verify Bitcoin downloads, it's very important
> that you check you are using the right key. Someone seems to be creating
> fake PGP keys that are used to sign popular pieces of crypto software,
> probably to make a MITM attack (e.g. from an intelligence agency) seem
> more legitimate.

From the user's perspective: In the beginning I found it difficult to
find the keys. At last I have made this side for documentation:

https://www.olivere.de/blog/archives/2013/06/02/install_bitcoin_client/

Okay, is outdated meanwhile ...

Normally people fetch the keys by key-id from a well known key server.
Not because they are paranoid, but because it is the most convenient
method under Linux.

A Google search for Gavin+Andresen+gpg brings me herein:

http://sourceforge.net/p/bitcoin/mailman/message/30551147/

Key-Id?

Nevertheless, I'm glad that you guys signed anything. That makes me
sleep better. I really check this.

- oliver

GPG: https://olivere.de/gpg

Re: [Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[Troy Benjegerdes]

On Sat, Mar 22, 2014 at 06:03:03PM +0100, Mike Hearn wrote:
> In case you didn't see this yet,
> 
> http://gavintech.blogspot.ch/2014/03/it-aint-me-ive-got-pgp-imposter.html
> 
> If you're using PGP to verify Bitcoin downloads, it's very important that
> you check you are using the right key. Someone seems to be creating fake
> PGP keys that are used to sign popular pieces of crypto software, probably
> to make a MITM attack (e.g. from an intelligence agency) seem more
> legitimate.

I find it more likely that fake PGP keys are from corporate industrial 
espionage and/or organized crime outfits. Intelligence agencies will stick
to compromised X509, network cards, and binary code blobs.

Besides, why would an intelligence agency want your bitcoin when they can 
just intercept ASIC miners and make their own?
 
> I think the Mac DMG's of Core are signed for Gatekeeper, but do we codesign
> the Windows binaries? If not it'd be a good idea, if only because AV
> scanners learn key reputations to reduce false positives. Of course this is
> not a panacea, and Linux unfortunately does not support X.509 code signing,
> but having extra signing can't really hurt.

Uhhmm, real operating system use package managers with PGP instead of pre-
compromised X.509 nonsense. https://wiki.debian.org/SecureApt


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Troy Benjegerdes                 'da hozer'                  hozer@hozed.org
7 elements      earth::water::air::fire::mind::spirit::soul        grid.coop

      Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel,
         nor try buy a hacker who makes money by the megahash

Re: [Bitcoin-development] Fake PGP key for Gavin

[The Doctor]

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Hash: SHA512

On 03/23/2014 03:12 PM, Troy Benjegerdes wrote:

> I find it more likely that fake PGP keys are from corporate
> industrial espionage and/or organized crime outfits. Intelligence
> agencies will stick to compromised X509, network cards, and binary
> code blobs.

We're seeing the same thing happen to a couple of developers active in
the censorship circumvention problem space as well (though it's not
for the first time it's happened).

> Besides, why would an intelligence agency want your bitcoin when
> they can just intercept ASIC miners and make their own?

Perhaps they have other motives for attempting a cybil attack against
developers than trying to acquire Bitcoins.  Say, by making it easier
to subtitute alternate versions which are instrumented to make the
users easier to spy upon and later take down?

- -- 
The Doctor [412/724/301/703] [ZS]
Developer, Project Byzantium: http://project-byzantium.org/

PGP: 0x807B17C1 / 7960 1CDC 85C9 0B63 8D9F  DD89 3BD8 FF2B 807B 17C1
WWW: https://drwho.virtadpt.net/

"The enemies know the system. The allies do not." --Jay Jacobs

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