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submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by BarterClub@sh.itjust.works to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[-] Wander@yiffit.net 178 points 11 months ago

No, the signatures wouldn't match.

[-] Saik0Shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com 4 points 11 months ago

That's an assumption that lemmy will quit federating with a server that does not match.

And what signature are we talking about anyway? Is not certificates...

[-] Wander@yiffit.net 17 points 11 months ago

Activitypub signatures that each user and group sends out their messages with.

[-] priapus@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago

It's not an assumption, it's how activitypub works.

[-] Saik0Shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com 0 points 11 months ago

Can you show me documentation that shows communities or servers are signed?

[-] priapus@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago
[-] Saik0Shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com 1 points 11 months ago

So looking at that spec... Nothing there is validation that current messages originate from an "original" server...

I don't think either of these signature options for Server to Server communications means that my current lemmy.saik0.com instance can't be torn down (delete LXC container) and reconfigured as a brand new instance (New LXC container) and other instances wouldn't know that there's been a change to the instance running here... or more accurately would flag a change. I think these signatures are all about not being able to spoof OTHER instances. eg, lemmy.ml can't send messages on behalf of lemmy.world.

[-] priapus@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago

I assumed that once federated the public key would be remembered and signatures that do not match it would be handled, but you may be correct. I do wonder whether this could be a problem as instances close down over time. I'll have to spend some more time researching to see if there's a more clear answer, or if any ActivityPub implementations have their own way of handling that situation.

[-] Saik0Shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah that's my worry. I'm pretty sure(and could be wrong) that message/ keys are only checked on ingestion. So i would get key value for a message coming in and can check that is currently valid, not that it's "changed" since 2 months back. I think this could allow for some one to ressurrect an old Lemmy service and masquerade as the old one... communities , users... all of it.

this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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