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Bind Sparrow package verification to its publisher key #205

Description

@BenWestgate

The Sparrow installer fetches a configured SIGNING_KEY, but artifact acceptance uses generic gpg --verify against the user's persistent GnuPG keyring. The successful signer fingerprint is never compared with the configured Sparrow publisher fingerprint.

Affected code:

  • bails/.local/bin/install-sparrow

Impact: if the Sparrow release channel is compromised, an unrelated key already present in the user's GnuPG keyring can authenticate attacker-controlled package data. The accepted package is then installed and launched and can execute package post-installation code.

Expected fix: verify artifacts in an isolated keyring containing only the expected Sparrow publisher key, or parse machine-readable VALIDSIG output and require an exact canonical fingerprint match with SIGNING_KEY before processing package contents.

Bisq, Liana, Wasabi, and generic wallet installers are outside the supported scope.

Activity

  1. changed the title [-]Bind wallet package verification to publisher key[/-] [+]Bind Sparrow package verification to its publisher key[/+] on Sep 18, 2026
  2. added a commit that references this issue on Sep 19, 2026
    7ee5bc7
  3. BenWestgate commented on Sep 21, 2026

    @BenWestgate
    OwnerAuthor

    Triaged as a valid bug on current master, but a standalone Sparrow verification patch is no longer appropriate because #202 removes Sparrow entirely from the target runtime. #202 now closes this issue when that removal merges.

  4. added 5 commits that reference this issue on Sep 25, 2026
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    a4da91d
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    920d554
  5. BenWestgate commented on Sep 30, 2026

    @BenWestgate
    OwnerAuthor

    Consolidated into #201. The selected fix is to remove Sparrow from CipherStick's supported runtime entirely, which removes this verification boundary instead of maintaining a separate package-verification implementation. PR #202 carries that combined change.

  6. added 2 commits that reference this issue on Oct 1, 2026
    75cc7c4
    fca5d2f
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