CryptoIDs

Paper 1: Public Key Distribution through "cryptoIDs" (.pdf, .html) (presented at NSPW 2003)
Paper 2: The CryptoID Key Management Protocols (.pdf) (the best introduction)
Code: CryptoIDlib python library and command-line tools v0.3.3 (.gz, .zip, readme.txt, API docs)

CryptoIDs are small, user-friendly key fingerprints like 'dubo9.sanre.wivip.wqsqy'. Since they're short, users could treat them as a form of contact info (like phone numbers, postal addresses, etc.).

The cryptoID for each user would be a hash of some root keys chosen by the user. These keys would either be held by the user or by some user-chosen key management servers which issue short-lived certificates and validation signatures. These servers would allow the user to achieve cryptoID mobility, key revocation, and key replacement while keeping her fingerprint constant.

Basically, cryptoIDs are an attempt to design the best possible fingerprint, improving on things like PGP and SSH fingerprints.

Paper #1 presents the fingerprint and certificate formats. Paper #2 presents the key management protocols. CryptoIDlib is a python implementation of the system.

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