[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #18577: Updates and downloads should be signed or delivered securely

[WordPress Trac]

#18577: Updates and downloads should be signed or delivered securely
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 Reporter:  wplid            |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement      |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Upgrade/Install  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal           |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  2nd-opinion      |
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Comment (by bpetty):

 Both Bluehost and !DreamHost have been working on setting up a caching
 layer in front of downloads.wordpress.org in their respective datacenters
 for the purpose of not effectively sending a denial of service when
 automatic updates are enabled (or just when major releases are pushed out
 for core, plugins, or themes).

 If you take the approach of using SSL transport for verification, those
 caching layers will no longer work, and we'll be back to denial of service
 against downloads.wordpress.org.

 So, for what it's worth, I would advise leaning more towards package
 signing.

 Besides that though, requiring SSL verification against WordPress.org
 still doesn't actually provide protection against hijacked WP.org accounts
 pushing back doors into releases. I've seen this attack used on occasion
 against popular plugin developers using weak passwords.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/18577#comment:12>
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