IETF Starts Work On Next-Generation HTTP Standards 82
alphadogg writes "With an eye towards updating the Web to better accommodate complex and bandwidth-hungry applications, the Internet Engineering Task Force has started work on the next generation of HTTP, the underlying protocol for the Web. The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), is a security protocol designed to protect Internet users from hijacking. The HSTS is an opt-in security enhancement whereby web sites signal browsers to always communicate with it over a secure connection. If the user is using a browser that complies with HSTS policy, the browser will automatically switch to a secure version of the site, using 'https' without any intervention of the user. 'It's official: We're working on HTTP/2.0,' wrote IETF Hypertext Transfer Protocol working group chair Mark Nottingham, in a Twitter message late Tuesday."
"secure" connection (Score:2, Insightful)
There's going to be push-back from corporations on this one unless they break it so it's insecure. Truly secure browser-to-server communication resistant to man in the middle attacks would mean IT can't record and document what information is being sent from employees' computers. Legal will put the kabosh on the use of any tech that prevents them from papering over their asses by saying they did everything possible to prevent transmission of confidential/proprietary data. Note: Everything in a corporation is considered confidential and proprietary, including "Hello, world."
Whatever they're planning will involve some manner of broken certificate issuing authorities, or some backdoor way so that an interested party can "legitimately" spy on the over the wire traffic. You can count on it: A truly secure communications medium is the one thing nobody with money wants to have in existance. It threatens so many (admitedly broken) business models... in fact there's an entire tech ecosystem built around the inherent insecurities of modern information infrastructure. They don't want it fixed: Broken = money. Fixed = broke.