cryptsetup/docs/v2.4.0-ReleaseNotes

Cryptsetup 2.4.0 Release Notes
==============================
Stable release with new features and bug fixes.

This version introduces support for external libraries
(plugins) for handling LUKS2 token objects.

Changes since version 2.3.6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* External LUKS token plugins

  A LUKS2 token is an object that can describe how to get a passphrase
  to unlock a particular keyslot. The generic metadata format is part
  of the LUKS2 specification.

  Cryptsetup 2.4 adds the possibility to implement token handlers
  in external libraries (possibly provided by other projects).

  A token library allows cryptsetup to understand metadata and provide
  basic operations. Currently external tokens may be used to unlock
  keyslots for following CLI actions: open (luksOpen),
  refresh (open --refresh), resize and dump (prints token specific
  content).

  LUKS2 devices cannot be resumed (luksResume action) via tokens yet.
  Support for resume and other actions will be added later.

  The library now provides an interface that automatically tries to load
  an external library for a token object in LUKS2 metadata.

  Token libraries should be installed in the cryptsetup subdirectory
  (usually /lib*/cryptsetup). This path is configurable through
  --with-luks2-external-tokens-path configure option.

  The external plugin loading can be compiled entirely out if
  --disable-external-tokens configure option is used. The external token
  interface can also be disabled runtime on the command line by
  --disable-external-tokens cryptsetup switch or by calling
  crypt_token_external_disable() API function.

  The name of the loaded token library is determined from the JSON LUKS
  metadata token object type. For example, "ssh" token will load library
  "libcryptsetup-token-ssh.so".

  External projects can use this interface to handle specific hardware
  without introducing additional dependencies to libcryptsetup core.

  As of cryptsetup 2.4.0 release systemd project already merged upstream
  native cryptsetup token handler for its systemd-tpm2 LUKS2 token
  released originally in systemd-v248. The token can be created using
  systemd-cryptenroll utility and devices may be manipulated either by
  systemd-cryptsetup cli or by cryptsetup for actions listed above.

  Other tokens like systemd-fido2 and systemd-pkcs11 are currently
  in-review.

* Experimental SSH token

  As a demonstration of the external LUKS2 token interface, a new SSH
  token handler and cryptsetup-ssh utility is now provided and compiled
  by default.

  Crypsetup SSH token allows using remote keyfile through SSH protocol
  (it will authenticate through SSH certificates).

  You can disable the build of this token library with
  --disable-ssh-token configure option.

To configure the token metadata, you need cryptsetup-ssh utility.

Activation of the device is then performed by the cryptsetup utility.

Example (how to activate LUKS2 through remote keyfile):

  - configure existing LUKS2 device with keyslot activated by a keyfile
   # cryptsetup luksAddKey <device> keyfile --key-slot 2

   - store that keyfile on a remote system accessible through SSH

   - configure SSH to use certificate for authentication

   - add a LUKS2 token with cryptsetup-ssh utility:
   # cryptsetup-ssh add <device>1 --key-slot 2 \
      --ssh-server test-vm \
      --ssh-user test \
      --ssh-path /home/test/keyfile \
      --ssh-keypath  /home/test/.ssh/test_rsa_key

  - you should see token metadata now with "cryptsetup luksDump ..."
   ...
   Tokens:
   0: ssh
        ssh_server: test-vm
        ssh_user: test
        ssh_path: /home/test/keyfile
        ssh_key_path: /home/test/.ssh/test_rsa_key
        Keyslot:    2


  - activation now should be automatic
  # cryptsetup open <device> test --verbose
    SSH token initiating ssh session.
    Key slot 2 unlocked.
    Command successful.

  - to remove a token, you can use "cryptsetup token remove" command
  (no plugin library required)

  Please note SSH token is just demonstration of plugin interface API,
  it is an EXPERIMENTAL feature.

* Add cryptsetup --token-type parameter.

  It restricts token type to the parameter value in case no specific
  token-id is selected.

* Support for token based activation with PIN.

  If specific token requires PIN to unlock keyslot passphrase and
  --token-only parameter was used cryptsetup asks for additional
  token PIN.

* Respect keyslot priority with token-based activation.

* Default LUKS2 PBKDF is now Argon2id

  Cryptsetup LUKS2 was using Argon2 while there were two versions,
  data-independent (Argon2i) suitable for the KDF use case and
  Argon2d (data-dependent). Later Argon2id was introduced as a new
  mandatory algorithm.

  We switched the password-based key derivation algorithms
  following the latest version of Argon2 RFC draft
  (https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-irtf-cfrg-argon2/) to Argon2id
  (from Argon2i) as it is the mandatory and primary version
  of the Argon2 algorithm.

  There is no need to modify older containers; the main reason is that
  RFC makes Argon2id the primary variant, while Argon2i subvariant is
  only optional.
  Argon2id provides better protection to side-channel attacks while
  still providing protection to time-memory tradeoffs.

  We will switch to OpenSSL implementation once it is available.
  With a crystal ball as a reference, it could happen early in
  OpenSSL 3.1 release.
  Watch https://github.com/openssl/openssl/issues/4091.

* Increase minimal memory cost for Argon2 benchmark to 64MiB.

  This patch increases the benchmarking value to 64 MiB (as minimal
  suggested values in Argon2 RFC). For compatibility reasons, we still
  allow older limits if set by a parameter.

  NOTE: Argon2 RFC draft defines suggested parameters for disk
  encryption, but the LUKS2 approach is slightly different. We need to
  provide platform-independent values. The values in the draft expect
  64bit systems (suggesting using 6 GiB of RAM). In comparison, we need
  to provide compatibility with all 32bit systems, so allocating more
  than 4GiB memory is not an option for LUKS2.

  The maximal limit in LUKS2 stays for 4 GiB, and by default LUKS2 PBKDF
  benchmarking sets maximum to 1 GIB, preferring an increase of CPU cost
  while running benchmark

* Autodetect optimal encryption sector size on LUKS2 format.

  While the support for larger encryption sectors is supported
  for several releases, it required an additional parameter.

  Code now uses automatic detection of 4096-bytes native sector devices
  and automatically enables 4096-bytes encryption size for LUKS2.

  If no setor size option is used, sector size is detected
  automatically by cryptsetup. For libcryptsetup API, autodetection
  happens once you specify sector_size to 0.

  NOTE: crypt_format() function runs autodetection ONLY if you
  recompile your application to the new API symbol version.
  For backward compatibility, older applications ignore this parameter.

* Use VeraCrypt option by default and add --disable-veracrypt option.

  While TrueCrypt is no longer developed and supported since 2014,
  VeraCrypt devices (a successor of TrueCrypt) are much more used today.

  Default is now to support VeraCrypt format (in addition to TrueCrypt),
  making the --veracrypt option obsolete (ignored as it is the default).

  If you need to disable VeraCrypt support, use the new option
  --disable-veracrypt.

  This option increases the time to recognize wrong passwords because
  some VeraCrypt modes use a high PBKDF2 iteration count, and the code
  must try all variants. This could be limited by using --hash and
  --cipher options mentioned below.

* Support --hash and --cipher to limit opening time for TCRYPT type

  If a user knows which particular PBKDF2 hash or cipher is used for
  TrueCrypt/VeraCrypt container,  TCRYPT format now supports --hash and
  --cipher option.

  Note the value means substring (all cipher chains containing
  the cipher substring are tried).

  For example, you can use
      # cryptsetup tcryptDump --hash sha512 <container>

  Note: to speed up the scan, the hash option (used for PBKDF)2 matters.
  Cipher variants are scanned very quickly.

  Use with care.
  It can reveal some sensitive attributes of the container!

* Fixed default OpenSSL crypt backend support for OpenSSL3.

  For OpenSSL version 3, we need to load legacy provider for older hash
  and ciphers. For example, RIPEMD160 and Whirlpool hash algorithms are
  no longer available by default.

  NOTE: the plain format still uses RIPEMD160 for password hashing by
  default. Changing the default would cause incompatibilities for many
  old systems. Nevertheless, such a change will be needed very soon.

* integritysetup: add integrity-recalculate-reset flag.

  The new dm-integrity option in kernel 5.13 can restart recalculation
  from the beginning of the device.
  It can be used to change the integrity checksum function.

  New integritysetup --integrity-recalculate-reset option is added to
  integritysetup, and CRYPT_ACTIVATE_RECALCULATE_RESET flag to API.

* cryptsetup: retains keyslot number in luksChangeKey for LUKS2.

    In LUKS1, any change in keyslot means keyslot number change.

    In LUKS2, we can retain the keyslot number.
    Now luksKeyChange and crypt_keyslot_change_by_passphrase() API
    retains keyslot number for LUKS2 by default.

* Fix cryptsetup resize using LUKS2 tokens.

  Fix a bug where cryptsetup needlessly asked for a passphrase even
  though the volume key was already unlocked via LUKS2 token.

* Add close --deferred and --cancel-deferred options.

  All command-line utilities now understand deferred options for the
  close command. Deferred close means that the device is removed
  automagically after the last user closed the device.
  Cancel deferred means to cancel this operation (so the device remains
  active even if there a no longer active users).

  CRYPT_DEACTIVATE_DEFERRED and CRYPT_DEACTIVATE_DEFERRED_CANCEL flags
  are now available for API.

* Rewritten command-line option parsing to avoid libpopt arguments
  memory leaks.

  Note: some distributions use patched lipopt that still leaks memory
  inside internal code (see Debian bug 941814).

* Add --test-args option.

  New --test-args option can be used for syntax checking for valid
  command-line arguments with no actions performed.
  Note that it cannot detect unknown algorithm names and similar where
  we need call API functions.

* veritysetup: add --root-hash-file option
  Allow passing the root hash via a file, rather than verbatim on
  the command line, for the open, verify, and format actions.

* libcryptsetup C API extensions (see libcryptsetup.h for details)

  - crypt_logf - a printf like log function
  - crypt_dump_json - dump LUKS2 metadata in JSON format
  - crypt_header_is_detached - check if context use detached header
  - crypt_token_max - get maximal tokens number
  - crypt_token_external_path - get path for plugins (or NULL)
  - crypt_token_external_disable - disable runtime support for plugins
  - crypt_activate_by_token_pin - activate by token with additional PIN
  - crypt_reencrypt_run - fixed API for deprecated crypt_reencrypt

  The token plugin library interface cosists from these versioned
  exported symbols (for details see header file and SSH token example):
     cryptsetup_token_open
     cryptsetup_token_open_pin
     cryptsetup_token_buffer_free
     cryptsetup_token_validate
     cryptsetup_token_dump
     cryptsetup_token_version

 Since version 2.4 libcryptsetup uses exact symbol versioning
 Newly introduced functions have CRYPTSETUP_2.4 namespace (the old
 symbol always used CRYPTSETUP_2.0).
 There is no change in soname (the library is backward compatible).

 * Many fixes and additions to documentation and man pages.