Store SSH keys in the Secure Enclave
Go to file
Max Goedjen 95cf88d3ca
Add type eraser tests.
2020-03-21 19:36:11 -07:00
.github Update readme screenshot 2020-03-21 17:56:29 -07:00
Brief Fix weird spacing 2020-03-21 19:28:49 -07:00
Config Build and About page (#64) 2020-03-19 21:16:14 -07:00
SecretAgent Adding notifications for updater (#70) 2020-03-21 18:43:26 -07:00
SecretAgentKit Add tests for reader. 2020-03-21 19:28:08 -07:00
SecretAgentKitTests MIT licensing notices 2020-03-19 21:36:25 -07:00
SecretKit Add tests for reader. 2020-03-21 19:28:08 -07:00
SecretKitTests Add type eraser tests. 2020-03-21 19:36:11 -07:00
Secretive Adding notifications for updater (#70) 2020-03-21 18:43:26 -07:00
Secretive.xcodeproj Add type eraser tests. 2020-03-21 19:36:11 -07:00
SecretiveTests MIT licensing notices 2020-03-19 21:36:25 -07:00
.gitignore Disable per-framework signing 2020-03-14 19:28:25 -07:00
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md Add CoC 2020-03-14 21:31:45 -07:00
CONTRIBUTING.md Update CONTRIBUTING.md 2020-03-14 21:51:50 -07:00
LICENSE Initial commit 2020-02-18 19:34:46 -08:00
README.md Add security contact email 2020-03-14 21:48:34 -07:00

README.md

Secretive

Secretive is an app for storing and managing SSH keys in the Secure Enclave. It is inspired by the sekey project, but rewritten in Swift with no external dependencies and with a handy native management app.

Screenshot of Secretive

Why?

Safer Storage

The most common setup for SSH keys is just keeping them on disk, guarded by proper permissions. This is fine in most cases, but it's not super hard for malicious users or malware to copy your private key. If you store your keys in the Secure Enclave, it's impossible to export them, by design.

Access Control

If your Mac has a Secure Enclave, it also has support for strong biometric access controls like Touch ID. You can configure your key so that they require Touch ID (or Watch) authentication before they're accessed.

Screenshot of Secretive authenticating with Touch ID

Notifications

Secretive also notifies you whenever your keys are acceessed, so you're never caught off guard.

Screenshot of Secretive notifying the user

Support for Smart Cards Too!

For Macs without Secure Enclaves, you can configure a Smart Card (such as a YubiKey) and use it for signing as well.

Getting Started

Setup for Third Party Apps

When you first launch Secretive, you'll be prompted to set up your command line environment. You can redisplay this prompt at any time by going to Menu > Help -> Set Up Helper App. For non-command-line based apps, like GUI Git clients, you may need to go through app-specific setup.

Tower

Security Considerations

Builds are produced by GitHub Actions with an auditable build and release generation process. Each build has a "Document SHAs" step, which will output SHA checksums for the build produced by the GitHub Action, so you can verify that the source code for a given build corresponds to any given release.

A Note Around Code Signing and Keychains

While Secretive uses the Secure Enclave for key storage, it still relies on Keychain APIs to access them. Keychain restricts reads of keys to the app (and specifically, the bundle ID) that created them. If you build Secretive from source, make sure you are consistent in which bundle ID you use so that the Keychain is able to locate your keys.

Backups and Transfers to New Machines

Beacuse secrets in the Secure Enclave are not exportable, they are not able to be backed up, and you will not be able to transfer them to a new machine. If you get a new Mac, just create a new set of secrets specific to that Mac.

Security

If you discover any vulnerabilities in this project, please notify max.goedjen@gmail.com