70 lines
3.8 KiB
TeX
70 lines
3.8 KiB
TeX
\chapter{Passwords}
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\ChapterLabel{Passwords}
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\index{passwords}
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\index{passwords!policy}
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\index{passwords!derivation rule}
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\index{credentials}
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\index{least privilege}
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\section{Purpose}
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This chapter records the accounts that will exist in the development
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environment described in \ChapterRef{Hosts} and the rule governing the password
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for each. No password appears here. Where a password is derived by rule, the
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register records the hint needed to reconstruct it rather than its value; where
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a password is machine-generated, the register records where it is stored rather
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than what it is.
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\section{Password Classes}
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\index{passwords!classes}
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Accounts fall into two classes, distinguished by whether the secret has to be
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recalled from memory.
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\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*]
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\item \textbf{Generated.} The secret is produced at random by a password
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manager, is unique to the account, and is never typed from memory. This
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class is preferred, and every account that can use it does.
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\item \textbf{Derived.} The secret is constructed in the register.
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This class is reserved for the small number of secrets that must
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be entered when the password manager is not available.
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\end{itemize}
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Keeping the derived class as small as possible is deliberate. A derivation rule
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is a concession to human memory, not a security improvement, so it is applied
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only where a generated secret cannot be retrieved.
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\section{Account and Rule Register}
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\index{passwords!register}
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\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{L{2.4cm}L{2.9cm}L{1.9cm}Y}
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\caption{Account, Server, and Password Rule Register\label{Table:PasswordRegister}}\\
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\toprule \textbf{User} & \textbf{Server or service} & \textbf{Class} & \textbf{Rule and hint}\\ \midrule
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\endfirsthead
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\multicolumn{4}{l}{\small\itshape Account, Server, and Password Rule Register (continued)}\\
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\toprule \textbf{User} & \textbf{Server or service} & \textbf{Class} & \textbf{Rule and hint}\\ \midrule
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\endhead \bottomrule \endlastfoot
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\texttt{root} & \texttt{ssw590-dev-01} & None & No password. Administrative access is obtained through \texttt{sudo} by a named account, so that privileged actions are attributable.\\
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\texttt{payton} & \texttt{ssw590-dev-01}, \texttt{ssw590-build-01} & Derived & Used only to authenticate \texttt{sudo}; \gls{ssh} password authentication is disabled, so this secret never crosses the network.
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\textit{Psst... sudo is a name, no?}\\
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\texttt{ssw-app} & \texttt{ssw590-dev-01} & Generated & Unprivileged service account for course applications. Secret held in a file readable only by that account, excluded from the repository, and rotated per deployment.\\
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Master & Password manager vault & Derived & A memorized password that isn't stored in its own vault.
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\textit{Surely it's secure, no lie?}\\
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Root user & AWS account & Generated & Reserved for account recovery and billing; \gls{mfa} enforced, not used for routine work.\\
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\texttt{payton-admin} & AWS console, \gls{iam} & Generated & Day-to-day console account. \gls{mfa} enforced. Programmatic access uses short-lived credentials rather than a stored key pair.\\
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\end{tabularx}
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\section{Handling and Storage}
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\index{passwords!handling}
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\index{secrets}
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The following rules apply to every entry above.
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\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*]
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\item No password, private key, access token, or recovery code is recorded anywhere non-secure.
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A secret is referred to by the location that holds it.
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\item \gls{mfa} is enabled on every account that supports it.
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\item A generated password is rotated by replacement. Any password is
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rotated immediately if it is disclosed, and knowing one password
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does not provide insight into other passwords.
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\item Service credentials on a \gls{host} are supplied through a file or
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environment variable owned by the service account, with access restricted
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to that account, rather than being embedded in application source.
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\end{itemize} |