Re: [entity-resolution] Re: OASIS - Catalog Threat ?

[Lauren Wood <Lauren.Wood@Sun.COM>]

OK, I think that's it then; we'll leave the spec the way it is. And 
continue with the process of disbanding the TC.

thanks,

Lauren

Grosso, Paul said the following on 12/02/2007 9:48 AM:
> I'm with Norm--I don't understand the comment, I don't
> see a problem, and I don't want to change the default
> of the prefer attribute (which is implementation 
> dependent).
> 
> paul
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Norman Walsh [mailto:ndw@nwalsh.com] 
>> Sent: Tuesday, 2007 February 06 15:59
>> To: mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org
>> Cc: entity-resolution@lists.oasis-open.org; 'Carol Geyer'
>> Subject: [entity-resolution] Re: OASIS - Catalog Threat ?
>>
>> / "Mary McRae" <mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org> was heard to say:
>> | Hi Lauren,
>> |
>> |   This email was sent to communications (Carol Geyer).
>> |
>> | Regards,
>> |
>> | Mary
>> |
>> |> 
>> |> -----Original Message-----
>> |> From: Steven J. Hathaway [mailto:shathawa@e-z.net]
>> |> Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 12:28 PM
>> |> To: communications@oasis-open.org
>> |> Subject: OASIS - Catalog Threat ?
>> |> 
>> |> I recommend that (Sec: 4.1.1) of the OASIS entity resolver 
>> |> catalog specification be revised to help avoid the 
>> |> development of products that have misleading identifier trust.
>> |> 
>> |> OASIS is a general entity resolver and catalog.  It can now 
>> |> be used with XML.  The specification document (Sec: 4.1.1) 
>> |> describing the 'prefer' attribute may harbor a security 
>> |> threat related to identifier trust.
>> |> 
>> |> Normally, the Public identifiers have global scope, and 
>> |> therefore a high probability of trust.  The System 
>> |> identifiers normally have a restricted scope - that of a 
>> |> specific system - and therefore do not have the global trust.
>> |> 
>> |> When a document is passed between systems, it is undefined 
>> |> what the scope of System identifier implies.  Herein lies an 
>> |> OASIS catalog threat.  A document may have both Public and 
>> |> System identifiers proclaiming to be associated with the 
>> |> Public resource.  Since the document could be received from a 
>> |> foreign system, the Public and System identifiers may no 
>> |> longer define the same resource. The System identifiers in 
>> |> messages received from foreign systems should have a lower 
>> |> threshold of trust than Public identifiers.
>> |> 
>> |> The 'prefer' attribute is often set to 'public' for a catalog 
>> |> or group.  And if both a Public and System identifier for the 
>> |> resource reside in the catalog, the System replacement text 
>> |> is used.  Most developers would imply that the Public 
>> |> replacement text should be used (See Section 4.1.1. table).
>> |> 
>> |> The 'prefer' attribute should be set to 'system' to handle 
>> |> those documents that are only generated and consumed by the 
>> |> same system.
>>
>> I'm not sure I understand the comment. Users are free to set the
>> prefer attribute to system if they wish.
>>
>> The catalog standard does not specify a default value for the prefer
>> attribute and mandates that tools provide a way for the user to
>> specify it.
>>
>>                                         Be seeing you,
>>                                           norm
>>
>> -- 
>> Norman Walsh
>> XML Standards Architect
>> Sun Microsystems, Inc.
>>