Curated

Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience
Curated Web-of-Trust keyrings for free software
Gunnar Wolf projects: A case study on Debian’s experience
Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging Gunnar Wolf

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
LibrePlanet 2018; Cambridge, MA, USA; March 24-25 2018
forward. . .
 Contenidos

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study 1 Introduction: Trust models
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
2 Trust aging
Introduction:
Trust models

3 Measuring Key Signing Parties

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
4 Pushing this study forward. . .
forward. . .
 The Debian keyrings: a curated Web of Trust

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .

Figure: Graphical representation of the strong set of the Debian

keyring back in 2000
 Social studies from transitive trust graphs — And
Debian’s relative weight
Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
(a) Whole "leaf" (b) Sorted by TLD
forward. . .

Figure: Webs of Trust can teach us quite a bit - Dissecting the Leaf
of Trust (Cederlöf 2008)
 Work started after a big migration. . .

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .

Figure: Breakdown of the Debian keyrings by key length, showing the

migration away from short keys (<2048 bits)
 Out of curiosity, the shape of the keyring

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience Played with giving the keyring to graphviz
Gunnar Wolf Might not be the best tool
Graph orientation and general shape is not stable
Introduction:
Trust models . . . But the results are interesting nonetheless!
Trust aging Keys are nodes, signatures are edges
Of course, it looks like a simple, useless blob. . .
Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .
 Just a simple, boring blob: Debian Developers,
2015.01.01
Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .

Figure: Our WoT — A maze of twisty passages, all alike

 A fun blob: Debian Developers, January 2014

Curated
Web-of-
Trust Thanks to having everything under Git (version control), we
keyrings for
free software have a handy window to the past. . .
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models What does this split mean?
Trust aging
Why did it appear?
Measuring
Key Signing
Parties
Where does it come from?
Pushing this How did it get there?
study
forward. . .
When did it appear?

Figure: It’s ALIVE!!!

 Evolution of the keyring

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
(a) Jan 2009 (b) Jan 2010 (c) Jan 2011 (d) Jan 2012
Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . . (e) Jan 2014 (f) Dec 2014 (g) Jan 2015

Figure: Snapshots of the Debian keyring evolution at different points

in time
 Contenidos

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study 1 Introduction: Trust models
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
2 Trust aging
Introduction:
Trust models

3 Measuring Key Signing Parties

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
4 Pushing this study forward. . .
forward. . .
 Hypothesis: Keyring aging?

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
Leading to, and mostly during 2014, a huge portion of our
on Debian’s keyring was replaced
experience
One of the “blobs” marks older keys, the other new
Gunnar Wolf
replacements?
Introduction: But why the split began as early as 2011?
Trust models
Note that nodes are grouped by their cross-signatures not
Trust aging by the key age (hence a 1024D key could be in the
Measuring
Key Signing
“younger” group and be expired!)
Parties
Or it marks a generation of Debian Developers, slowly
reducing their involvement?
Pushing this
study
forward. . .
 Lets add some color!

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
Nodes are irrelevant (point), only edges are important
projects: A
case study Edges represent key signatures; color denotes signature age
WRT the point in time the snapshot was taken
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models Table: Color key for the resulting graphs
Trust aging
Blue Less than one year
Measuring
Key Signing Green 1 to 2 years
Parties
Yellow 2 to 3 years
Orange 3 to 4 years
Pushing this
study

Red over 4 years old

forward. . .
 Same old keyrings: 2014.01.12

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .

Figure: Big, red, disconnected blob

 Same old keyrings: 2015.01.01

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . .

Figure: Still some areas dominated by color, but much better

distributed
 Same ten-keyring snapshot

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
(a) Jan 2009 (b) Jan 2010 (c) Jan 2011 (d) Jan 2012
Introduction:
Trust models

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
forward. . . (e) Jan 2014 (f) Dec 2014 (g) Jan 2015

Figure: Snapshots of the Debian keyring evolution at different points

in time, showing signature age. Signature coloring is relative to each
of the snapshots.
 Contenidos

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study 1 Introduction: Trust models
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
2 Trust aging
Introduction:
Trust models

3 Measuring Key Signing Parties

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
4 Pushing this study forward. . .
forward. . .
 What is a KSP?

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software

At developer gatherings, such as DebConf

projects: A
case study
on Debian’s
experience But also at other Free Software conferences — Hint, hint!
Gunnar Wolf Each participant of the KSP verifies identity of the others,
prepares for later signing and mailing the key certification
Introduction:
Trust models Good practice! Use caff (in Debian’s signing-party
Trust aging package)
Measuring
Key Signing
As a result, the overall strength of the WoT grows
Parties Linking geographically-distant people, or people from
Pushing this different backgrounds. . .
study
forward. . .
 Small-scale vs. Large-scale KSPs

Curated
Web-of- Sometimes, you expect to
Trust
keyrings for exchange only a few
free software
projects: A signatures. . . Things stay
case study
on Debian’s
simple
experience
1 Exchange paper slips with
full fingerprints
Gunnar Wolf

Introduction:
2 Be reasonably sure of your
Trust models
Sometimes. . . It’s too many
peer’s identity
people!
Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties
KSP has to be arranged in
Pushing this
advance!
study
forward. . . Verify integrity of a shared
document with all
fingerprints
Just tick boxes (carefully!)
 Studying each big KSP as a keyring

Curated Abdelhakim Qbaich

Web-of-
Trust
Jérémy Lecour

Nicholas D Steeves

keyrings for Taowa

free software
drebs

Matthias Klumpp

projects: A David Goulet

Alba Crespi Boixader
William Blough

case study
Eric Morino Clément Hermann Benoît SÉRIE Afif Elghraoui

Gregory Colpart

on Debian’s ChangZhuo Chen Joel W Shea

Antoine Beaupré
G. Branden Robinson Taowa Munene-Tardif

Simon McVittie

experience Eugene Zhukov

Jean Schurger

Apollon Oikonomopoulos
Siri Reiter
Jonathan McDowell

David Steele
Simon McVittie
Harlan Lieberman-Berg
Valerie R Young
Dominik Szmek NIIBE Yutaka Micah Anderson
Josue Ortega
Moray Allan

Gunnar Wolf
Tollef Fog Heen
Dominic Hargreaves
Markus Koschany Clint Adams Jerome Charaoui

Eric Dorland Sean Whitton

Russ Allbery Aigars Mahinovs Michael Jeanson

Yao Wei Ying-Chun Liu

Daniel Lange
Hideki Yamane
Milan Kupcevic
Milan Kupcevic
Lucas Nussbaum

Tom Marble Jonathan McDowell Chris Boot

Jimmy Kaplowitz Guido Günther

Introduction:
Julián Moreno Patiño Noèl Köthe
Michael Banck
Faidon Liambotis Keith Packard

Bdale Garbee

Aurelien Jarno
Wouter Verhelst John Paul Adrian Glaubitz Stefano Zacchiroli

Trust models
Jonathan Carter
Sven Bartscher Michael Meskes Geoffrey Thomas
Tzafrir Cohen
Lev Lamberov

Chris Lamb Martin F. Krafft Don Armstrong

Lior Kaplan Luca Filipozzi
Nicolas Dandrimont
Kurt Roeckx

Moritz Mühlenhoff
Stefano Rivera
Roger Shimizu Lee Garrett
Didier Raboud James Cowgill Adam Majer
Philip Hands

Trust aging
Rémi Vanicat Piotr Ozarowski
Sascha Steinbiss

Tobias Frost Jonas Smedegaard

Gunnar Eyal Wolf Iszaevich
Roger Shimizu
Rhonda D'Vine Enrico Zini Michal Čihař Julien Cristau
Laszlo Boszormenyi Romain Dessort
Steven Chamberlain
Rhonda
Andrei Shadura
David Prévot
Christoph Biedl gregor herrmann
Aaron M. Ucko
Moritz Muehlenhoff

Measuring Paul Gevers Antonio Terceiro

Thomas Lange

Faidon Liambotis
Cyril Brulebois SZALAY Attila
James Valleroy

Key Signing Maria Glukhova

Kyle Robbertze
Andreas Bombe

Julian Andres Klode

Stéphane Blondon

Stefan Fritsch Kåre Thor Olsen jathan

tony mancill
David Bremner

Kartik Mistry
Gerhard A. Dittes

Parties
Stephan Sürken

Jens Reyer
Senthil Kumaran S
Denver Gingerich
Sebastien Delafond
Lucas Kanashiro Carsten Schoenert

Guilhem Moulin Stephen Paul Weber

Ferenc Wágner
Andreas Boll
Mike Gabriel
Hermann Lauer Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre

Pushing this Andrew Shadura

Ondřej Nový Simon Kainz

Hubert Chathi

Valessio Brito

study
Robert de Vos

Deven Bansod
Jonas Smedegaard

forward. . . Hugo Lefeuvre

Ondřej Kobližek

151 keys, 1638 signatures (including self)

Figure: Keyring for the DebConf17 KSP

 DebConf KSPs by numbers — And some observed
issues?
Curated
Web-of-
Trust
Total attendees KSP participants (%)
keyrings for Non-DD participants in KSP DDs in KSP (%)
free software DD participants in KSP
projects: A
100
case study 600
on Debian’s
experience
500 80
Gunnar Wolf

400
Keys in KSP

Introduction: 60

Percentage
Trust models
300
Trust aging
40
Measuring
Key Signing 200
Parties
20
Pushing this 100
study
forward. . .
0 0
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
DebConf edition
 Increase of internal signedness after KSPs

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for DC6 DC8 DC10 DC12 DC14 DC16
free software DC7 DC9 DC11 DC13 DC15
projects: A 30
case study
on Debian’s
Average keys % signed by key

experience 25

Gunnar Wolf
20
Introduction:
Trust models
15
Trust aging

Measuring 10
Key Signing
Parties
5
Pushing this
study
forward. . . 0
0 5 10 15
Weeks after KSP
 Contenidos

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study 1 Introduction: Trust models
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf
2 Trust aging
Introduction:
Trust models

3 Measuring Key Signing Parties

Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
study
4 Pushing this study forward. . .
forward. . .
 What about your project?

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
Applicability to other free software projects?
projects: A
case study
Correlate with events and trends spanning a wider
on Debian’s population
experience
Issue: Do we have a similar data source?
Gunnar Wolf
Particularly for GNU/FSF: Work starting to start a CWoT
Introduction:
Trust models Use from different data sources — After all, this is just
Trust aging social network graph analysis!
Measuring . . . But needs to record interpersonal relations
Key Signing
Parties
Point in time for actions
Pushing this
Should preserve history (in our case, being in Git)
study
forward. . . In the future, it can document issues related to the history
of your project. . .
 Thanks!

Curated
Web-of-
Trust
keyrings for
free software
projects: A
case study
Thanks for your attention!
on Debian’s
experience

Gunnar Wolf

Gunnar Wolf • gwolf@debian.org

Introduction:
Trust models AB41 C1C6 8AFD 668C A045 EBF8 673A 03E4 C1DB 921F
Trust aging

Measuring
Key Signing
Parties

Pushing this
Debian Project
study
forward. . .
Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas (UNAM)