Integrity envelopes do not survive root key rotation #65

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opened 2026-04-05 16:23:08 +00:00 by Skipper · 0 comments
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Info

Severity: MEDIUM
Attack vector: offline

Impact

Can cause integrity verification failures after root key rotation, potentially locking operators out or preventing safe recovery from root-key compromise.

Description

Integrity signing and verification use root_key_history_id as the key version. After root key rotation, existing envelopes fail verification because their key version no longer matches the current root key history identifier. There is no migration or re-signing mechanism for existing records.

Example flow

  1. Rotate the root integrity key.
  2. Attempt to verify previously signed envelopes.
  3. Hit the early version mismatch path in verification.
  4. Treat valid historical data as unavailable or tampered.

Mitigation

Implement a re-signing migration for existing envelopes and allow verification against retained historical keys during a rotation window.

# Info **Severity**: **MEDIUM** Attack vector: offline ## Impact Can cause integrity verification failures after root key rotation, potentially locking operators out or preventing safe recovery from root-key compromise. ## Description Integrity signing and verification use `root_key_history_id` as the key version. After root key rotation, existing envelopes fail verification because their key version no longer matches the current root key history identifier. There is no migration or re-signing mechanism for existing records. ## Example flow 1. Rotate the root integrity key. 2. Attempt to verify previously signed envelopes. 3. Hit the early version mismatch path in verification. 4. Treat valid historical data as unavailable or tampered. ## Mitigation Implement a re-signing migration for existing envelopes and allow verification against retained historical keys during a rotation window.
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Reference: MarketTakers/arbiter#65