Secure decoupled messaging with DANE and the TLSA resource record
Decoupled and Secure
© Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash.com
Decoupled application design gets in the way of secure communication, but a little known feature of DNS can provide message security.
Traditional security mechanisms like Transport Layer Security (TLS) provide the ability to authenticate both sides of a direct session between two parties, and to encrypt the traffic passing over the authenticated session. For applications that fit into the footprint of the client/server architecture, TLS is a fine solution for authentication and encryption.
However, as applications become more sophisticated, client/server applications are often challenged to maintain availability with a large number of clients. Middleware layers often serve as a means for providing more graceful scaling. The practice of adding layers to the application stack connecting communicating parties is called decoupling. Decoupled applications – applications that may contain components like message queues or brokers between the message sender and receiver – have been around for many years. Decoupled designs are now employed for building massive IoT applications, like smart cities and facilities automation.
Message brokers and other middleware components offer many advantages, but they also add some complications. One problem is that a message broker prevents the sender and receiver from establishing a direct session that can be secured with TLS. If you don't have a direct connection, how do you encrypt the data and also authenticate both sides of a session?
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
News
-
Apple M1 Hardware Support to be Merged into Linux Kernel 5.13
Linux users will be able to install their favorite distribution on Apple’s M1-based hardware.
-
KDE Launches the Qt 5 Patch Collection
To support and maintain a stable Qt 5 for KDE Gears and Frameworks, KDE will maintain a patch collection.
-
Linux Creator Warns Next Kernel Could be Delayed
Linus Torvalds has issued concern about the size of kernel 5.12 and possible delays for its release.
-
System76 Updates its Pangolin Laptop
System76 has released a much-anticipated AMD version of their most popular laptop, the Pangolin.
-
New Debian-Based Distribution Arrives on the Market
TelOS is a new Debian-based Linux distribution with a customized, touch-screen-ready KDE Plasma 5 desktop.
-
System76 Releases New Thelio Desktop
One of the most ardent supporters of open source hardware has released a new desktop machine for home or office.
-
Mageia 8 Now Available with Linux 5.10 LTS
The latest release of Mageia includes improved graphics support for both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
GNOME 40 Beta has been Released
Anyone looking to test the beta for the upcoming GNOME 40 release can now do so.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 4.2 has Arrived
The latest stable version of OpenMandriva has been released and offers the newest KDE desktop and ARM support.
-
Thunderbird 78 Ported to Ubuntu 20.04
The Ubuntu developers have made the decision to port the latest release of Thunderbird to the LTS version of the platform.