From 54a585b62027e854c724a934b86ef90ff52c7657 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bob Mottram Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 13:10:58 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] faq --- doc/EN/faq.org | 17 +- man/freedombone-adduser.1.gz | Bin 1387 -> 1389 bytes website/EN/faq.html | 319 +++++++++++++++++------------------ 3 files changed, 170 insertions(+), 166 deletions(-) diff --git a/doc/EN/faq.org b/doc/EN/faq.org index 0d1c4868..9f00f863 100644 --- a/doc/EN/faq.org +++ b/doc/EN/faq.org @@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ | [[I don't have a static IP address. Can I still install this system?]] | | [[What is the best hardware to run this system on?]] | | [[Can I add more users to the system?]] | +| [[How do I remove a user from the system?]] | | [[How do I reset the tripwire?]] | | [[Is metadata protected?]] | | [[How do I create email processing rules?]] | @@ -39,7 +40,21 @@ It was originally designed to run on the Beaglebone Black, but that should be re /Out of fashion/ but still working computer hardware tends to be cheap and readily available, yet still good for providing internet services. * Can I add more users to the system? -Like any other GNU/Linux system you can add more users. It's easy to add users to Owncloud, XMPP or Hubzilla. However, Freedombone is designed primarily to be a single user system (i.e. a personal server) and if there are multiple users then the number of them is expected to be small - perhaps five or less. Freedombone is not intended to be "/web scale/" in terms of supporting tens or hundreds of users on a single server. Instead, each server can host a small number of users and then the servers federate together as a network of peers. +Yes. Freedombone can support a small number of users, for a "/friends and family/" type of home installation. This gives them access to an email account, XMPP and the blog (depending on whether the variant which you installed includes those). To add a user login as root then run the command: + +#+BEGIN_SRC bash +freedombone-adduser [username] +#+END_SRC + +Something to consider when having more than a single user on the system is the security situation. The original administrator user will have access to all of the data for other users (including their encryption keys), so if you do add extra users they need to have *complete trust* in the administrator. + +Another point is that Freedombone installations are not intended to support many users (maybe ten at most). Large numbers of users may make the system unstable, and the more users you have on one system the more it becomes a single point of failure and also perhaps a honeypot from the standpoint of adversaries. Think of what happened with Lavabit and the moral dilemma which an administrator can be faced with (comply with threats and betray the trust of your users or don't comply and suffer other consequences). Ideally, you never want to put yourself into a situation where you can be forced to betray others. +* How do I remove a user from the system? +To remove a user login as root then run the command: + +#+BEGIN_SRC bash +freedombone-rmuser [username] +#+END_SRC * How do I reset the tripwire? You will get a daily email which indicates which files on the system have changed recently. Once per week the system will install any updates and those may also show up on the list, along with any changes due to installed packages or changed settings. Watch out for any files which change unexpectedly, which could indicate an intruder. To reset the tripwire: diff --git a/man/freedombone-adduser.1.gz b/man/freedombone-adduser.1.gz index fb01e936aedd7a6c7400dc45d001606258636c2d..f9df6c197adda265397cb917b47ccfd0eba9346f 100644 GIT binary patch delta 1050 zcmV+#1m*kd3hfF9ABzY8NntOs2W0_&rRm5wO4r;xrg5r7iyMX=_4&LrmNAl==fFWr zY1K&iJgiWu8W0Iq`2mqWNUqDh{TJVed>l^}1-S?u12p1ZN-ssld%!n4VtcA|(S|a1 z+K{q>bYX`+j`l=@`#K`1sz`t`?PqV)1gi#JxER;YW*3ZD-;&3CHaMRt{gMoSz-XaU zBfU}BeVi0~+UMTL$v7~!3c&CRPCd4qDvmqBV)d3Sr&u!64^SgrXPp0fCT^vzX=I9H zKvFF8p_5Ov4|(9Cc}uS%J@`RfReFI@hzRrMpVhI8QXbUD_~f3~n&xAAf^z{uoHvrb zC)>!LLmMO;dJI=tlhUCHUG83gmE{`cCHUPjq(i!UCSI@?DZ~N zQL2_e;!&Z@xdY-9I00mpEVgM*;|hoL#W$9uPqNAh?+h_@TrRf}C6n+$veM`iFUI$i zZmNp5tYaNh&r$+^lKj@Td1H&j ziLu34kF^->?{T@fg8Qz9UKIc&I0-%|cb;VefB)y8E9MBhGdMk}sWmlt-Am^-#+Gr= z-kLRZ&LkKuD<&cpCpR43^9L)|3bTMEN!TO`_<*K1iQ2K3?h=pVAyXN}d+1!V1HIJX z0X7QqSpwr%FnS%w}3fO&O<;*)TLO)(MSXUAouN9)B#lAs_WwM3co`>Q1s$F)Zm8ai=gqocjxnY4NO8lgDK2& z=^9(i_Y^l*U?jQi&zj3ivAA8{AN;I2eT{o)U!-Z=f~2>OkX9DC5h@{XOel)g~o z<+0I~s$U$dTH^wEaok&anb}eYCpmHqMo*6pWxL}u+3x6nNVYpV5!~j*SX`CVSB0B}r6 z&DrI*Z{q2N^0*w?eb2?k-Sn*Z7@F>4{aabt>*m({zA9b+?&()jD`OwYEpOvnA1ObN UWCE8CYi0il0@Fg2&!YM5D8X!Y{|JmjvMKi3ay|gilp*`(;|r-kb?j4X$u8uAR*;7_Po0kKt@^K2!Q769CYELZ?Q0 zqp zVr((iVI0G3pLn!lgV8!TqNeLSDl zI-rw(=3v3L0(PGmxn~==je^5fe^AmjU#ughee8vOFg6ePhn~bq7rZ}V0@dXAj6Cjr zCKj#dd>;E^*`S$3h@!>4=XV$5s)-BFl`ZEt(1n3zap!SeIrGko(2q9_*44=Zrb3_- zE0{b|y2Nxa#8EPT$bCB&bpX}3>biKm!jF&-6umePHMrsVB51tt-T8c81Cx-?U<&hG zy2cjsJ;lw_jkf(wb9pHix6Av3-!!MMaS!c_G>u!3^)DVlzY&sS4_a8>v2&Kv7izpb zHo8*vi(^%5TmUbQdrL1fTk7B>M~=bh>CvHVcYG$>9UaMkc1I_I+q^gn`U{S2EMaCI&&7eBl? zyZrV|JiSmJmm|CHxwyESo)sTM(_O58D=T~5+?wB4rR(24{Yq+O>?675ZG7t^<>!%1 S;L>5O>|X~5N{}C*3jhF3y9!_c diff --git a/website/EN/faq.html b/website/EN/faq.html index 22aabc30..3f72c008 100644 --- a/website/EN/faq.html +++ b/website/EN/faq.html @@ -4,32 +4,25 @@ - + - - - - -
- -
+

-
-

Why not supply a disk image download?

-
+
+

1 Why not supply a disk image download?

+

Shipping a Freedombone disk image ready to install on a flash disk would be easy, but disk images are relatively opaque. It would be quite easy to hide something nasty within a disk image and the user might never know. To guard against that possibility installing via the freedombone command is a lot more transparent, since it's really just a bash script. You can check the script code to see exactly what it's doing, and the packages are all downloaded from standard Debian repos (you can even choose which one you trust) or git repos. Doing it this way the system is fully auditable, whereas when shipping a disk image it's harder to be confident that no nefarious extras have been added.

-
-

I don't have a static IP address. Can I still install this system?

-
+
+

2 I don't have a static IP address. Can I still install this system?

+

Yes. The minimum requirements are to have some hardware that you can install Debian onto and also that you have administrator access to your internet router so that you can forward ports to the system which has Freedombone installed.

@@ -257,9 +248,9 @@ The lack of a static IP address can be worked around by using a dynamic DNS serv

-
-

What is the best hardware to run this system on?

-
+
+

3 What is the best hardware to run this system on?

+

It was originally designed to run on the Beaglebone Black, but that should be regarded as the most minimal system, because it's single core and has by today's standards a small amount of memory. Obviously the more powerful the hardware is the faster things like web pages (blog, social networking, etc) will be served but the more electricity such a system will require if you're running it 24/7. A good compromise between performance and energy consumption is something like an old netbook. The battery of an old netbook or laptop even gives you UPS capability to keep the system going during brief power outages or cable re-arrangements, and that means using full disk encryption on the server also becomes more practical.

@@ -269,17 +260,45 @@ It was originally designed to run on the Beaglebone Black, but that should be re

-
-

Can I add more users to the system?

-
+
+

4 Can I add more users to the system?

+

-Like any other GNU/Linux system you can add more users. It's easy to add users to Owncloud, XMPP or Hubzilla. However, Freedombone is designed primarily to be a single user system (i.e. a personal server) and if there are multiple users then the number of them is expected to be small - perhaps five or less. Freedombone is not intended to be "web scale" in terms of supporting tens or hundreds of users on a single server. Instead, each server can host a small number of users and then the servers federate together as a network of peers. +Yes. Freedombone can support a small number of users, for a "friends and family" type of home installation. This gives them access to an email account, XMPP and the blog (depending on whether the variant which you installed includes those). To add a user login as root then run the command: +

+ +
+ +
freedombone-adduser [username]
+
+
+ +

+Something to consider when having more than a single user on the system is the security situation. The original administrator user will have access to all of the data for other users (including their encryption keys), so if you do add extra users they need to have complete trust in the administrator. +

+ +

+Another point is that Freedombone installations are not intended to support many users (maybe ten at most). Large numbers of users may make the system unstable, and the more users you have on one system the more it becomes a single point of failure and also perhaps a honeypot from the standpoint of adversaries. Think of what happened with Lavabit and the moral dilemma which an administrator can be faced with (comply with threats and betray the trust of your users or don't comply and suffer other consequences). Ideally, you never want to put yourself into a situation where you can be forced to betray others.

-
-

How do I reset the tripwire?

-
+
+

5 How do I remove a user from the system?

+
+

+To remove a user login as root then run the command: +

+ +
+ +
freedombone-rmuser [username]
+
+
+
+
+
+

6 How do I reset the tripwire?

+

You will get a daily email which indicates which files on the system have changed recently. Once per week the system will install any updates and those may also show up on the list, along with any changes due to installed packages or changed settings. Watch out for any files which change unexpectedly, which could indicate an intruder. To reset the tripwire:

@@ -297,17 +316,17 @@ You will need to press enter a couple of times. Doing this typically once per we

-
-

Is metadata protected?

-
+
+

7 Is metadata protected?

+

Even when using Freedombone metadata analysis by third parties is still possible. They might have a much harder time knowing what the content is, but they can potentially construct extensive dossiers based upon who communicated with your server when. Metadata leakage is a general problem with most current web systems and it is hoped that more secure technology will become available in future. But for now if metadata protection is your main concern using Freedombone won't help.

-
-

How do I create email processing rules?

-
+
+

8 How do I create email processing rules?

+

You can administer email in the traditional manner by editing folders or procmail rules, but for convenience some commands are available to make that process simpler. See the relevant manpages for more details.

@@ -316,39 +335,39 @@ You can administer email in the traditional manner by editing folders or procmai - + - + -freedombone-addlist -Adds a mailing list +freedombone-addlist +Adds a mailing list -freedombone-rmlist -Removes a mailing list +freedombone-rmlist +Removes a mailing list -freedombone-addemail -Transfers emails from an address to a given folder +freedombone-addemail +Transfers emails from an address to a given folder -freedombone-rmemail -Removes an email transferal rule +freedombone-rmemail +Removes an email transferal rule -freedombone-ignore -Ignores email from an address or with a subject line containing text +freedombone-ignore +Ignores email from an address or with a subject line containing text -freedombone-unignore -Removes an ignore rule +freedombone-unignore +Removes an ignore rule @@ -358,9 +377,9 @@ Spamassassin is also available and within Mutt you can use the S (shift+s) key t

-
-

Why isn't dynamic DNS working?

-
+
+

9 Why isn't dynamic DNS working?

+

If you run the command:

@@ -428,9 +447,9 @@ http://httpbin.org/ip
-
-

How do I change my encryption settings?

-
+
+

10 How do I change my encryption settings?

+

Suppose that some new encryption vulnerability has been announced and that you need to change your encryption settings. Maybe an algorithm thought to be secure is now no longer so and you need to remove it. You can change your settings by doing the following:

@@ -448,9 +467,9 @@ You will then be able to edit the crypto settings for all of the installed appli

-
-

How do I get a domain name?

-
+
+

11 How do I get a domain name?

+

Suppose that you have bought a domain name (rather than using a free subdomain on freedns) and you want to use that instead.

@@ -518,11 +537,11 @@ You should now be able to send an email from postmaster@mynewdomainname a
-
-

How do I get a "real" SSL certificate?

-
+
+

12 How do I get a "real" SSL certificate?

+

-You can obtain a free "official" (as in recognised by default by web browsers) SSL certificate from StartSSL. You will first need to have bought a domain name, since it's not possible to obtain one for a freedns subdomain, so see Using your own domain for details of how to do that. You should also have tested that you can send email to the domain and receive it on the Freedombone (via Mutt or any other email client). +You can obtain a free "official" (as in recognised by default by web browsers) SSL certificate from StartSSL. You will first need to have bought a domain name, since it's not possible to obtain one for a freedns subdomain, so see Using your own domain for details of how to do that. You should also have tested that you can send email to the domain and receive it on the Freedombone (via Mutt or any other email client).

@@ -539,10 +558,10 @@ Now we can generate the certificate request as follows.

-
export HOSTNAME=mydomainname.com
-openssl genrsa -out /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key 2048
-chown root:ssl-cert /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
-chmod 440 /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
+
export HOSTNAME=mydomainname.com
+openssl genrsa -out /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key 2048
+chown root:ssl-cert /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
+chmod 440 /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
 mkdir /etc/ssl/requests
 
@@ -553,7 +572,7 @@ Now make a certificate request as follows. You should copy and paste the whole
-
openssl req -new -sha256 -key /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key -out /etc/ssl/requests/$HOSTNAME.csr
+
openssl req -new -sha256 -key /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key -out /etc/ssl/requests/$HOSTNAME.csr
 
@@ -571,7 +590,7 @@ View the request with:
-
cat /etc/ssl/requests/$HOSTNAME.csr
+
cat /etc/ssl/requests/$HOSTNAME.csr
 
@@ -585,7 +604,7 @@ Log into your StartSSL account and select Retrieve Certificate from the <
-
editor /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt
+
editor /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt
 
@@ -597,15 +616,15 @@ Paste the public key, then save and exit. Then on the Freedombone.
mkdir /etc/ssl/roots
 mkdir /etc/ssl/chains
-wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/roots/startssl-root.ca"
-wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class1.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem"
-wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class2.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class2.server.ca.pem"
-wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class3.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class3.server.ca.pem"
-ln -s "/etc/ssl/roots/startssl-root.ca" "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca"
-ln -s "/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem" "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca"
-cp "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt" "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
-test -e "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca" && cat "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca" >> "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
-test -e "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca" && cat "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca" >> "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
+wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/roots/startssl-root.ca"
+wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class1.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem"
+wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class2.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class2.server.ca.pem"
+wget "http://www.startssl.com/certs/sub.class3.server.ca.pem" --output-document="/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class3.server.ca.pem"
+ln -s "/etc/ssl/roots/startssl-root.ca" "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca"
+ln -s "/etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem" "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca"
+cp "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt" "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
+test -e "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca" && cat "/etc/ssl/chains/$HOSTNAME.ca" >> "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
+test -e "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca" && cat "/etc/ssl/roots/$HOSTNAME-root.ca" >> "/etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt+chain+root"
 
@@ -618,8 +637,8 @@ To avoid any possibility of the certificates being accidentally overwritten by s
mkdir /etc/ssl/backups
 mkdir /etc/ssl/backups/certs
 mkdir /etc/ssl/backups/private
-cp /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME* /etc/ssl/backups/certs/
-cp /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME* /etc/ssl/backups/private/
+cp /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME* /etc/ssl/backups/certs/
+cp /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME* /etc/ssl/backups/private/
 chmod -R 400 /etc/ssl/backups/certs/*
 chmod -R 400 /etc/ssl/backups/private/*
 
@@ -631,9 +650,9 @@ Remove the certificate password, so if the server is rebooted then it won't wait
-
openssl rsa -in /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key -out /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key
-cp /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
-shred -zu /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key
+
openssl rsa -in /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key -out /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key
+cp /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.key
+shred -zu /etc/ssl/private/$HOSTNAME.new.key
 
@@ -643,7 +662,7 @@ Create a bundled certificate which joins the certificate and chain file together
-
cat /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt /etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem > /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.bundle.crt
+
cat /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.crt /etc/ssl/chains/startssl-sub.class1.server.ca.pem > /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.bundle.crt
 
@@ -654,7 +673,7 @@ And also add it to the overall bundle of certificates for the Freedombone. This
mkdir /etc/ssl/mycerts
-cp /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.bundle.crt /etc/ssl/mycerts
+cp /etc/ssl/certs/$HOSTNAME.bundle.crt /etc/ssl/mycerts
 cat /etc/ssl/mycerts/*.crt > /etc/ssl/freedombone-bundle.crt
 tar -czvf /etc/ssl/freedombone-certs.tar.gz /etc/ssl/mycerts/*.crt
 
@@ -666,7 +685,7 @@ Edit your configuration file.
-
editor /etc/nginx/sites-available/$HOSTNAME
+
editor /etc/nginx/sites-available/$HOSTNAME
 
@@ -691,14 +710,14 @@ Save and exit, then restart the web server.

-Now visit your web site at https://mydomainname.com/ and you should notice that there is no certificate warning displayed. You will now be able to install systems which don't allow the use of self-signed certificates, such as Hubzilla. +Now visit your web site at https://mydomainname.com and you should notice that there is no certificate warning displayed. You will now be able to install systems which don't allow the use of self-signed certificates, such as Hubzilla.

-
-

How do I renew a StartSSL certificate?

-
+
+

13 How do I renew a StartSSL certificate?

+

The StartSSL certificates last for a year. You can check the expiry date of your current certificate/s by going to your site and if you're using Firefox then click on the lock icon, select "more information" then "view certificate".

@@ -712,7 +731,7 @@ Make sure that you have the StartSSL certificate which was created when you init

-Now go to startssl.com and click on the keys icon on the right hand side to log in. Select the Control panel then Validations Wizard and choose Email address validation. Enter your email address, then wait for the validation email to show up in your inbox. It will contain a code when you can then enter. +Now go to startssl.com and click on the keys icon on the right hand side to log in. Select the Control panel then Validations Wizard and choose Email address validation. Enter your email address, then wait for the validation email to show up in your inbox. It will contain a code when you can then enter.

@@ -768,9 +787,9 @@ The new certificate will then be installed.

-
-

Why use self-signed certificates?

-
+
+

14 Why use self-signed certificates?

+

Almost everywhere on the web you will read that self-signed certificates are worthless. They bring up scary looking browser warnings and gurus will advise you not to use them. Self-signed certificates are quite useful though. What the scary warnings mean - and it would be good if they explained this more clearly - is that you have an encrypted connection established but there is no certainty about who that connection is with. The usual solution to this is to get a "real" SSL certificate from one of the certificate authorities, but it's far from clear that such authorities can be trusted. There have been various scandals involving such organisations, and it does not seem plausible to assume that they are somehow immune to the sort of treatment which Lavabit received. So although most internet users have been trained to look for the lock icon as an indication that the connection is secured that belief may not always be well founded.

@@ -784,17 +803,17 @@ For now a self-signed certificate will probably in most cases protect your commu

-
-

Why not use the services of $company instead? They took the Seppuku pledge

-
+
+

15 Why not use the services of $company instead? They took the Seppuku pledge

+

-That pledge is utterly worthless. Years ago people trusted Google in the same sort of way, because they promised not be be evil and because a lot of the engineers working for them seemed like honest types who were "on our side". Post-nymwars and post-PRISM we know exactly how much Google cared about the privacy and security of its users. But Google is only one particular example. In general don't trust pledges made by companies, even if the people running them seem really sincere. +That pledge is utterly worthless. Years ago people trusted Google in the same sort of way, because they promised not be be evil and because a lot of the engineers working for them seemed like honest types who were "on our side". Post-nymwars and post-PRISM we know exactly how much Google cared about the privacy and security of its users. But Google is only one particular example. In general don't trust pledges made by companies, even if the people running them seem really sincere.

-
-

Why does my email keep getting rejected as spam by Gmail/etc?

-
+
+

16 Why does my email keep getting rejected as spam by Gmail/etc?

+

Welcome to the world of email. Email is really the archetypal decentralized service, developed during the early days of the internet. In principle anyone can run an email server, and that's exactly what you're doing with Freedombone. Email is very useful, but it has a big problem, and that's that the protocols are totally insecure. That made it easy for spammers to do their thing, and in response highly elaborate spam filtering and blocking systems were developed. Chances are that your emails are being blocked in this way. Sometimes the blocking is so indisciminate that entire countries are excluded. What can you do about it? Unless you control the block list at the receiving end probably you can't do anything. There is zero accountability for such blocking, and you can't just contact someone and say "hey, I'm not a spammer". This system works well for the big internet companies because it effectively centralises email to a few well-known brand names and keeps any independent servers out.

@@ -806,40 +825,10 @@ So the situation with email presently is pretty bad, and there's a clear selecti
- - - - - - +

Author: Bob Mottram

+

Created: 2015-10-27 Tue 11:37

+

Emacs 24.4.1 (Org mode 8.2.10)

+

Validate