diff options
author | Mimi Zohar <zohar@linux.vnet.ibm.com> | 2011-06-29 14:53:56 -0400 |
---|---|---|
committer | James Morris <jmorris@namei.org> | 2011-06-30 05:08:14 -0400 |
commit | ad599f9cf0187e823bc92bc83f3867a38fa266b9 (patch) | |
tree | cb018d0a4ec10e3710e1048624998d84ee58ca88 /Documentation/security | |
parent | 3ddf17f08cf2f0d7ff06858eb07d1cc3db8994de (diff) |
encrypted-keys: move ecryptfs documentation to proper location
Move keys-ecryptfs.txt to Documentation/security.
Signed-off-by: Mimi Zohar <zohar@us.ibm.com>
Signed-off-by: James Morris <jmorris@namei.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/security')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/security/keys-ecryptfs.txt | 68 |
1 files changed, 68 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/security/keys-ecryptfs.txt b/Documentation/security/keys-ecryptfs.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c3bbeba63562 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/security/keys-ecryptfs.txt | |||
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ | |||
1 | Encrypted keys for the eCryptfs filesystem | ||
2 | |||
3 | ECryptfs is a stacked filesystem which transparently encrypts and decrypts each | ||
4 | file using a randomly generated File Encryption Key (FEK). | ||
5 | |||
6 | Each FEK is in turn encrypted with a File Encryption Key Encryption Key (FEFEK) | ||
7 | either in kernel space or in user space with a daemon called 'ecryptfsd'. In | ||
8 | the former case the operation is performed directly by the kernel CryptoAPI | ||
9 | using a key, the FEFEK, derived from a user prompted passphrase; in the latter | ||
10 | the FEK is encrypted by 'ecryptfsd' with the help of external libraries in order | ||
11 | to support other mechanisms like public key cryptography, PKCS#11 and TPM based | ||
12 | operations. | ||
13 | |||
14 | The data structure defined by eCryptfs to contain information required for the | ||
15 | FEK decryption is called authentication token and, currently, can be stored in a | ||
16 | kernel key of the 'user' type, inserted in the user's session specific keyring | ||
17 | by the userspace utility 'mount.ecryptfs' shipped with the package | ||
18 | 'ecryptfs-utils'. | ||
19 | |||
20 | The 'encrypted' key type has been extended with the introduction of the new | ||
21 | format 'ecryptfs' in order to be used in conjunction with the eCryptfs | ||
22 | filesystem. Encrypted keys of the newly introduced format store an | ||
23 | authentication token in its payload with a FEFEK randomly generated by the | ||
24 | kernel and protected by the parent master key. | ||
25 | |||
26 | In order to avoid known-plaintext attacks, the datablob obtained through | ||
27 | commands 'keyctl print' or 'keyctl pipe' does not contain the overall | ||
28 | authentication token, which content is well known, but only the FEFEK in | ||
29 | encrypted form. | ||
30 | |||
31 | The eCryptfs filesystem may really benefit from using encrypted keys in that the | ||
32 | required key can be securely generated by an Administrator and provided at boot | ||
33 | time after the unsealing of a 'trusted' key in order to perform the mount in a | ||
34 | controlled environment. Another advantage is that the key is not exposed to | ||
35 | threats of malicious software, because it is available in clear form only at | ||
36 | kernel level. | ||
37 | |||
38 | Usage: | ||
39 | keyctl add encrypted name "new ecryptfs key-type:master-key-name keylen" ring | ||
40 | keyctl add encrypted name "load hex_blob" ring | ||
41 | keyctl update keyid "update key-type:master-key-name" | ||
42 | |||
43 | name:= '<16 hexadecimal characters>' | ||
44 | key-type:= 'trusted' | 'user' | ||
45 | keylen:= 64 | ||
46 | |||
47 | |||
48 | Example of encrypted key usage with the eCryptfs filesystem: | ||
49 | |||
50 | Create an encrypted key "1000100010001000" of length 64 bytes with format | ||
51 | 'ecryptfs' and save it using a previously loaded user key "test": | ||
52 | |||
53 | $ keyctl add encrypted 1000100010001000 "new ecryptfs user:test 64" @u | ||
54 | 19184530 | ||
55 | |||
56 | $ keyctl print 19184530 | ||
57 | ecryptfs user:test 64 490045d4bfe48c99f0d465fbbbb79e7500da954178e2de0697 | ||
58 | dd85091f5450a0511219e9f7cd70dcd498038181466f78ac8d4c19504fcc72402bfc41c2 | ||
59 | f253a41b7507ccaa4b2b03fff19a69d1cc0b16e71746473f023a95488b6edfd86f7fdd40 | ||
60 | 9d292e4bacded1258880122dd553a661 | ||
61 | |||
62 | $ keyctl pipe 19184530 > ecryptfs.blob | ||
63 | |||
64 | Mount an eCryptfs filesystem using the created encrypted key "1000100010001000" | ||
65 | into the '/secret' directory: | ||
66 | |||
67 | $ mount -i -t ecryptfs -oecryptfs_sig=1000100010001000,\ | ||
68 | ecryptfs_cipher=aes,ecryptfs_key_bytes=32 /secret /secret | ||