Ubuntu Manpage: monkeysphere - ssh and TLS authentication framework using OpenPGP Web of Trust

Provided by: monkeysphere_0.41-1ubuntu1_all

NAME

       monkeysphere - ssh and TLS authentication framework using OpenPGP Web of Trust

DESCRIPTION

       Monkeysphere  is a framework to leverage the OpenPGP web of trust for OpenSSH and TLS key-
       based  authentication.   OpenPGP  keys  are  tracked  via  GnuPG,   and   added   to   the
       authorized_keys  and  known_hosts  files  used  by  OpenSSH for connection authentication.
       Monkeysphere can also be used by a validation agent  to  validate  TLS  connections  (e.g.
       https).

IDENTITY CERTIFIERS

Each host that uses the Monkeysphere to authenticate its remote users needs some way to
determine that those users are who they claim to be. SSH permits key-based
authentication, but we want instead to bind authenticators to human-comprehensible user
identities. This switch from raw keys to User IDs makes it possible for administrators to
see intuitively who has access to an account, and it also enables end users to transition
keys (and revoke compromised ones) automatically across all Monkeysphere-enabled hosts.
The User IDs and certifications that the Monkeysphere relies on are found in the OpenPGP
Web of Trust.

However, in order to establish this binding, each host must know whose cerifications to
trust. Someone who a host trusts to certify User Identities is called an Identity
Certifier. A host must have at least one Identity Certifier in order to bind User IDs to
keys. Commonly, every ID Certifier would be trusted by the host to fully identify any
User ID, but more nuanced approaches are possible as well. For example, a given host
could specify a dozen ID certifiers, but assign them all "marginal" trust. Then any given
User ID would need to be certified in the OpenPGP Web of Trust by at least three of those
certifiers.

It is also possible to limit the scope of trust for a given ID Certifier to a particular
domain. That is, a host can be configured to fully (or marginally) trust a particular ID
Certifier only when they certify identities within, say, example.org (based on the e-mail
address in the User ID).

KEY ACCEPTABILITY

       The monkeysphere commands work from a set of user IDs to determine acceptable keys for ssh
       and  TLS authentication.  OpenPGP keys are considered acceptable if the following criteria
       are met:

       capability
              The key must have the `authentication' (`a') usage flag set.

       validity
              The key itself must be valid, i.e. it must be well-formed,  not  expired,  and  not
              revoked.

       certification
              The relevant user ID must be signed by a trusted identity certifier.

HOST IDENTIFICATION

       The  OpenPGP  keys  for  hosts have associated `service names` (OpenPGP user IDs) that are
       based on URI specifications for the service.  Some examples:

       ssh:   ssh://host.example.com[:port]

       https: https://host.example.com[:port]

AUTHOR