docs: record CBC unpadding timing-policy exception - #409
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September 8, 2026 17:09
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Decision
Keep CBC exported for fixed-format compatibility and explicitly record its variable-time PKCS#7 unpadding as an exception to the provider's constant-time-variant policy. Class C describes the fixsliced AES core, not end-to-end CBC padding validation.
Replace the incorrect branch-free-unpadding and timing-bounded-by-error claims in the provider README and core comment. Clarify the consumer-facing WIT contract: returned errors are uniform, but that does not guarantee uniform execution timing. The residual risk applies to both CBC decryption and key unwrapping; AES-GCM remains the recommendation where the format is not fixed.
This resolves the documentation/policy contradiction left by #336, not the underlying variable-time behavior. No claim of measured remote exploitability or a timing fix. Documentation/comments only: no implementation, signatures, exports, dependencies, or test expectations change.
Verification
block-padding0.3.3 validator and the core's CBC decrypt path.just fmt-checkjust validate-witgit diff --checkAutomerge will be armed and CI watched.
Fixes #405