OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

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matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:17 am

dariusz wrote:In case you would like to compile openvpn with openssl use following for openvpn:

./configure \
--enable-systemd \
CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib" \

So I need to add the rpath for openvpn too so that openvpn also links to the correct version of openSSL? So does this mean I need to re-make the openvpn again?

Is this step really needed or is it optional?

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:21 am

It is your decision what encryption library you want to use with your openvpn. You can use mbedtls, openssl or libressl.

You have to add path to openvpn compilation if you use it with openssl.

Please note this is not related to easyrsa openssl usage. easyrsa is just set of shell scripts using openssl to generate certs. For easyrsa you just need working openssl on your computer.

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:32 am

So I just ran the command

Code: Select all

CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib"
and then I ran make, I am doing this correctly?

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:37 am

if you decided to switch from mbedtls to openssl then

command is:

./configure \
--enable-systemd \
CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib" \


However if you successfully compiled openvpn already with mbedtls just leave it. Compile openssl to make sure that you have one working on your computer so you can use easyrsa.

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:41 am

The --enable-systemd is it a command you run in the terminal? It looks like a line that you would put in your server.conf..

and I ran the

Code: Select all

CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib"
in a terminal without issues and then ran make install.


Oh and, does it matter what library I use? Is one more secure than the other or is it all the same level of security?

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:47 am

Oh wow, it works now, thanks man ! Okay, now to go on with the tutorial..

Here's an imgur

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:53 am

--enable-systemd is parameter of configure. The same as CFLAGS. It is not command

./configure \
--enable-systemd \
CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib" \

is the same as (\ - backslash "escapes" new line character)-

./configure --enable-systemd CFLAGS="-I/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/include -Wl,-rpath=/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib -L/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/lib"

Yes it makes difference which library you use. I would recommend you to use the same on both ends of VPN to avoid issues. They overlap big time but there are small differences what is supported and what is not. You can check documentation if you are interested. In terms of security I would not worry about it. They are all secure for use with openvpn.

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:16 pm

Okay, that part was wrong, I'll re-make it again.
I would recommend you to use the same on both ends of VPN to avoid issues.
A wild guess here, but did you use mbedtls because it had better compatibility with mobile devices?

Oh and, at the server.conf, where do I put my configs in?

I mean, I have a 2.3.4 running with old configs, do I place the new configs in the same server.conf file at /etc/openvpn/server.conf?


EDIT: I re-made the vpn with mbedtls again.

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:22 pm

my mobile devices are iOS. There is no openvpn client for them supporting elliptic crypto yet so it is irrelevant for me. For other mobile devices you have to investigate yourself.


Also elliptic curve only works for openvpn 2.4+. If you use 2.3 it won't work.

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:26 pm

Wait, from the start, did I have to uninstall my old vpn and install the new one in place of it? Right now, I'm not sure what to do with the old one..

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:31 pm

Ahh ok. you can keep old one. just make sure that it does not run at the same time.

server.conf file location is indeed /etc/openvpn/server.conf

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:34 pm

so I just overwrite? How do I make sure that I am not running the old one when I do openvpn --config config.conf ?

I do service openvpn stop to stop my current openvpn, then how do I make sure the new one runs and the old one doesn't?

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:40 pm

just run the new one from command line...

if you want to deamonise it and run as a service it is different subject. I created this thread only to show proof of concept how to use elliptic curve encryption with openvpn.

If you need help with using linux I suggest some linux forums.

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:33 pm

So I got it up and running thanks to your tutorial and you helping me troubleshoot, have to thank you @dariusz, the openssl not working properly was very obscure, I was likely never to have got it working without your help, thanks !

One more thing though, why is your output longer than mine?

Your keys I mean, they are longer than mine, is there something I could do in vars to fix it? Maybe increase key size or something? But this isn't RSA where you could simply change the export KEY_SIZE=4096 (as far as I understand it)


Your ca.crt for example:

Code: Select all

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Mine?

Code: Select all

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----
What should I do to make it as long (or longer) as yours?

My older config using RSA 4096 had longer outputs...

EDIT:
When you are happy with results you can tinker with systemd or initd to make 2.4 your default autostart option.
Can you explain how to tinker with the systemd or initd to make it default to 2.4.x? Or is this out of scope for this thread and I should ask this question in another forum?

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:45 pm

can you post your vars file from easyrsa?

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:47 pm

Code: Select all

# Easy-RSA 3 parameter settings

# NOTE: If you installed Easy-RSA from your distro's package manager, don't edit
# this file in place -- instead, you should copy the entire easy-rsa directory
# to another location so future upgrades don't wipe out your changes.

# HOW TO USE THIS FILE
#
# vars.example contains built-in examples to Easy-RSA settings. You MUST name
# this file 'vars' if you want it to be used as a configuration file. If you do
# not, it WILL NOT be automatically read when you call easyrsa commands.
#
# It is not necessary to use this config file unless you wish to change
# operational defaults. These defaults should be fine for many uses without the
# need to copy and edit the 'vars' file.
#
# All of the editable settings are shown commented and start with the command
# 'set_var' -- this means any set_var command that is uncommented has been
# modified by the user. If you're happy with a default, there is no need to
# define the value to its default.

# NOTES FOR WINDOWS USERS
#
# Paths for Windows  *MUST* use forward slashes, or optionally double-esscaped
# backslashes (single forward slashes are recommended.) This means your path to
# the openssl binary might look like this:
# "C:/Program Files/OpenSSL-Win32/bin/openssl.exe"

# A little housekeeping: DON'T EDIT THIS SECTION
# 
# Easy-RSA 3.x doesn't source into the environment directly.
# Complain if a user tries to do this:
if [ -z "$EASYRSA_CALLER" ]; then
	echo "You appear to be sourcing an Easy-RSA 'vars' file." >&2
	echo "This is no longer necessary and is disallowed. See the section called" >&2
	echo "'How to use this file' near the top comments for more details." >&2
	return 1
fi

# DO YOUR EDITS BELOW THIS POINT

# This variable should point to the top level of the easy-rsa tree. By default,
# this is taken to be the directory you are currently in.

set_var EASYRSA	"$PWD"

# If your OpenSSL command is not in the system PATH, you will need to define the
# path to it here. Normally this means a full path to the executable, otherwise
# you could have left it undefined here and the shown default would be used.
#
# Windows users, remember to use paths with forward-slashes (or escaped
# back-slashes.) Windows users should declare the full path to the openssl
# binary here if it is not in their system PATH.

set_var EASYRSA_OPENSSL "/opt/openssl-1.1.0f/bin/openssl"
#
# This sample is in Windows syntax -- edit it for your path if not using PATH:
#set_var EASYRSA_OPENSSL	"C:/Program Files/OpenSSL-Win32/bin/openssl.exe"

# Edit this variable to point to your soon-to-be-created key directory.
#
# WARNING: init-pki will do a rm -rf on this directory so make sure you define
# it correctly! (Interactive mode will prompt before acting.)

#set_var EASYRSA_PKI		"$EASYRSA/pki"

# Define X509 DN mode.
# This is used to adjust what elements are included in the Subject field as the DN
# (this is the "Distinguished Name.")
# Note that in cn_only mode the Organizational fields further below aren't used.
#
# Choices are:
#   cn_only  - use just a CN value
#   org      - use the "traditional" Country/Province/City/Org/OU/email/CN format

#set_var EASYRSA_DN	"cn_only"

# Organizational fields (used with 'org' mode and ignored in 'cn_only' mode.)
# These are the default values for fields which will be placed in the
# certificate.  Don't leave any of these fields blank, although interactively
# you may omit any specific field by typing the "." symbol (not valid for
# email.)

#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_COUNTRY	"US"
#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_PROVINCE	"California"
#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_CITY	"San Francisco"
#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_ORG	"Copyleft Certificate Co"
#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_EMAIL	"me@example.net"
#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_OU		"My Organizational Unit"

# Choose a size in bits for your keypairs. The recommended value is 2048.  Using
# 2048-bit keys is considered more than sufficient for many years into the
# future. Larger keysizes will slow down TLS negotiation and make key/DH param
# generation take much longer. Values up to 4096 should be accepted by most
# software. Only used when the crypto alg is rsa (see below.)

#set_var EASYRSA_KEY_SIZE	2048

# The default crypto mode is rsa; ec can enable elliptic curve support.
# Note that not all software supports ECC, so use care when enabling it.
# Choices for crypto alg are: (each in lower-case)
#  * rsa
#  * ec

set_var EASYRSA_ALGO		ec

# Define the named curve, used in ec mode only:

set_var EASYRSA_CURVE		secp521r1

# In how many days should the root CA key expire?

set_var EASYRSA_CA_EXPIRE	3650

# In how many days should certificates expire?

set_var EASYRSA_CERT_EXPIRE	3650

# How many days until the next CRL publish date?  Note that the CRL can still be
# parsed after this timeframe passes. It is only used for an expected next
# publication date.

set_var EASYRSA_CRL_DAYS	3650

# Support deprecated "Netscape" extensions? (choices "yes" or "no".) The default
# is "no" to discourage use of deprecated extensions. If you require this
# feature to use with --ns-cert-type, set this to "yes" here. This support
# should be replaced with the more modern --remote-cert-tls feature.  If you do
# not use --ns-cert-type in your configs, it is safe (and recommended) to leave
# this defined to "no".  When set to "yes", server-signed certs get the
# nsCertType=server attribute, and also get any NS_COMMENT defined below in the
# nsComment field.

#set_var EASYRSA_NS_SUPPORT	"no"

# When NS_SUPPORT is set to "yes", this field is added as the nsComment field.
# Set this blank to omit it. With NS_SUPPORT set to "no" this field is ignored.

#set_var EASYRSA_NS_COMMENT	"Easy-RSA Generated Certificate"

# A temp file used to stage cert extensions during signing. The default should
# be fine for most users; however, some users might want an alternative under a
# RAM-based FS, such as /dev/shm or /tmp on some systems.

#set_var EASYRSA_TEMP_FILE	"$EASYRSA_PKI/extensions.temp"

# !!
# NOTE: ADVANCED OPTIONS BELOW THIS POINT
# PLAY WITH THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK
# !!

# Broken shell command aliases: If you have a largely broken shell that is
# missing any of these POSIX-required commands used by Easy-RSA, you will need
# to define an alias to the proper path for the command.  The symptom will be
# some form of a 'command not found' error from your shell. This means your
# shell is BROKEN, but you can hack around it here if you really need. These
# shown values are not defaults: it is up to you to know what you're doing if
# you touch these.
#
#alias awk="/alt/bin/awk"
#alias cat="/alt/bin/cat"

# X509 extensions directory:
# If you want to customize the X509 extensions used, set the directory to look
# for extensions here. Each cert type you sign must have a matching filename,
# and an optional file named 'COMMON' is included first when present. Note that
# when undefined here, default behaviour is to look in $EASYRSA_PKI first, then
# fallback to $EASYRSA for the 'x509-types' dir.  You may override this
# detection with an explicit dir here.
#
#set_var EASYRSA_EXT_DIR	"$EASYRSA/x509-types"

# OpenSSL config file:
# If you need to use a specific openssl config file, you can reference it here.
# Normally this file is auto-detected from a file named openssl-1.0.cnf from the
# EASYRSA_PKI or EASYRSA dir (in that order.) NOTE that this file is Easy-RSA
# specific and you cannot just use a standard config file, so this is an
# advanced feature.

#set_var EASYRSA_SSL_CONF	"$EASYRSA/openssl-1.0.cnf"

# Default CN:
# This is best left alone. Interactively you will set this manually, and BATCH
# callers are expected to set this themselves.

#set_var EASYRSA_REQ_CN		"ChangeMe"

# Cryptographic digest to use.
# Do not change this default unless you understand the security implications.
# Valid choices include: md5, sha1, sha256, sha224, sha384, sha512

#set_var EASYRSA_DIGEST		"sha256"

# Batch mode. Leave this disabled unless you intend to call Easy-RSA explicitly
# in batch mode without any user input, confirmation on dangerous operations,
# or most output. Setting this to any non-blank string enables batch mode.

#set_var EASYRSA_BATCH		""
Last edited by matt3226 on Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dariusz
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:50 pm

cool. I will check it later - i am not in front of my comp now

matt3226
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Posts: 35
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:50 pm

Thanks, just take your time..

dariusz
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Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 1:42 pm

Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by dariusz » Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:56 pm

EC keys are smaller - it is one of their advantages - less bytes to store and transfer. Also faster

https://blog.cloudflare.com/why-are-some-keys-small/

matt3226
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Re: OpenVPN 2.4 and pure elliptic curve crypto setup

Post by matt3226 » Mon Jul 17, 2017 6:02 pm

But still, yours is longer? Pure luck/chance?

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