Because it's the same heartbeat message used for DTLS, where the heartbeat and p...

eternalban · on April 11, 2014

That is understood, Tom. The question remains why spec the same for two distinct transport layer protocols.

[edit: actually I was under the impression that the payload addressed response order concerns in UDP.]

tptacek · on April 11, 2014

(It's Thomas). Because it would have made even less sense to define a TLS-specific heartbeat and a DTLS-specific heartbeat.

In the hierarchy of sensible TLS decisions, you have, from most to least reasonable:

1. Not adding new heartbeat extensions to DTLS or TLS.

2. Adding new heartbeat extensions to DTLS only.

3. Adding the same new heartbeat extensions to DTLS and TLS.

4. Adding two different new heartbeat extensions, one for DTLS and the other TLS.