DSA default algorithm for keytool -genkeypair. Bad choice?

[Weijun Wang]

Great, I file a CSR at https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8212111. Please take a review.

Thanks
Max

> On Oct 11, 2018, at 11:44 PM, Sean Mullan <sean.mullan at oracle.com> wrote:
> 
> I think if we all really think we are better off in the long run not having defaults, we probably want to do this over 2 releases and give an advance warning that the change is coming. In JDK 12, we could emit a warning, ex:
> 
> $ keytool -genkeypair ...
> Warning: the default keypair alg (DSA) is a legacy algorithm and is no longer recommended. In the next release of the JDK, defaults will be removed and the -keyalg option must be specified.
> 
> (that's a bit wordy, but you get the idea)
> 
> --Sean
> 
> On 10/11/18 9:30 AM, Adam Petcher wrote:
>> On 10/10/2018 5:05 PM, Anthony Scarpino wrote:
>>> On 10/10/2018 07:42 AM, Weijun Wang wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> If not DSA, should RSA be the new default? Or maybe RSASSA-PSS (I wonder if RSASSA-PSS signature can always use legacy RSA keys) or EC? We don't have an option to specify ECCurve in keytool yet (a string -keysize).
>>>> 
>>>> --Max
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I would rather get rid of the default completely.
>> +1
>> In addition to the usual problems with defaults, there is also the issue that the user doesn't specify how the key pair can be used. The current default produces a key that can only be used with signatures, but if we change the default, then the key may also be used for encryption (RSA) or key agreement (EC). I worry about the problems that can arise if we change the default in a way that increases the capability of the key pair that is produced.
>