10.5 S/Key

10.5.1 Secure Connection Initialization

To initialize S/Key for the first time, change your password, or change your seed while logged in over a secure connection (e.g., on the console of a machine or via ssh), use the keyinit command without any parameters while logged in as yourself:

    % keyinit
    Adding unfurl:
    Reminder - Only use this method if you are directly connected.
    If you are using telnet or rlogin exit with no password and use keyinit -s.
    Enter secret password: 
    Again secret password: 
    
    ID unfurl s/key is 99 to17757
    DEFY CLUB PRO NASH LACE SOFT

For OPIE, opiepasswd is used instead:

    % opiepasswd -c
    [grimreaper] ~ $ opiepasswd -f -c
    Adding unfurl:
    Only use this method from the console; NEVER from remote. If you are using
    telnet, xterm, or a dial-in, type ^C now or exit with no password.
    Then run opiepasswd without the -c parameter.
    Using MD5 to compute responses.
    Enter new secret pass phrase:
    Again new secret pass phrase:
    ID unfurl OTP key is 499 to4268
    MOS MALL GOAT ARM AVID COED

At the Enter new secret pass phrase: or Enter secret password: prompts, you should enter a password or phrase. Remember, this is not the password that you will use to login with, this is used to generate your one-time login keys. The ``ID'' line gives the parameters of your particular instance; your login name, the iteration count, and seed. When logging in the system will remember these parameters and present them back to you so you do not have to remember them. The last line gives the particular one-time password which corresponds to those parameters and your secret password; if you were to re-login immediately, this one-time password is the one you would use.

10.5.2 Insecure Connection Initialization

To initialize or change your secret password over an insecure connection, you will need to already have a secure connection to some place where you can run key or opiekey; this might be in the form of a desk accessory on a Macintosh, or a shell prompt on a machine you trust. You will also need to make up an iteration count (100 is probably a good value), and you may make up your own seed or use a randomly-generated one. Over on the insecure connection (to the machine you are initializing), use the keyinit -s command:

    % keyinit -s
    Updating unfurl:
    Old key: to17758
    Reminder you need the 6 English words from the key command.
    Enter sequence count from 1 to 9999: 100
    Enter new key [default to17759]: 
    s/key 100 to 17759
    s/key access password:
    s/key access password:CURE MIKE BANE HIM RACY GORE

For OPIE, you need to use opiepasswd:

    % opiepasswd
    
    Updating unfurl:
    You need the response from an OTP generator.
    Old secret pass phrase:
            otp-md5 498 to4268 ext
            Response: GAME GAG WELT OUT DOWN CHAT
    New secret pass phrase:
            otp-md5 499 to4269
            Response: LINE PAP MILK NELL BUOY TROY
    
    ID mark OTP key is 499 gr4269
    LINE PAP MILK NELL BUOY TROY

To accept the default seed (which the keyinit program confusingly calls a key), press Return. Then before entering an access password, move over to your secure connection or S/Key desk accessory, and give it the same parameters:

    % key 100 to17759
    Reminder - Do not use this program while logged in via telnet or rlogin.
    Enter secret password: <secret password>
    CURE MIKE BANE HIM RACY GORE

Or for OPIE:

    % opiekey 498 to4268
    Using the MD5 algorithm to compute response.
    Reminder: Don't use opiekey from telnet or dial-in sessions.
    Enter secret pass phrase:
    GAME GAG WELT OUT DOWN CHAT

Now switch back over to the insecure connection, and copy the one-time password generated over to the relevant program.

10.5.3 Generating a Single one-time Password

Once you have initialized S/Key or OPIE, when you login you will be presented with a prompt like this:

    % telnet example.com
    Trying 10.0.0.1...
    Connected to example.com
    Escape character is '^]'.
    
    FreeBSD/i386 (example.com) (ttypa)
    
    login: <username>
    s/key 97 fw13894
    Password:

Or for OPIE:

    % telnet example.com
    Trying 10.0.0.1...
    Connected to example.com
    Escape character is '^]'.
    
    FreeBSD/i386 (example.com) (ttypa)
    
    login: <username>
    otp-md5 498 gr4269 ext
    Password:

As a side note, the S/Key and OPIE prompts have a useful feature (not shown here): if you press Return at the password prompt, the prompter will turn echo on, so you can see what you are typing. This can be extremely useful if you are attempting to type in a password by hand, such as from a printout.

At this point you need to generate your one-time password to answer this login prompt. This must be done on a trusted system that you can run key or opiekey on. (There are versions of these for DOS, Windows and MacOS as well.) They need both the iteration count and the seed as command line options. You can cut-and-paste these right from the login prompt on the machine that you are logging in to.

On the trusted system:

    % key 97 fw13894
    Reminder - Do not use this program while logged in via telnet or rlogin.
    Enter secret password: 
    WELD LIP ACTS ENDS ME HAAG

For OPIE:

    % opiekey 498 to4268
    Using the MD5 algorithm to compute response.
    Reminder: Don't use opiekey from telnet or dial-in sessions.
    Enter secret pass phrase:
    GAME GAG WELT OUT DOWN CHAT

Now that you have your one-time password you can continue logging in:

    login: <username>
    s/key 97 fw13894
    Password: <return to enable echo>
    s/key 97 fw13894
    Password [echo on]: WELD LIP ACTS ENDS ME HAAG
    Last login: Tue Mar 21 11:56:41 from 10.0.0.2 ...

10.5.4 Generating Multiple one-time Passwords

Sometimes you have to go places where you do not have access to a trusted machine or secure connection. In this case, it is possible to use the key command to generate a number of one-time passwords before hand to be printed out and taken with you. For example:

    % key -n 5 30 zz99999
    Reminder - Do not use this program while logged in via telnet or rlogin.
    Enter secret password: <secret password>
    26: SODA RUDE LEA LIND BUDD SILT 
    27: JILT SPY DUTY GLOW COWL ROT  
    28: THEM OW COLA RUNT BONG SCOT  
    29: COT MASH BARR BRIM NAN FLAG  
    30: CAN KNEE CAST NAME FOLK BILK

The -n 5 requests five keys in sequence, the 30 specifies what the last iteration number should be. Note that these are printed out in reverse order of eventual use. If you are really paranoid, you might want to write the results down by hand; otherwise you can cut-and-paste into lpr. Note that each line shows both the iteration count and the one-time password; you may still find it handy to scratch off passwords as you use them.

10.5.5 Restricting Use of Unix Passwords

Restrictions can be placed on the use of Unix passwords based on the host name, user name, terminal port, or IP address of a login session. These restrictions can be found in the configuration file /etc/skey.access. The skey.access(5) manual page has more information on the complete format of the file and also details some security cautions to be aware of before depending on this file for security.

If there is no /etc/skey.access file (this is the FreeBSD default), then all users will be allowed to use Unix passwords. If the file exists, however, then all users will be required to use S/Key unless explicitly permitted to do otherwise by configuration statements in the skey.access file. In all cases, Unix passwords are permitted on the console.

Here is a sample configuration file which illustrates the three most common sorts of configuration statements:

    permit internet 192.168.0.0 255.255.0.0
    permit user fnord
    permit port ttyd0

The first line (permit internet) allows users whose IP source address (which is vulnerable to spoofing) matches the specified value and mask, to use Unix passwords. This should not be considered a security mechanism, but rather, a means to remind authorized users that they are using an insecure network and need to use S/Key for authentication.

The second line (permit user) allows the specified username, in this case fnord, to use Unix passwords at any time. Generally speaking, this should only be used for people who are either unable to use the key program, like those with dumb terminals, or those who are uneducable.

The third line (permit port) allows all users logging in on the specified terminal line to use Unix passwords; this would be used for dial-ups.