* [bitcoindev] Pre-BIP feedback: Secrets keychain with semantic derivation
@ 2024-05-28 2:04 Aneesh Karve
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From: Aneesh Karve @ 2024-05-28 2:04 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Bitcoin Development Mailing List
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Greetings,
After reading and implementing BIP-85 <https://github.com/akarve/bipsea> I
entertained the possibility of a generalized keychain application atop
hierarchical deterministic wallets.
Here is the pre-proposal for said BIP-Keychain on GitHub
<https://github.com/akarve/bip-keychain>. Below are the Abstract and
Motivation. See the link above for the full spec.
Let me know if I should proceed to submit this as a proper BIP.
Thank you.
# Abstract
We extend the hierarchical deterministic wallet chain from BIP-32 with a new
application code for BIP-85 and a deterministic path derivation algorithm
that allows applications to create a large key-value map of secrets where
the key
for each secret is a meaningful semantic path, as opposed to an arbitrary
integer.
This secure key-value map can replace modern password managers and offers
an improved, possibly trustless security profile.
# Motivation
BIP-85 specifies how to derive passwords, private keys, and entropy from
paths
with the following form:
```
m/83696968'/{app_no}'/{index}'
```
Nevertheless BIP-85 has the following ambiguities and shortcomings:
1. Path construction is arbitrary in that there is no well-defined
procedure to
extend the path for applications that require more than two parameters.
The implied convention is for paths to end with `{some_integer_n}'{index}'`
but there is no guidance on the order of parameters for applications that
need more
than two inputs.
1. Return types for applications vary in interpretation and are
not specific enough to be actionable. For example sometimes `n` represents
the
number of bytes, sometimes the number of characters, sometimes the number of
BIP-39 words, etc.
Moreover, modern password managers protect hot child secrets with a single
root
master hot secret such that if the master secret is compromised all
children are
also compromised.
BIP-Keychain proposes a new paradigm where numerous hot or cold secrets are
derived
from hot but non-secret-compromising _derivation path keys_ that are in
turn stored
under a hot master secret such that if this hot master is compromised only
the
_derivation path keys_, and not the actual child secrets (_derivation path
values_),
are compromised. Said hot master secret can itself be the child derivative
of a
cold master key. The master key for deriving the secret values need not be
stored
online nor with the derivation path keys and may be provided just-in-time
by the
application.
Moreover, _generalized derivation paths_ may be interpreted not simply as an
input to key derivation but also as information about the real world.
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