This is a guide to using [YubiKey](https://www.yubico.com/faq/yubikey/) as a [SmartCard](https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/38924/how-does-storing-gpg-ssh-private-keys-on-smart-cards-compare-to-plain-usb-drives) for storing GPG encryption, signing and authentication keys, which can be used for SSH.
Keys stored on YubiKey are non-exportable (as opposed to file-based keys that are stored on disk) and are convenient for everyday use. Instead of having to remember and enter passphrases to unlock SSH/GPG keys, YubiKey needs only a physical touch after being unlocked with a PIN code. All signing and encryption operations happen on the card, rather than in OS memory.
- [(Optional) Save public key for identity file configuration](#optional-save-public-key-for-identity-file-configuration)
- [Connect with public key authentication](#connect-with-public-key-authentication)
- [Touch to authenticate](#touch-to-authenticate)
- [Import SSH keys](#import-ssh-keys)
- [GitHub](#github)
- [OpenBSD](#openbsd)
- [Windows](#windows)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Notes](#notes)
- [Similar work](#similar-work)
# Purchase YubiKey
YubiKey 4 has support for **4096 bit** RSA keys in OTP+CCID mode, whereas NEO are [limited](https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-hardware/compare-yubikeys/) to **2048 bit** RSA keys.
Consider purchasing a pair of keys and programming both in case of loss or damage to one of them.
# Live image
It is recommended to generate cryptographic keys and configure YubiKey from a secure environment. One way to do is by downloading and booting to a [Debian Live](https://www.debian.org/CD/live/) or [Tails](https://tails.boum.org/index.en.html) image loaded from a USB drive into memory.
Download the latest image and verify its integrity:
You may also need more recent versions of [yubikey-personalization](https://developers.yubico.com/yubikey-personalization/Releases/) and [yubico-c](https://developers.yubico.com/yubico-c/Releases/).
**macOS** Download and install [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) and the following Brew packages - `gnupg yubikey-personalization hopenpgp-tools ykman pinentry-mac`
A hardware random number generator like [OneRNG](http://onerng.info/onerng/) will increase the speed of entropy generation and possibly its quality. To install and configure OneRNG:
Create a hardened configuration for GPG with the following options or by downloading my [recommended](https://github.com/drduh/config/blob/master/gpg.conf) version directly:
The first key to generate is the master key. It will be used for certification only - to issue sub-keys that are used for encryption, signing and authentication. This master key should be kept offline at all times.
You'll be prompted to enter and verify a passphrase - keep it handy as you'll need it throughout. To generate a strong passphrase which could be written down in a hidden or secure place; or memorized:
Export the key ID as a [variable](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1158091/defining-a-variable-with-or-without-export/1158231#1158231) for use later:
Use a 1 year expiration - it can always be renewed using the previous offline Master key.
## Signing
Create a [signing key](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5421107/can-rsa-be-both-used-as-encryption-and-signature/5432623#5432623) by selecting `(4) RSA (sign only)`:
GPG doesn't provide an authenticate-only key type, so select `(8) RSA (set your own capabilities)` and toggle the required capabilities until the only allowed action is `Authenticate`:
```
gpg> addkey
Please select what kind of key you want:
(3) DSA (sign only)
(4) RSA (sign only)
(5) Elgamal (encrypt only)
(6) RSA (encrypt only)
(7) DSA (set your own capabilities)
(8) RSA (set your own capabilities)
(10) ECC (sign only)
(11) ECC (set your own capabilities)
(12) ECC (encrypt only)
(13) Existing key
Your selection? 8
Possible actions for a RSA key: Sign Encrypt Authenticate
Current allowed actions: Sign Encrypt
(S) Toggle the sign capability
(E) Toggle the encrypt capability
(A) Toggle the authenticate capability
(Q) Finished
Your selection? S
Possible actions for a RSA key: Sign Encrypt Authenticate
Current allowed actions: Encrypt
(S) Toggle the sign capability
(E) Toggle the encrypt capability
(A) Toggle the authenticate capability
(Q) Finished
Your selection? E
Possible actions for a RSA key: Sign Encrypt Authenticate
Current allowed actions:
(S) Toggle the sign capability
(E) Toggle the encrypt capability
(A) Toggle the authenticate capability
(Q) Finished
Your selection? A
Possible actions for a RSA key: Sign Encrypt Authenticate
Current allowed actions: Authenticate
(S) Toggle the sign capability
(E) Toggle the encrypt capability
(A) Toggle the authenticate capability
(Q) Finished
Your selection? q
RSA keys may be between 1024 and 4096 bits long.
What keysize do you want? (2048) 4096
Requested keysize is 4096 bits
Please specify how long the key should be valid.
0 = key does not expire
<n> = key expires in n days
<n>w = key expires in n weeks
<n>m = key expires in n months
<n>y = key expires in n years
Key is valid for? (0) 1y
Key expires at Mon 10 Sep 2018 00:00:00 PM UTC
Is this correct? (y/N) y
Really create? (y/N) y
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
sec rsa4096/0xFF3E7D88647EBCDB
created: 2017-10-09 expires: never usage: SC
trust: ultimate validity: ultimate
ssb rsa4096/0xBECFA3C1AE191D15
created: 2017-10-09 expires: 2018-10-09 usage: S
ssb rsa4096/0x5912A795E90DD2CF
created: 2017-10-09 expires: 2018-10-09 usage: E
ssb rsa4096/0x3F29127E79649A3D
created: 2017-10-09 expires: 2018-10-09 usage: A
[ultimate] (1). Dr Duh <doc@duh.to>
gpg> save
```
# Verify keys
List the generated secret keys and verify the output:
To verify with OpenPGP key checks, use the automated [key best practice checker](https://riseup.net/en/security/message-security/openpgp/best-practices#openpgp-key-checks):
The output will display any problems with your key in red text. If everything is green, your key passes each of the tests. If it is red, your key has failed one of the tests.
> hokey may warn (orange text) about cross certification for the authentication key. GPG's [Signing Subkey Cross-Certification](https://gnupg.org/faq/subkey-cross-certify.html) documentation has more detail on cross certification, and gpg v2.2.1 notes "subkey <keyid> does not sign and so does not need to be cross-certified".
On Windows, note that using any extension other than `.gpg` or attempting IO redirection to a file will garble the secret key, making it impossible to import it again at a later date:
Once keys are moved to hardware, they cannot be extracted again, so make sure you have made an **encrypted** backup before proceeding. An encrypted USB drive or container can be made using [VeraCrypt](https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Downloads.html).
Keep the backup mounted if you plan on setting up two or more keys as `keytocard` will [delete](https://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnupg-users/2016-July/056353.html) the local copy on save.
The -m option is the mode command. To see the different modes, enter `ykpersonalize –help`. Mode 82 (in hex) enables the YubiKey NEO as a composite USB device (HID + CCID). Once you have changed the mode, you need to re-boot the YubiKey – so remove and re-insert it. On YubiKey NEO with firmware version 3.3 or higher, you can enable composite USB device with `-m86` instead of `-m82`.
**Note** YubiKey NEO shipped after November 2015 have [all modes enabled](https://www.yubico.com/support/knowledge-base/categories/articles/yubikey-neo-manager/); so this configuration may be skipped. Older versions of the YubiKey NEO may need to be reconfigured as a composite USB device (HID + CCID) which allows OTPs to be emitted while in use as a SmartCard.
**Windows** Use the [YubiKey NEO Manager](https://www.yubico.com/products/services-software/download/yubikey-neo-manager/) to enable CCID functionality.
The Admin PIN is required for some card operations and to unblock a PIN that has been entered incorrectly more than three times. See the GnuPG documentation on [Managing PINs](https://www.gnupg.org/howtos/card-howto/en/ch03s02.html) for details.
Previous GPG versions required the `toggle` command before selecting keys. The currently selected key(s) are indicated with an `*`. When moving keys only one key should be selected at a time.
Mount another USB drive to copy the *public* key, or save it somewhere where you can easily access later.
**Note** Without the *public* key, you will not be able to use GPG to encrypt, decrypt, nor sign messages. However, you will still be able to use the YubiKey for SSH.
Optionally, the public key may be uploaded to a [public keyserver](https://debian-administration.org/article/451/Submitting_your_GPG_key_to_a_keyserver):
After some time, the public key will to propagate to [other](https://pgp.key-server.io/pks/lookup?search=doc%40duh.to&fingerprint=on&op=vindex) [servers](https://pgp.mit.edu/pks/lookup?search=doc%40duh.to&op=index).
Create a hardened configuration for GPG with the following options or by downloading my [recommended](https://github.com/drduh/config/blob/master/gpg.conf) version directly:
If you get the error `gpgkeys: HTTP fetch error 1: unsupported protocol` - this means you need to install a special version of curl which supports GPG:
[gpg-agent](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GnuPG#SSH_agent) supports the OpenSSH ssh-agent protocol (`enable-ssh-support`), as well as Putty's Pageant on Windows (`enable-putty-support`). This means it can be used instead of the traditional ssh-agent / pageant. There are some differences from ssh-agent, notably that gpg-agent does not _cache_ keys rather it converts, encrypts and stores them - persistently - as GPG keys and then makes them available to ssh clients. Any existing ssh private keys that you'd like to keep in `gpg-agent` should be deleted after they've been imported to the GPG agent.
When importing the key to `gpg-agent`, you'll be prompted for a passphrase to protect that key within GPG's key store - you may want to use the same passphrase as the original's ssh version. GPG can both cache passphrases for a determined period (ref. `gpg-agent`'s various `cache-ttl` options), and since version 2.1 can store and fetch passphrases via the macOS keychain. Note than when removing the old private key after importing to `gpg-agent`, keep the `.pub` key file around for use in specifying ssh identities (e.g. `ssh -i /path/to/identity.pub`).
Probably the biggest thing missing from `gpg-agent`'s ssh agent support is being able to remove keys. `ssh-add -d/-D` have no effect. Instead, you need to use the `gpg-connect-agent` utility to lookup a key's keygrip, match that with the desired ssh key fingerprint (as an MD5) and then delete that keygrip. The [gnupg-users mailing list](https://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnupg-users/2016-August/056499.html) has more information.
Create a hardened configuration for gpg-agent with the following options or by downloading my [recommended](https://github.com/drduh/config/blob/master/gpg-agent.conf) version directly:
Alternatively, you may want to use `/usr/bin/pinentry-gnome3` to use a GUI manager. On macOS, use `brew install pinentry-mac` and adjust the program path to suit.
By default, SSH attempts to use all the identities available via the agent. It's often a good idea to manage exactly which keys SSH will use to connect to a server, for example to separate different roles or [to avoid being fingerprinted by untrusted ssh servers](https://blog.filippo.io/ssh-whoami-filippo-io/). To do this you'll need to use the command line argument `-l [identity_file]` or the `IdentityFile` and `IdentitiesOnly` options in `.ssh/config`.
The argument provided to `IdentityFile` is traditionally the path to the _private_ key file (for example `IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa`). For the Yubikey - indeed, in general for keys stored in an ssh agent - `IdentityFile` should point to the _public_ key file, `ssh` will select the appropriate private key from those available via the ssh agent. To prevent `ssh` from trying all keys in the agent use the `IdentitiesOnly yes` option along with one or more `-i` or `IdentityFile` options for the target host.
To reiterate, with `IdentitiesOnly yes`, `ssh` will not automatically enumerate public keys loaded into `ssh-agent` or `gpg-agent`. This means `publickey` authentication will not proceed unless explicitly named by `ssh -i [identity_file]` or in `.ssh/config` on a per-host basis.
**Note** To make multiple connections or securely transfer many files, consider using the [ControlMaster](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSSH/Cookbook/Multiplexing) ssh option. Also see [drduh/config/ssh_config](https://github.com/drduh/config/blob/master/ssh_config).
By default, YubiKey will perform key operations without requiring a touch from the user. To require a touch for every SSH connection, use the [YubiKey Manager](https://developers.yubico.com/yubikey-manager/) and Admin PIN:
If there are existing SSH keys that you wish to make available via `gpg-agent`, you'll need to import them. You should then remove the original private keys. When importing the key, `gpg-agent` uses the key's filename as the key's label; this makes it easier to follow where the key originated from. In this example, we're starting with just the YubiKey's key in place and importing `~/.ssh/id_rsa`:
When invoking `ssh-add`, it will prompt for the ssh key's passphrase if present, then the `pinentry` program will prompt and confirm for a new passphrase to use to encrypt the converted key within the gpg key store.
When using the key `pinentry` will be invoked to request the key's passphrase. The passphrase will be cached for up to 10 minutes idle time between uses, to a maximum of 2 hours.
You can use YubiKey to sign GitHub commits and tags. It can also be used for GitHub SSH authentication, allowing you to push, pull, and commit without a password.
**Note** If you encounter the error `gpg: signing failed: No secret key` - run `gpg --card-status` with YubiKey plugged in and try the git command again.
Copy this key to a file and keep it for later use. It represents the public SSH key corresponding to the secret key on your YubiKey. You can upload this key to any server you wish to SSH into.
To authenticate SSH sessions via our YubiKey we need to enable Gpg4Win's PuTTY integration. Create a file named `gpg-agent.conf` and place it in the directory `C:\%APPDATA%\gnupg`.
The file should contain the line `enable-putty-support`.
Now you can use PuTTY for public key SSH authentication. When the server asks for public key verification, PuTTY will forward the request to GPG, which will prompt you for your PIN and authorize the login using your YubiKey.
- If you receive the error, `Yubikey core error: no yubikey present` - make sure the YubiKey is inserted correctly. It should blink once when plugged in.
- If you still receive the error, `Yubikey core error: no yubikey present` - you likely need to install newer versions of yubikey-personalize as outlined in [Install required software](#install-required-software).
- If you receive the error, `sign_and_send_pubkey: signing failed: agent refused operation` - you probably have ssh-agent running. Make sure you replaced ssh-agent with gpg-agent as noted above.
- If you still receive the error, `sign_and_send_pubkey: signing failed: agent refused operation` - On Debian, [try](https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=835394) `gpg-connect-agent updatestartuptty /bye`
- If you receive the error, `Error connecting to agent: No such file or directory` from `ssh-add -L`, the UNIX file socket that the agent uses for communication with other processes may not be set up correctly. On Debian, try `export SSH_AUTH_SOCK="/run/user/$UID/gnupg/S.gpg-agent.ssh"`
- If you receive the error, `Permission denied (publickey)`, increase ssh verbosity with the `-v` flag and ensure the public key from the card is being offered: `Offering public key: RSA SHA256:abcdefg... cardno:00060123456`. If it is, ensure you are connecting as the right user on the target system, rather than as the user on the local system. Otherwise, be sure `IdentitiesOnly` is not [enabled](https://github.com/FiloSottile/whosthere#how-do-i-stop-it) for this host.
1. YubiKey has two configurations: one invoked with a short press, and the other with a long press. By default, the short-press mode is configured for HID OTP - a brief touch will emit an OTP string starting with `cccccccc`. If you rarely use the OTP mode, you can swap it to the second configuration via the Yubikey Personalization tool. If you *never* use OTP, you can disable it entirely using the [Yubikey Manager](https://developers.yubico.com/yubikey-manager) application (note, this not the similarly named Yubikey NEO Manager).
1. Programming YubiKey for GPG keys still lets you use its two configurations - [OTP](https://www.yubico.com/faq/what-is-a-one-time-password-otp/) and [static password](https://www.yubico.com/products/services-software/personalization-tools/static-password/) modes, for example.
1. Setting an expiry essentially forces you to manage your subkeys and announces to the rest of the world that you are doing so. Setting an expiry on a primary key is ineffective for protecting the key from loss - whoever has the primary key can simply extend its expiry period. Revocation certificates are [better suited](https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/14718/does-openpgp-key-expiration-add-to-security/79386#79386) for this purpose. It may be appropriate for your use case to set expiry dates on subkeys.
