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diff --git a/Documentation/security/keys/ecryptfs.rst b/Documentation/security/keys/ecryptfs.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0e2be0a6b --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/security/keys/ecryptfs.rst @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +========================================== +Encrypted keys for the eCryptfs filesystem +========================================== + +ECryptfs is a stacked filesystem which transparently encrypts and decrypts each +file using a randomly generated File Encryption Key (FEK). + +Each FEK is in turn encrypted with a File Encryption Key Encryption Key (FEKEK) +either in kernel space or in user space with a daemon called 'ecryptfsd'. In +the former case the operation is performed directly by the kernel CryptoAPI +using a key, the FEKEK, derived from a user prompted passphrase; in the latter +the FEK is encrypted by 'ecryptfsd' with the help of external libraries in order +to support other mechanisms like public key cryptography, PKCS#11 and TPM based +operations. + +The data structure defined by eCryptfs to contain information required for the +FEK decryption is called authentication token and, currently, can be stored in a +kernel key of the 'user' type, inserted in the user's session specific keyring +by the userspace utility 'mount.ecryptfs' shipped with the package +'ecryptfs-utils'. + +The 'encrypted' key type has been extended with the introduction of the new +format 'ecryptfs' in order to be used in conjunction with the eCryptfs +filesystem. Encrypted keys of the newly introduced format store an +authentication token in its payload with a FEKEK randomly generated by the +kernel and protected by the parent master key. + +In order to avoid known-plaintext attacks, the datablob obtained through +commands 'keyctl print' or 'keyctl pipe' does not contain the overall +authentication token, which content is well known, but only the FEKEK in +encrypted form. + +The eCryptfs filesystem may really benefit from using encrypted keys in that the +required key can be securely generated by an Administrator and provided at boot +time after the unsealing of a 'trusted' key in order to perform the mount in a +controlled environment. Another advantage is that the key is not exposed to +threats of malicious software, because it is available in clear form only at +kernel level. + +Usage:: + + keyctl add encrypted name "new ecryptfs key-type:master-key-name keylen" ring + keyctl add encrypted name "load hex_blob" ring + keyctl update keyid "update key-type:master-key-name" + +Where:: + + name:= '<16 hexadecimal characters>' + key-type:= 'trusted' | 'user' + keylen:= 64 + + +Example of encrypted key usage with the eCryptfs filesystem: + +Create an encrypted key "1000100010001000" of length 64 bytes with format +'ecryptfs' and save it using a previously loaded user key "test":: + + $ keyctl add encrypted 1000100010001000 "new ecryptfs user:test 64" @u + 19184530 + + $ keyctl print 19184530 + ecryptfs user:test 64 490045d4bfe48c99f0d465fbbbb79e7500da954178e2de0697 + dd85091f5450a0511219e9f7cd70dcd498038181466f78ac8d4c19504fcc72402bfc41c2 + f253a41b7507ccaa4b2b03fff19a69d1cc0b16e71746473f023a95488b6edfd86f7fdd40 + 9d292e4bacded1258880122dd553a661 + + $ keyctl pipe 19184530 > ecryptfs.blob + +Mount an eCryptfs filesystem using the created encrypted key "1000100010001000" +into the '/secret' directory:: + + $ mount -i -t ecryptfs -oecryptfs_sig=1000100010001000,\ + ecryptfs_cipher=aes,ecryptfs_key_bytes=32 /secret /secret |