Session Date/Time: 24 Feb 2026 19:00

SUIT

Summary

The SUIT interim meeting focused on updates to the draft-ietf-suit-report and draft-ietf-suit-update-management documents, addressing reviewer feedback and ongoing AD evaluation. A key discussion point was the integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into the SUIT architecture and the strategic path forward for new PQC-specific drafts, with an eye towards closing the working group in the coming years.

Key Discussion Points

draft-ietf-suit-report Updates:
- Updates primarily stemmed from IESG standard reviews and IANA feedback.
- A significant change was the addition of a new result code for the invoke command. This addresses the problem of reporting the status of an invoke command, which intrinsically does not return control to the manifest processor. The new code signifies that the manifest processor hands over to a non-returning process, allowing for completion reporting. This change necessitated an additional working group last call due to the draft's advanced status.
- Reviewer Comments (Ken):
  - Concern raised regarding the optionality of the SUIT Manifest reference URI in the Manifest draft versus its non-optional status in the Report draft. Brendan explained that the URI is optional in Manifest as not all manifests are used with reports, but it is critical in Report to make sense of records if the manifest is not locally available. The URI in the Report is intended to provide a permanent location for manifest retrieval.
  - Suggestion to reorder SUIT references to align with processing in the SUIT Manifest processor. Brendan acknowledged the point but noted conflicting use cases (fetch-then-digest vs. digest-then-fetch) without a straightforward resolution.
- TEEP Protocol Integration (Hannes):
  - Hannes suggested revising the SUIT report type in the TEEP Protocol from b-string seaboard soot report to use suit-report-protected and suit-report-unprotected for better alignment with the SUIT Report's map structure. This is primarily a TEEP-specific concern but can influence the SUIT Report draft if changes are deemed necessary for interoperability. The suit-report draft is currently in "misref" status, allowing for further changes.
  - A deadline of mid-March was noted for TEEP-related changes to facilitate the closure of the TEEP working group.
draft-ietf-suit-update-management Status:
- The draft has completed IETF last call and has four outstanding reviews, including one from Russ and AD evaluation comments.
- IANA comments (from David Dong) are available in the history tab of the DataTracker and need to be reviewed to ensure alignment with IANA's expected actions.
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for SUIT:
- Discussion initiated on the next major piece of work for SUIT: defining a PQC strategy.
- The regulatory environment, with deadlines like 2030 for PQC deployment in firmware updates, necessitates this work. Existing algorithms (e.g., ECDSA/RSA) may not be compliant with standards like CNSA 2.0.
- Current PQC options for SUIT: ML-DSA and SLH-DSA for signature algorithms are available.
- Hash-based signatures (LMS/HMSS): While classified as PQC, their stateful nature presents deployment challenges. Reference was made to a recently cleared PQIP informational RFC on "Hash-Based Signatures and Deploying a Hash-Based Signature" for guidance on these issues.
- Guidance for SUIT: The upcoming PQC draft should guide implementers towards ML-DSA and SLH-DSA, while providing careful consideration and rationale for the challenges associated with hash-based signatures.
- Falcon: Currently not a standardized option, although it shows promise for verify-only firmware signing, its floating-point usage could introduce timing side-channels in report signing.
- Integration: A decision needs to be made on whether to create a new "BIS" (Bring Into Standard) version of the MTI (Manifest Trust Information) draft or update the existing one to incorporate PQC algorithms and deprecate older, non-PQC algorithms. Updating the existing MTI draft is the preferred approach.
- The AD indicated a desire to close the SUIT working group after this PQC work is in the RFC Editor's queue, ideally before March 2027.

Decisions and Action Items

Decision: The draft-ietf-suit-report will incorporate a new result code to address the reporting of non-returning invoke commands.
Action Item: Brendan to draft comprehensive replies to Ken's comments on draft-ietf-suit-report and draft-ietf-suit-manifest and post them to the working group mailing list.
Action Item: Brendan to address all outstanding reviews for draft-ietf-suit-update-management (AD evaluation, IANA comments, Russ's review, and any others) and publish a new version of the draft.
Action Item: Paul (AD) to move the updated draft-ietf-suit-update-management into IESG evaluation after Brendan publishes the revised draft.
Action Item: Brendan to begin substantive work on a Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) draft for SUIT. This work should focus on recommending ML-DSA and SLH-DSA, provide guidance on hash-based signatures (referencing the PQIP draft), and determine the best approach (update vs. BIS) for integrating PQC into the draft-ietf-suit-mtl.

Next Steps

Complete all remaining work on draft-ietf-suit-update-management to facilitate its progression through the IESG evaluation process.
Engage with the TEEP working group to ensure any necessary alignments regarding SUIT report types are made before the TEEP WG closure deadline.
Initiate the development of a PQC strategy and corresponding draft for SUIT, aiming for timely completion to enable the closure of the SUIT working group.