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revert change discussing security properties of messages
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marten-seemann committed Sep 16, 2022
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22 changes: 12 additions & 10 deletions noise/README.md
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Expand Up @@ -210,16 +210,18 @@ The Noise Protocol Framework caters for sending early data alongside handshake
messages. We leverage this construct to transmit:

1. the libp2p identity key along with a signature, to authenticate each party to
the other, and
2. extensions to the Noise handshake

Note that when sending extensions with the first message of the handshake
pattern, the data is transmitted unencrypted. When sending the payload in
message 3 (closing message), for the initiator, and in message 2, for the
responder, the data will be send encrypted with forward secrecy.
It should be stressed, that while the second message of the handshake pattern
has forward secrecy, the sender has not yet authenticated the responder,
so this payload might be sent to any party, including an active attacker.
the other.
2. arbitrary data private to the libp2p stack. This facility is not exposed to
userland. Examples of usage include streamlining muxer selection.

These payloads MUST be inserted into the first message of the handshake pattern
**that guarantees secrecy**. In practice, this means that the initiator must not
send a payload in their first message. Instead, the initiator will send its
payload in message 3 (closing message), whereas the responder will send theirs
in message 2 (their only message). It should be stressed, that the second
message of the handshake pattern has forward secrecy, however the sender has not
authenticated the responder, so this payload might be sent to any party,
including an active attacker.

When decrypted, the payload contains a serialized [protobuf][protobuf]
`NoiseHandshakePayload` message with the following schema:
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