Unlock a LUKS volume automatically at boot time, where the LUKS key is stored on a remote server. This is really useful for headless server machines.

The idea is have a headless server machine with an encrypted root file system (LUKS) that can only be unlocked if the machine is connected to a network that provides the correct key.

Imagine having a headless server in your garage and you want the server to be useless if it were to be stolen and disconnected from your home network.

The system requires two machines, a key server (holds the LUKS key) and the client machine with the encrypted LUKS volume.

At boot time (in the initramfs) the client machine uses scp to copy the LUKS key from the key server. Next, the client machine unlocks the LUKS volume with the key and the normal client boot continues.

This package is intended for a small number of client machines and is not really appropriate for large scale deployment.

For scale, consider using network bound disk encryption projects like clevis and tang.

• The primary assumption is that the key server machine is secure.

• It is very handy to have the dropbear-initramfs package installed for remote initramfs debugging.

This repo contains the source for a Debian package that is installed on the client machine.

The configuration steps for the key server are not automated at this time and must be manually applied.

build-host:$ cd luks-net
build-host:$ dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us
build-host:$ ls -l ../*.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 curt denizen 3192 Oct 12 14:07 ../luks-net_1.0_all.deb

client:$ sudo dpkg -i luks-net_1.0_all.deb

Note: The client is not complete configured yet.

There is also a configuration file, /etc/luks-net/config, that we will cover in the following sections.

The system uses ssh to communicate between the client and key server. Create a special purpose ssh key pair for this service:

client:$ sudo ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -f /etc/luks-net/ssh.key

The system expects the private key file to have the name /etc/luks-net/ssh.key.

We will install the public key (ssh.key.pub) on the key server in the next step.

Create a user on the key server to service the key request.

key-server:$ sudo adduser luks-net

The default user name is luks-net, but you can specify whatever you want in the luks-net configuration file on the client.

Add the public part of the ssh key to the created user's authorized_keys file. On the key server:

key-server:$ sudo cp ssh.key.pub /home/luks-net/.ssh/authorized_keys

In this example the LUKS key is a one line text file containing a simple passphrase. The default location for this file is under the luks-net user's home directory on the key server:

key-server:$ sudo cp luks-passphrase.txt /home/luks-net/data/<hostname>

The path to the LUKS key on the key server is configurable in the luks-net conf file on the client.

Note: The LUKS key is quite sensitive. Take all appropriate measures to make sure the key file is read-only for the luks-net user and that the key server is secure.

Edit the luks-net configuration file, setting the parameters as necessary. After updating this file or any file in /etc/luks-net, the initramfs for the running kernel must be rebuilt.

Here is the config file with defaults:

#
# Configuration options for the luks-net boot scripts.  You must run
# update-initramfs(8) to effect changes to this file.  Likewise for
# other files under the '/etc/luks-net' directory).

# luks-net requires the user to create a public/private ssh key pair
# and put the private key in /etc/luks-net/ssh.key with file
# permissions 0600.

# Remote server holding key
#
# LUKS_NET_REMOTE_SERVER=key-server

# Remote user holding key
#
# LUKS_NET_REMOTE_USER=luks-net

# Path to key on remote server
#
# LUKS_NET_REMOTE_KEY_PATH=data/<hostname>

# Additional command line options to pass to scp(1)
#
# LUKS_NET_SCP_OPTIONS=""

After making any changes, update the initramfs:

client:$ sudo update-initramfs -u

You also need to update the initramfs if you change the ssh key.

Be sure to install and configure dropbear-initramfs. This is super handy for headless debug.

Things to look at and try:

1. Add debug to the kernel command line options. Among other things this instructs the initramfs to log a bunch of info in /run/initramfs/ that you can look at after the system has fully booted.

2. Add some debug prints and set -x to initramfs scripts, in particular /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/luks-net.