Security Guidelines

This document outlines security best practices and considerations for this nix-config repository.

Security Review Summary

✅ Repository Status: Ready for public transition

Security Audit Results

✅ Clean: No hardcoded secrets, API tokens, or private keys found
✅ Clean: No sensitive credentials committed to repository
✅ Clean: Strong security configurations implemented
✅ Fixed: Removed hardcoded password from user configuration

Security Configurations

SSH Security

  • Password authentication disabled: PasswordAuthentication no
  • Strong ciphers: Modern encryption algorithms only
  • Host key verification: StrictHostKeyChecking ask
  • No agent forwarding: ForwardAgent no and ForwardX11 no
  • Key algorithms: Ed25519 and strong RSA/ECDSA only

GPG Security

  • Modern algorithms: SHA512, AES256, strong key preferences
  • Secure defaults: No weak ciphers, strong S2K settings
  • Key management: Proper keyserver configuration
  • Hardware token support: Ready for YubiKey integration

User Account Security

  • No hardcoded passwords: Users must set passwords during setup
  • Wheel group: Administrative access properly configured
  • Shell security: Zsh with proper configuration

Best Practices for Users

Initial Setup

  1. Set secure password: Run sudo passwd brancengregory after first boot
  2. Generate GPG keys: Follow GPG-SSH-STRATEGY.md
  3. Configure SSH keys: Add your public keys to services (GitHub, etc.)
  4. Review configurations: Customize settings for your environment

Ongoing Security

  • Regular updates: Keep system packages updated
  • Key rotation: Follow GPG key rotation schedule
  • Monitor access: Review SSH and GPG logs periodically
  • Backup strategy: Secure backup of GPG keys and important data

Before Contributing

  • No secrets: Never commit passwords, private keys, or API tokens
  • Personal info: Remove personal email/username if contributing upstream
  • Configuration review: Ensure changes don't introduce security vulnerabilities

Security Contact

For security-related questions or to report vulnerabilities:

  • Open an issue with the "security" label
  • Follow responsible disclosure practices

References