Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

TOFU + a standard or convention for validating keys with Face-To-Face verfication?

If I go to a bank or business, and as part of setting up a relationship they hand me a pamphlet printed with their Public Key Fingerprint, AND the browser shows me that fingerprint image at first use, ..... then that's pretty reliable verification, isn't it?




Where would you go to check for Amazon's fingerprint?


A standard for face-to-face TOFU checking would be in addition to the PKI infrastructure, and to facilitate a secure way to use self-signed certs.

Obviously we've never had face-to-face relationships with the likes of Paypal, Stripe, etc, and would still rely on our browser and operating system vendors to validate the chain of authority.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: