Fwd: IESG expert review for the registration request "xliff+xml"

Hi all,

IESG has reviewed our provisional media type registration and requested below changes/explanations.

Given that we have only 30 days to provide the amended version, we should look into this immediately and pass a resolution in the meeting of 3rd February.

The reviewer had two types of concern

1) encoding considerations, which seems some misunderstanding that I will hopefully address with Robin

2) which seems more serious, security considerations

The reviewer is not happy with our statement that XLIFF has only standard XML security considerations.

We not only have extensibility, as the reviewer suspects but we also have a few standardized ways how to embed or reference executables, so they require a description how to address related risks externally (or internally, be we do not have any internal methods to address that IMHO and AFAIK).

I would very much appreciate if a TC member or a group of TC members who have experience with

1) media type registrations: Felix?, Jirka?

2) security handling of embedded executables: Fredrik?, Yves?, Jirka?

This is just my best guess who might be the suspects best suited to address this.. Please do not hesitate to take part even if you are not one of the listed suspects!

drafted the security considerations sections before our next meting, pretty much during this week.

Thanks for your attention

dF 

Dr. David Filip

=======================

OASIS XLIFF TC Secretary, Editor, and Liaison Officer 

LRC | CNGL | CSIS

University of Limerick, Ireland

telephone: +353-6120-2781

cellphone: +353-86-0222-158

facsimile: +353-6120-2734

http://www.cngl.ie/profile/?i=452

mailto: 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robin Cover <>
Date: Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 11:06 PM
Subject: IESG expert review for the registration request "xliff+xml"
To: David Filip <>
Cc: Robin Cover <>

Hi David.  Please see the communication below (received today) and the 30-day expectation formulated for a response to the IESG reviewer via the ticket system.

They offer to answer questions, if necessary ("If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.")

============

Dear Robin,

The IESG-designated expert has reviewed this request and returned the inline comments below. Please reply to this message within 30 days of 27 January with a revised version of the security considerations section and a response to the reviewer's question about encoding considerations.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Amanda Baber

IANA Request Specialist

ICANN

> Name : Robin Cover

> Email : 

> MIME media type name : Application

> MIME subtype name : Standards Tree -xliff+xml

> Required parameters : N/A

> Optional parameters :

> N/A

> Encoding considerations : 8bit

This implies the XML only uses charsets such as utf-8, and never utf-16. Are

you sure this is what you want? I don't see anything in the specification that

limits things to utf-8, although the examples are all in utf-8. If

utf-16 and similar charsets can be used this needs to change to binary.

> Security considerations :

> All of the security considerations described in RFC 7303

This isn't close to adequate. All RFC 7303 is describe the generic security

considerations for XML; you need to document those that are specific to this

type or explain why there aren't any.

In discussing the security considerations for a media type it is

necessary to cover at least these points:

(1) State whether or not the media type contains active or executable

    content. If the media type does contain executable content explain

    what measures have been taken to insure that it can be executed

    safely, e.g. a sandbox, safe operation set, signed content, etc.

(2) State whether or not the information contained in the media type

    needs privacy or integrity services.

(3) If the answer to (2) is yes, elaborate on any privacy or integrity

    services the media type itself provides, or if it doesn't provide such

    services, explain how they should be provided externally, e.g., through

    the use of SSL/TLS.

I don't see anything about executable content in the specification, but this

needs to be written by someone who knows for sure. I also note that XML

vocabularies are sometimes extensible (I didn't see that anywhere but I could

have missed it) and if so that needs to be noted as a source of possible

executable content.

I would expect there to be content of this sort that requires privacy or

integrity protection; it may or may not be appropriate to specify how that

would be provided (e.g., externally with SSL/TLS or internally with XML

signatures/encryption).

> Interoperability considerations :

> Same as interoperability considerations described in RFC 7303; also,

> interoperability requirements are specified throughout the XLIFF specification

> and summarized in its Conformance section

> Published specification :

> (a) XLIFF Version 2.0 (OASIS Standard, 05 August 2014 -

http://docs.oasis-open.org/xliff/xliff-core/v2.0/os/xliff-core-v2.0-os.html ); supported by (b) Media Type Registration Template for XLIFF Version 2.0 ( http://docs.oasis-open.org/xliff/xliff-media/v2.0/xliff-media-v2.0.html )

> Applications which use this media :

> XLIFF conformant applications, according to the Conformance Section of the

specification (

http://docs.oasis-open.org/xliff/xliff-core/v2.0/os/xliff-core-v2.0-os.html#d0e863

)

> Fragment identifier considerations :

> Generic XML processors will not be able to resolve XLIFF fragment

> identifiers, as the fragment identification syntax is specific for XLIFF and

> has been defined in its Fragment Identification section as of csd03/csprd03 of

> XLIFF Version 2.0.

> Restrictions on usage :

> N/A

> Provisional registration? (standards tree only) :

> YES

> Additional information :

> 1. Deprecated alias names for this type : N/A

> 2. Magic number(s) : N/A

> 3. File extension(s) : xlf

> 4. Macintosh file type code : "TEXT"

> 5. Object Identifiers: N/A

> Note with respect to field "5. Encoding considerations": The same as encoding considerations for application/xml as specified in RFC 7303

> Person to contact for further information :

> 1. Name : Robin Cover

> 2. Email : 

> Intended usage : Common

> [No additional comment on "Intended usage"]

> Author/Change controller : Authors: Tom Comerford (), David Filip( ), Yves Savourel (); Change control: OASIS Staff (Robin Cover)

-- 

Robin Cover
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Editor, Cover Pages and XML Daily Newslink
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