HTTP Digest Integrity

Another look, in light of recent attacks

Recent history has proven that web communications security is highly
lacking in redundancy. That is, simple breaks in common protocols,
such as SSL/TLS or the authentication mechanisms which support it,
often lead to catastrophic gaps in security. Recent examples of this
fragile architecture abound, and even when protocols and
implementations themselves are sound, research indicates browser user
interfaces continue to leave room for serious attacks.

This paper explores how the seldom-used HTTP digest authentication
protocol can be used to mitigate certain recent forms of attack,
including SSL/TLS renegotiation and some types of HTTP request
smuggling.


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