On 20/3/24 19:03, Michael Kjörling wrote:
Each client is issued with a private key unique to the access point. When I say I don't use public key I mean I don't use certificates issued from public key authorities such as comodoOn 20 Mar 2024 15:46 +0800, fromjeremy.ardley@gmail.com (jeremy ardley):Regarding certificates, I issue VPN certificates to be installed on each remote device. I don't use public key.What exactly is this "certificate" that you speak of? In typical usage, it means a public key plus some surrounding metadata, but you say that you "don't use public key".
For ssh use I issue secret keys to each user and maintain matching public keys in LDAP servers. SSHD servers can get the public keys in real time by using the AuthorizedKeysCommand. If a secret key is compromised I simply remove the matching public key. [users are locked out from uploading their public key using ssh-copy-id]So the private keys aren't private, thereby invalidating a lot of assumptions inherent in public key cryptography. Also, are you saying that you do not let users rotate their keys themselves; and if so, why on Earth not?
Private keys aren't private in any corporate network. Security management would be impossible to manage if users could generate their own keys and install them on any server. For one thing users do not have any easy way to revoke certificates.
In any serious network, private keys are simply a name for a secret key issued by an administrator to a user. Matching public keys are often published and are maintained by the administrator. Both keys are owned by the administrators.
If you are in full control of your network and resources, sure, go ahead and rotate your keys. But if you are in a network run by others you have to accept their control of keys and access to resources.