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Date: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 11:54:02 -0400
From: Daniel F <nanotube@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Safe auto-updating
Precedence: list

If you want package authentication, you should at least throw in some
digital signing, not just a checksum. With a compromised host, both the
checksum and binaries can be changed undetectably, but if there's a
signature made by a key that is not kept on the host, there's no way to
fake a valid binary.

There may be other issues people would want to bring up, but surely just
a checksum is not sufficient.

on 08/05/2013 10:39 AM Wendell said the following:
> For usability purposes, we at Hive would like to have an
> auto-updater
in our wallet app.
> 
> What is a safe way to do this? I understand that Bitcoin-QT lacks
> such
an updater for security reasons... Has been thought out in more detail
since that decision was made?
> 
> We have been toying around with the idea of placing one server
> behind
a Tor hidden service, whose only function is to output a checksum of the
update package. The theory is that if it is well-secured, it will at
least be immune to tampering at the physical hosting level.
> 
> Any thoughts or advice about any of this?
> -wendell
> 
> grabhive.com | twitter.com/grabhive | gpg: 6C0C9411
> 
> 
> 
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