Emergency Protocol
The Emergency Protocol enables rapid response to critical threats — such as a compromised root key, a major specification vulnerability, or a widespread certification fraud incident.
Activation Criteria
| Condition | Action |
|---|---|
| Root key compromise detected | Suspend all AL3 badges; issue emergency key rotation notice within 15 minutes |
| Critical specification vulnerability (CVE-level) | Publish advisory within 24 hours; recommend migration to patched version within 7 days |
| Widespread certification fraud (3+ entities) | Suspend affected badges pending investigation; publish fraud notice with details |
| Domain Working Group consensus on domain-level threat | Issue domain-specific advisory with recommended actions for certified entities |
Protocol Steps
- Detection: Threat detected by AAA, TSC member, or Domain Working Group lead.
- Activation: Board chair activates Emergency Protocol with TSC chair concurrence (or independently if TSC chair unavailable).
- Action: Execute the appropriate response action based on activation criteria above.
- Ratification: Full Board reviews and ratifies emergency actions within 14 days.
- Publication: Emergency advisory published to Registry, all AAA members, and public website.
Cure Periods
- AL3 key compromise: 7-day emergency rotation period; badges remain active during rotation
- Specification vulnerability: 30-day migration window from advisory publication
- Certification fraud: Investigation completed within 60 days; remediation plan published within 90 days
The Emergency Protocol ensures AIMCIS can respond to critical threats without disrupting the broader certification ecosystem. All emergency actions are logged in the Registry public ledger with timestamps and actor identifiers.