2017-12-05 10:46:02 +13:00
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# Free software developer security hygiene
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Updated: 2017-12-01
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### Target audience
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This document is aimed at developers working on free software projects. It
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covers the following topics:
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1. Basic introduction to PGP and Git
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2. PGP key best practices
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3. Basic workstation security
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We use the term "Free" as in "Freedom," but this guide can also be used for
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developing non-free or source-available ("Open Source") software. If you write
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code that goes into public source repositories, you can benefit from getting
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acquainted with and following this guide.
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#### Topics NOT covered
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This is not a "how to write secure software" guide. Please check the resources
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on secure coding best practices that are available for the programming
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languages, libraries, and development environments used by your free software
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project.
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### Structure
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Each section is split into two areas:
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- The checklist that can be adapted to your project's needs
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- Free-form list of considerations that explain what dictated these decisions,
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together with configuration instructions
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2017-12-05 10:46:02 +13:00
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#### Checklist priority levels
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The items in each checklist include the priority level, which we hope will
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help guide your decision:
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- _(ESSENTIAL)_ items should definitely be high on the consideration list.
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If not implemented, they will introduce high risks to the code that gets
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committed to the open-source project.
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- _(NICE)_ to have items will improve the overall security, but will affect how
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you interact with your work environment, and probably require learning new
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habits or unlearning old ones.
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- _(PARANOID)_ is reserved for items we feel will significantly improve your
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security, but will require making equally significant adjustments to the way
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you interact with your operating system.
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Remember, these are only guidelines. If you feel these priority levels do not
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reflect your project's commitment to security, you should adjust them as you
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see fit.
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2017-12-06 10:37:05 +13:00
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## Basic PGP concepts and tools
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### Checklist
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- [ ] Understand the role of PGP in Free Software Development _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Understand the basics of Public Key Cryptography _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Understand PGP Encryption vs. Signatures _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Understand PGP key identities _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Understand PGP key validity _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Install GnuPG utilities (version 2.x) _(ESSENTIAL)_
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### Considerations
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The Free Software community has long relied on PGP for assuring the
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authenticity and integrity of software products it produced. You may not be
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aware of it, but whether you are a Linux, Mac or Windows user, you have
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previously relied on PGP to ensure the integrity of your computing
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environment:
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- Linux distributions rely on PGP to ensure that binary or source packages have
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not been altered between when they have been produced and when they are
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installed by the end-user.
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- Free Software projects usually provide detached PGP signatures to accompany
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released software archives, so that downstream projects can verify the
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integrity of downloaded releases before integrating them into their own
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distributed downloads.
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- Free Software projects routinely rely on PGP signatures within the code
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itself in order to track provenance and verify integrity of code committed
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by project developers.
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This is very similar to developer certificates/code signing mechanisms used by
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programmers working on proprietary platforms. In fact, the core concepts
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behind these two technologies are very much the same -- they differ mostly in
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the technical aspects of the implementation and the way they delegate trust.
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PGP does not rely on centralized Certification Authorities, but instead lets
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each user assign their own trust to each certificate.
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Our goal is to get your project on board using PGP for code provenance and
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integrity tracking, following best practices and observing basic security
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precautions.
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### Extremely Basic Overview of PGP operations
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You do not need to know the exact details of how PGP works -- understanding
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the core concepts is enough to be able to use it successfully for our
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purposes. PGP relies on Public Key Cryptography to convert plain text into
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encrypted text. This process requires two distinct keys:
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- A public key that is _known to everyone_
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- A private key that is _only known to the owner_
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#### Encryption
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For encryption, PGP uses the public key of the owner to create a message that
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is only decryptable using the owner's private key:
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1. the sender generates a random encryption key ("session key")
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2. the sender encrypts the contents using the session key
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3. the sender encrypts the session key using the recipient's _public_ PGP key
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4. the sender sends both the encrypted contents and the encrypted session key
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to the recipient
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To decrypt:
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1. the recipient decrypts the session key using their _private_ PGP key
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2. the recipient uses the session key to decrypt the contents of the message
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#### Signatures
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For creating signatures, the private/public PGP keys are used the opposite way:
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1. the signer generates the checksum hash of the contents
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2. the signer uses their own _private_ PGP key to encrypt that checksum
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3. the signer provides the encrypted checksum alongside the contents
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To verify the signature:
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1. the verifier generates their own checksum hash of the contents
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2. the verifier uses the signer's _public_ PGP key to decrypt the provided
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checksum
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3. if the checksums match, the integrity of the contents is verified
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#### Combined usage
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Frequently, encrypted messages are also signed with the sender's own PGP key.
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This should be the default whenever using encrypted messaging, as encryption
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without authentication is not very meaningful (unless you are a whistleblower
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or a secret agent).
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2017-12-06 10:37:05 +13:00
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### Understanding Key Identities
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Each PGP key must have one or multiple Identities associated with it. Usually,
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an "Identity" is the person's full name and email address in the following
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format:
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Alice Engineer <alice.engineer@example.com>
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Sometimes it will also contain a comment in brackets, to tell the end-user
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more about that particular key:
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Bob Designer (obsolete 1024-bit key) <bob.designer@example.com>
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Since people can be associated with multiple professional and personal
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entities, they can have multiple identities on the same key:
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Alice Engineer <alice.engineer@example.com>
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Alice Engineer <aengineer@personalmail.example.org>
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Alice Engineer <webmaster@girlswhocode.example.net>
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When multiple identities are used, one of them would be marked as the "primary
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identity" to make searching easier.
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### Understanding Key Validity
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To be able to use someone else's public key for encryption or verification,
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you need to be sure that it actually belongs to the right person (Alice) and
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not to an impostor (Eve). In PGP, this certainty is called "key validity:"
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- **Validity: full** -- means we are pretty sure this key belongs to Alice
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- **Validity: marginal** -- means we are *somewhat* sure this key belongs to
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Alice
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- **Validity: uknown** -- means there is no assurance at all that this key
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belongs to Alice
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#### Web of Trust (WoT) vs. Trust on First Use (TOFU)
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PGP uses a trust delegation mechanism known as the "Web of Trust." At its
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core, this is an attempt to replace the need for centralized Certification
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Authorities of the HTTPS/TLS world. Instead of various software makers
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dictating who should be your trusted certification authorities, PGP leaves
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this responsibility to each user.
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Unfortunately, very few people understand how the Web of Trust works, and even
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fewer bother to keep it going. It remains an important aspect of the OpenPGP
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specification, but recent versions of GnuPG (2.2 and above) have implemented
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an alternative mechanism called "Trust on First Use" (TOFU).
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You can think of TOFU as "the SSH-like approach to trust." With SSH, the first
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time you connect to a remote system, its key fingerprint is recorded and
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remembered. If the key changes in the future, the SSH client will alert you
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and refuse to connect, forcing you to make a decision on whether you choose to
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trust the changed key or not.
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Similarly, the first time you import someone's PGP key, it is assumed to be
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trusted. If at any point in the future GnuPG comes across another key with the
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same identity, both the previously imported key and the new key will be marked
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as invalid and you will need to manually figure out which one to trust.
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In this guide, we will be using the TOFU trust model.
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### Installing OpenPGP software
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First, it is important to understand the distinction between PGP, OpenPGP,
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GnuPG and gpg:
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- **PGP** ("Pretty Good Privacy") is the name of the original commercial software
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- **OpenPGP** is the IETF standard compatible with the original PGP tool
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- **GnuPG** ("Gnu Privacy Guard") is free software that implements the OpenPGP
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standard
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- The command-line tool for GnuPG is called "**gpg**"
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Today, the term "PGP" is almost universally used to mean "the OpenPGP
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standard," not the original commercial software, and therefore "PGP" and
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"OpenPGP" are interchangeable. The terms "GnuPG" and "gpg" should only be used
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when referring to the tools, not to the output they produce or OpenPGP
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features they implement. For example:
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- PGP (not GnuPG or GPG) key
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- PGP (not GnuPG or GPG) signature
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- PGP (not GnuPG or GPG) keyserver
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Understanding this should protect you from an inevitable pedantic "actually"
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from other PGP users you come across.
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#### Installing GnuPG
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If you are using Linux, you should already have GnuPG installed. On a Mac,
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you should install [GPG-Suite](https://gpgtools.org) or you can use `brew
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install gnupg2`. For all other platforms, you'll need to do your own research
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to find the correct places to download and install GnuPG.
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##### GnuPG 1 vs. 2
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Both GnuPG v.1 and GnuPG v.2 implement the same standard, but they provide
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incompatible libraries and command-line tools, so many distributions ship both
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the legacy version 1 and the latest version 2. You need to make sure you are
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always using GnuPG v.2.
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First, run:
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$ gpg --version | head -n1
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If you see `gpg (GnuPG) 1.4.x`, then you are using GnuPG v.1. Try the `gpg2`
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command:
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$ gpg2 --version | head -n1
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If you see `gpg (GnuPG) 2.x.x`, then you are good to go. This guide will
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assume you have the version 2.2 of GnuPG (or later). If you are using version
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2.0 of GnuPG, some of the commands in this guide will not work, and you should
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consider installing the latest 2.2 version of GnuPG.
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##### Making sure you always use GnuPG v.2
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If you have both `gpg` and `gpg2` commands, you should make sure you are
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always using GnuPG v2, not the legacy version. You can make sure of this by
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setting the alias:
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$ alias gpg=gpg2
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You can put that in your `.bashrc` to make sure it's always loaded whenever
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you use the gpg commands.
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## Generating and protecting your master PGP key
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### Checklist
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- [ ] Generate the 4096-bit RSA master key _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Back up the master key using paperkey _(ESSENTIAL)_
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- [ ] Add all relevant identities _(ESSENTIAL)_
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### Considerations
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#### Understanding the "Master" (Certify) key
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In this and next section we'll talk about the "master key" and "subkeys". It
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is important to understand the following:
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1. There are no technical differences between the "master key" and "subkeys."
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2. At creation time, we assign functional limitations to each key by
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giving it specific capabilities.
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3. A PGP key can have 4 capabilities.
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- **[S]** key can be used for signing
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- **[E]** key can be used for encryption
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- **[A]** key can be used for authentication
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- **[C]** key can be used for certifying other keys
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4. A single key may have multiple capabilities.
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The key carrying the **[C]** (certify) capability is considered the "master"
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key because it is the only key that can be used to indicate relationship with
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other keys. Only the **[C]** key can be used to:
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- add or revoke other keys (subkeys) with S/E/A capabilities
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- add, change or revoke identities (uids) associated with the key
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- add or change the expiration date on itself or any subkey
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- sign other people's keys for the web of trust purposes
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In the Free Software world, the **[C]** key is your digital identity. Once you
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create the key, you should take extra care to protect it and prevent it from
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falling into malicious hands.
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#### Before you create the master key
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Before you create your master key you need to pick your primary identity and
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your master passphrase.
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##### Primary identity
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An identity is basically in the same format as the "From" field in emails:
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Alice Engineer <alice.engineer@example.org>
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You can create new identities, revoke old ones, and change which identity is
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your "primary" one at any time. Since the primary identity is shown in all
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GnuPG operations, you should pick a name and address that are both
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professional and the most likely ones to be used for PGP-enforced
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communication, such as your work address or the address you use for signing
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off on project commits.
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##### Passphrase
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The passphrase is used exclusively for encrypting the private key with a
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symmetric algorithm while it is stored on disk. If the contents of your
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`.gnupg` directory ever get leaked, a good passphrase is the last line of
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defense between the thief and them being able to impersonate you online, which
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is why it is important to set up a good passphrase.
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A good guideline for a strong passphrase is 3-4 words from a rich or mixed
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dictionary that are not quotes from popular sources (songs, books, slogans).
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You'll be using this passphrase fairly frequently, so it should be both easy
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to type and easy to remember.
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##### Algorithm and key strength
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|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
Even though GnuPG has had support for Elliptic Curve crypto for a while now,
|
|
|
|
we'll be sticking to RSA keys, at least for a little while longer. While it is
|
|
|
|
possible to start using ED25519 keys right now, it is likely that you will
|
|
|
|
come across tools and hardware devices that will not be able to handle them
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
correctly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Generate the master key
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
To generate your new master key, issue the following command, putting in the
|
|
|
|
right values instead of Alice Engineer:
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-generate-key 'Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>' rsa4096 cert
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A dialog will pop up asking to enter the passphrase. Then, you may need to
|
|
|
|
move your mouse around or type on some keys to generate enough entropy until
|
|
|
|
the command completes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review the output of the command, it will be something like this:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pub rsa4096 2017-12-06 [C] [expires: 2019-12-06]
|
|
|
|
111122223333444455556666AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
|
|
|
uid Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note the long string on the 2nd line -- that is the full fingerprint of your
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
newly generated key. Key IDs can be represented in three different forms:
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- **fingerprint**, a full 40-character key identifier
|
|
|
|
- **long**, last 16-characters of the fingerprint (`AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD`)
|
|
|
|
- **short**, last 8 characters of the fingerprint (`CCCCDDDD`)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You should avoid using 8-character "short key IDs" as they are not
|
|
|
|
sufficiently unique.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At this point, I suggest you open a text editor, copy the fingerprint of your
|
|
|
|
new key and paste it there. You'll need to use it for the next few steps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Back up your master key
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For disaster recovery purposes -- and especially if you intend to use the Web
|
|
|
|
of Trust and collect key signatures from other project developers -- you
|
|
|
|
should create a hardcopy backup of your private key. This is supposed to be a
|
|
|
|
"last resort" measure in case all other backup mechanisms have failed.
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
The best way to create a printable hardcopy of your private key is using the
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
`paperkey` software written for this very purpose. Paperkey is available on
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
all Linux distros, as well as installable via `brew install paperkey` on Macs.
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Run the following command, replacing `[fpr]` with the full fingerprint of your
|
|
|
|
key:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --export-secret-key [fpr] | paperkey > /tmp/key-backup.txt
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The output will be in a format that is easy to OCR or input by hand, should
|
|
|
|
you ever need to recover it. Print out that file, then take a pen and write
|
|
|
|
the key passphrase on the margin of the paper. This is a required step because
|
|
|
|
the key printout is still encrypted with the passphrase, and if you ever
|
|
|
|
change the passphrase on your key, you will not remember what it used to be
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
when you had first created it -- *guaranteed*.
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Put the resulting printout and the hand-written passphrase into an envelope
|
|
|
|
and store in a secure and well-protected place that is away from your home,
|
|
|
|
such as your bank vault.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**NOTE ON PRINTERS**: Long gone are days when printers were dumb devices
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
connected to your computer's parallel port. These days they have full
|
|
|
|
operating systems, hard drives, and cloud integration. Since the key content
|
|
|
|
we send to the printer will be encrypted with the passphrase, this is a fairly
|
|
|
|
safe operation, but use your best paranoid judgement.
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Add relevant identities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you have multiple relevant email addresses (personal, work, open-source
|
|
|
|
project, etc), you should add them to your master key. You don't need to do
|
|
|
|
this for any addresses that you don't expect to use with PGP (e.g. probably
|
|
|
|
not your school alumni address).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The command is (put the full key fingerprint instead of `[fpr]`):
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-add-uid [fpr] 'Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>'
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can review the IDs you've already added using:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --list-key [fpr] | grep ^uid
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
##### Pick the primary UID
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GnuPG will make the latest UID you add as your primary UID, so if that is
|
|
|
|
different from what you want, you should fix it back:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-set-primary-uid [fpr] 'Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>'
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Generating PGP subkeys
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Checklist
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
- [ ] Generate a 2048-bit Encryption subkey _(ESSENTIAL)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Generate a 2048-bit Signing subkey _(ESSENTIAL)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Generate a 2048-bit Authentication subkey _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Upload your public keys to a PGP keyserver _(ESSENTIAL)_
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Considerations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now that we've created the master key, let's create the keys you'll actually
|
|
|
|
be using for day-to-day work. We create 2048-bit keys because a lot of
|
|
|
|
specialized hardware (we'll discuss this further) does not handle larger keys,
|
|
|
|
but also for pragmatic reasons. If we ever find ourselves in a world where
|
|
|
|
2048-bit RSA keys are not considered good enough, it will be because of
|
|
|
|
fundamental problems with the RSA protocol and longer 4096-bit keys will not
|
|
|
|
make much difference.
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
#### Create the subkeys
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To create the subkeys, run:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-add-key [fpr] rsa2048 encr
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-add-key [fpr] rsa2048 sign
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can also create the Authentication key, which will allow you to use your
|
|
|
|
PGP key for ssh purposes (covered in other guides):
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --quick-add-key [fpr] rsa2048 auth
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can review your key information using `gpg --list-key [fpr]`:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pub rsa4096 2017-12-06 [C] [expires: 2019-12-06]
|
|
|
|
111122223333444455556666AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
|
|
|
|
sub rsa2048 2017-12-06 [E]
|
|
|
|
sub rsa2048 2017-12-06 [S]
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
#### Upload your public keys to the keyserver
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your key creation is complete, so now you need to make it easier for others to
|
|
|
|
find it by uploading it to one of the public keyservers. (Do not do this step
|
|
|
|
if you're just messing around and aren't planning on actually using the key
|
|
|
|
you've created, as this just litters keyservers with useless data.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --send-key [fpr]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If this command does not succeed, you can try specifying a keyserver on a port
|
|
|
|
that is most likely to work:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --keyserver hkp://pgp.mit.edu:80 --send-key [fpr]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most keyservers communicate with each-other, so your key information will
|
|
|
|
eventually synchronize to all the others.
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
## Moving your master key to offline storage
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Checklist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Prepare encrypted detachable storage _(ESSENTIAL)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Back up your GnuPG directory _(ESSENTIAL)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Remove the master key from your home directory _(NICE)_
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
- [ ] Remove the revocation certificate from your home directory _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Considerations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why would you want to remove your master **[C]** key from your home directory?
|
|
|
|
This is generally done to prevent your master key from being stolen or
|
|
|
|
accidentally leaked. Private keys are tasty targets for malicious actors -- we
|
|
|
|
know this from several successful malware attacks that scanned users' home
|
|
|
|
directories and uploaded any private key content found there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It would be very damaging to a developer to have their PGP keys stolen -- in
|
|
|
|
the Free Software world this is often tantamount to identity theft. Removing
|
|
|
|
private keys from your home directory helps protect you from such events.
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Back up your GnuPG directory
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
**!!!Do not skip this step!!!**
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
It is important to have a readily available backup of your PGP keys should you
|
|
|
|
need to recover them (this is different from the disaster-level preparedness
|
|
|
|
we did with `paperkey`).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Prepare detachable encrypted storage
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
Start by getting a small USB "thumb" drive (preferably two) that you will use
|
|
|
|
for backup purposes. You will first need to encrypt them:
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- [Apple instructions](https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25745)
|
|
|
|
- [Linux instructions](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EncryptedFilesystemsOnRemovableStorage)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the encryption passphrase, you can use the same one as on your master key.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Back up your GnuPG directory
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once the encryption process is over, re-insert the USB drive and make sure it
|
|
|
|
gets properly mounted. Find out the full mount point of the device, for
|
|
|
|
example by running the `mount` command (under Linux, external media usually
|
|
|
|
gets mounted under `/media/disk`, under Mac it's `/Volumes`).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once you know the full mount path, copy your entire GnuPG directory there:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ cp -rp $HOME/.gnupg [/media/disk/name]/gnupg-backup
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You should now test to make sure it still works:
|
|
|
|
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
$ gpg --homedir=[/media/disk/name]/gnupg-backup --list-key [fpr]
|
2017-12-07 11:07:14 +13:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you don't get any errors, then you should be good to go. Unmount the USB
|
2017-12-08 09:53:50 +13:00
|
|
|
drive, distinctly label it so you don't blow it away next time you need to use
|
|
|
|
a random USB drive, and put in a safe place -- but not too far away, because
|
|
|
|
you'll need to use it every now and again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Remove the master key
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please see the previous section and make sure you have backed up your GnuPG
|
|
|
|
directory in its entirety. What we are about to do will make your key useless
|
|
|
|
if you do not have a usable backup!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First, identify the keygrip of your master key:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --with-keygrip --list-key [fpr]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The output will be something like this:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pub rsa4096 2017-12-06 [C] [expires: 2019-12-06]
|
|
|
|
111122223333444455556666AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
|
|
|
Keygrip = AAAA999988887777666655554444333322221111
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
|
|
|
|
sub rsa2048 2017-12-06 [E]
|
|
|
|
Keygrip = BBBB999988887777666655554444333322221111
|
|
|
|
sub rsa2048 2017-12-06 [S]
|
|
|
|
Keygrip = CCCC999988887777666655554444333322221111
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find the keygrip entry that is beneath the `pub` line (right under the master
|
|
|
|
key fingerprint). This will correspond directly to a file in your home
|
|
|
|
`.gnupg` directory:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ cd ~/.gnupg/private-keys-v1.d
|
|
|
|
$ ls
|
|
|
|
AAAA999988887777666655554444333322221111.key
|
|
|
|
BBBB999988887777666655554444333322221111.key
|
|
|
|
CCCC999988887777666655554444333322221111.key
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All you have to do is simply remove the `.key` file that corresponds to the
|
|
|
|
master keygrip:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ cd ~/.gnupg/private-keys-v1.d
|
|
|
|
$ rm AAAA999988887777666655554444333322221111.key
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you issue the `--list-secret-keys` command, it will show that the master
|
|
|
|
key is missing (the `#` indicates it is not available):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --list-secret-keys
|
|
|
|
sec# rsa4096 2017-12-06 [C] [expires: 2019-12-06]
|
|
|
|
111122223333444455556666AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
|
|
|
|
ssb rsa2048 2017-12-06 [E]
|
|
|
|
ssb rsa2048 2017-12-06 [S]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Remove the revocation certificate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another file you should remove (but keep in backups) is the revocation
|
|
|
|
certificate that was automatically created with your master key. A revocation
|
|
|
|
certificate allows someone to permanently mark your key as revoked, meaning it
|
|
|
|
can no longer be used or trusted for any purpose. You would normally use it to
|
|
|
|
revoke a key that, for some reason, you can no longer control -- for example,
|
|
|
|
if you had lost the passphrase.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just as with the master key, if a revocation certificate leaks into malicious
|
|
|
|
hands, it can be used to destroy your developer digital identity, so it's
|
|
|
|
better to remove it from your home directory.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
cd ~/.gnupg/openpgp-revocs.d
|
|
|
|
rm [fpr].rev
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Move the subkeys to a hardware device
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Checklist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Get a GnuPG-compatible hardware device _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Configure the device to work with GnuPG _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Set the user and admin PINs _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
- [ ] Move your subkeys to the device _(NICE)_
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Considerations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even though the master key is now safe from being leaked or stolen, the
|
|
|
|
subkeys are still in the home directory. Anyone who manages to get their hands
|
|
|
|
on those will be able to decrypt your communication or fake your signatures
|
|
|
|
(if they know the passphrase, that is).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best way to completely protect your keys is to move them to a specialized
|
|
|
|
hardware device that is capable of smartcard operations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### The benefits of smartcards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A smartcard contains a cryptographic chip that is capable of storing private
|
|
|
|
keys and performing crypto operations directly on the card itself. Because the
|
|
|
|
key contents never leave the smartcard, the operating system of the computer
|
|
|
|
into which you plug in the hardware device is not able to retrieve the
|
|
|
|
private keys themselves. This is very different from the encrypted USB storage
|
|
|
|
device we used earlier for backup purposes -- while that USB device is plugged
|
|
|
|
in and decrypted, the operating system is still able to access the private key
|
|
|
|
contents. Using external encrypted USB media is not a substitute to having a
|
|
|
|
smartcard-capable device.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some other benefits of smartcards:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- they are relatively cheap and easy to obtain
|
|
|
|
- they are small and easy to carry with you
|
|
|
|
- they can be used with multiple devices
|
|
|
|
- many of them are tamper-resistant (depends on manufacturer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Available smartcard devices
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Smartcards started out embedded into actual wallet-sized cards, which earned
|
|
|
|
them their name. You can still buy and use GnuPG-capable smartcards, and they
|
|
|
|
remain one of the cheapest available devices you can get. However, actual
|
|
|
|
smartcards have one important downside: they require a smartcard reader, and
|
|
|
|
very few laptops come with one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For this reason, manufacturers have started providing small USB devices, the
|
|
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size of a USB thumb drive or smaller, that either have the microsim-sized
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smartcard pre-inserted, or that simply implement the smartcard protocol
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features on the internal chip. Here are a few recommendations:
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- [Nitrokey Start](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitrokey-start-6):
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Open hardware and Free Software: one of the cheapest options for GnuPG use,
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but with fewest extra security features
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- [Nitrokey Pro](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitrokey-pro-3):
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Similar to the Nitrokey Start, but is tamper-resistant and offers more
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security features (see the U2F section of the guide)
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- [Yubikey 4](https://www.yubico.com/product/yubikey-4-series/): Proprietary
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hardware and software, but cheaper than Nitrokey Pro and comes available
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in the USB-C form that is more useful with newer laptops; also offers
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additional security features such as U2F
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Our recommendation is to pick a device that is capable of both smartcard
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functionality and U2F, which means either a Nitrokey Pro, or a Yubikey 4.
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#### Configuring your smartcard device
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Your smartcard device should Just Work (TM) the moment you plug it into any
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modern Linux or Mac workstation. You can verify it by running:
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$ gpg --card-status
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If you didn't get an error, but a full listing of the card details, then you
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are good to go. Unfortunately, troubleshooting all possible reasons why things
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may not be working for you is way beyond the scope of this guide. If you are
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having trouble getting the card to work with GnuPG, please seek support via
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your operating system's usual support channels.
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##### PINs don't have to be numbers
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Note, that despite having the name "PIN" (and implying that it must be a
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"number"), neither the user PIN nor the admin PIN on the card need to be
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numbers.
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Your device will probably have default user and admin PINs set up when it
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arrives. For Yubikeys, these are `123456` and `12345678` respectively. If
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those don't work for you, please check any accompanying documentation
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that came with your device.
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##### Quick setup
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To configure your smartcard, you will need to use the GnuPG menu system, as
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there are no convenient command-line switches:
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$ gpg --card-edit
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...
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gpg/card> admin
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Admin commands are allowed
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gpg/card> passwd
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You should set the user PIN (1), Admin PIN (3), and the Reset Code (4). Please
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make sure to record and store these in a safe place -- especially the Admin
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PIN and the Reset Code (which allows you to completely wipe the smartcard).
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You so rarely need to use the Admin PIN, that you will inevitably forget what
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it is if you do not record it.
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Getting back to the main card menu, you can also set other values (such as
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name, sex, login data, etc, but it's not necessary and will additionally leak
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information about your smartcard should you lose it).
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#### Moving the subkeys to your smartcard
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Exit the card menu (using "q") and save all changes. Next, let's move your
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subkeys onto the smartcard. You will need both your key passphrase and the
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admin PIN of the card for most operations. Remember, that `[fpr]` stands for
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the full 40-character fingerprint of your key.
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$ gpg --edit-key [fpr]
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Secret subkeys are available.
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pub rsa4096/AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
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created: 2017-12-07 expires: 2019-12-07 usage: C
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trust: ultimate validity: ultimate
|
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ssb rsa2048/1111222233334444
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created: 2017-12-07 expires: never usage: E
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ssb rsa2048/5555666677778888
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created: 2017-12-07 expires: never usage: S
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[ultimate] (1). Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
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[ultimate] (2) Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
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gpg>
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Using `--edit-key` puts us into the menu mode again, and you will notice that
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the key listing is a little different. From here on, all commands are done
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from inside this menu mode, as indicated by `gpg>`.
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First, let's select the key we'll be putting onto the card -- you do this by
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typing `key 1` (it's the first one in the listing, our **[E]** subkey):
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|
gpg> key 1
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The output should be subtly different:
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|
|
pub rsa4096/AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
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|
|
created: 2017-12-07 expires: 2019-12-07 usage: C
|
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|
|
trust: ultimate validity: ultimate
|
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|
|
ssb* rsa2048/1111222233334444
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|
created: 2017-12-07 expires: never usage: E
|
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|
ssb rsa2048/5555666677778888
|
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|
|
created: 2017-12-07 expires: never usage: S
|
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|
|
[ultimate] (1). Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
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|
[ultimate] (2) Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
|
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|
|
Notice the `*` that is next to the `ssb` line corresponding to the key -- it
|
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|
indicates that the key is currently "selected". It works as a toggle, meaning
|
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|
that if you type `key 1` again, the `*` will disappear and the key will not be
|
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|
|
selected any more.
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|
|
Now, let's move that key onto the smartcard:
|
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|
|
gpg> keytocard
|
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|
|
Please select where to store the key:
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|
|
(2) Encryption key
|
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|
|
Your selection? 2
|
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|
|
Since it's our **[E]** key, it makes sense to put it into the Encryption slot.
|
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|
|
When you submit your selection, you will be prompted first for your key
|
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|
|
passphrase, and then for the admin PIN. If the command returns without an
|
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|
|
error, your key has been moved.
|
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|
|
**Important**: Now type `key 1` again to unselect the first key, and `key 2`
|
|
|
|
to select the **[S]** key:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
gpg> key 1
|
|
|
|
gpg> key 2
|
|
|
|
gpg> keytocard
|
|
|
|
Please select where to store the key:
|
|
|
|
(1) Signature key
|
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|
|
(3) Authentication key
|
|
|
|
Your selection? 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can use the **[S]** key both for Signature and Authentication, but we want
|
|
|
|
to make sure it's in the Signature slot, so choose (1). Once again, if your
|
|
|
|
command returns without an error, then the operation was successful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finally, if you created an **[A]** key, you can move it to the card as well,
|
|
|
|
making sure first to unselect `key 2`. Once you're done, choose "q":
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
gpg> q
|
|
|
|
Save changes? (y/N) y
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saving the changes will remove the keys you moved to the card from your home
|
|
|
|
directory (but it's okay, because we have them in our backups should we need
|
|
|
|
to do this again for a replacement smartcard).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
##### Verifying that the keys were moved
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you perform `--list-secret-keys` now, you will see a subtle difference in
|
|
|
|
the output:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --list-secret-keys
|
|
|
|
sec# rsa4096 2017-12-06 [C] [expires: 2019-12-06]
|
|
|
|
111122223333444455556666AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <alice@example.org>
|
|
|
|
uid [ultimate] Alice Engineer <allie@example.net>
|
|
|
|
ssb> rsa2048 2017-12-06 [E]
|
|
|
|
ssb> rsa2048 2017-12-06 [S]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The `>` in the `ssb>` output indicates that the subkey is only available on a
|
|
|
|
smartcard. If you go back into your secret keys directory and look at the
|
|
|
|
contents there, you will notice that the `.key` files there have been replaced
|
|
|
|
with stubs:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ cd ~/.gnupg/private-keys-v1.d
|
|
|
|
$ strings *.key
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The output should contain `shadowed-private-key` to indicate that these files
|
|
|
|
are only stubs and the actual content is on the smartcard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#### Verifying that the smartcard is functioning
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To verify that the smartcard is working as intended, you can create a
|
|
|
|
signature:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ echo "Hello world" | gpg --clearsign > /tmp/test.asc
|
|
|
|
$ gpg --verify /tmp/test.asc
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This should ask for your smartcard PIN on your first command, and then show
|
|
|
|
"Good signature" after you run `gpg --verify`.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations, you have successfully made it extremely difficult to steal
|
|
|
|
your digital developer identity!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### TODO: Extending expiration date
|
|
|
|
### TODO: Revoking subkeys
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|