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Re: [Openvpn-users] Re: OpenVPN GUI feature request: saving username/password


  • Subject: Re: [Openvpn-users] Re: OpenVPN GUI feature request: saving username/password
  • From: James Yonan <jim@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 15:00:42 -0700 (MST)

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004, Ralph Passgang wrote:

> Am Donnerstag 04 November 2004 08:12 schrieb Mathias Sundman:
> > (I CC the list for more comments...)
> >
> > On Thu, 4 Nov 2004, Eric E. Bowles wrote:
> [...]
> > > I have what I think is a relatively simple feature request: when using
> > > 'auth-user-pass' on the client side, it would be nice if the username and
> > > password could be optionally saved after typing it in once, just like in
> > > the standard Microsoft VPN client.  There might also be another menu
> > > option to delete or edit the username and password.
> > >
> > > Would this be a useful addition?
> >
> > Yes, it would probably be a useful feature for some,
> >
> > but, it's also a big security breach to save passwords. I think some
> > people have moved to OpenVPN for this very reason, to protect agains users
> > saving their passwords, like they could with the MS VPN client...
> >
> > So, I'd like to get more input from the list whether you want such a
> > feature or not?
> 
> I don't like that idea, because it is a security breach.
> 
> This feature would be maybe okay if the user can't remove the password from 
> the cert (keyfile), but because that is a basic openssl feature it is too 
> dangerous to store the username/password anywhere.
> 
> Think of the following situation:
> A road-warrior with notebook removes the password from the cert and additional 
> stores the username/password anywhere (within the gui). If his notebook get 
> stolen then a attacker only needs to hack the windows account of the user 
> (which has also admin rights, hacking a windows account is not difficult at 
> all) he can establish a openvpn connection and attack the office lan. There 
> will be no password check at all.
> 
> Or think of the situation where somebody doesn't locked his workstation, even 
> when is away from his computer for hours... no password, no security at all.
> 
> It would make the new username/password feature more or less useless.
> 
> The only way to solve this (in my humble opinion):
> If auth-user-pass is enabled, then the client sends the username and password 
> to server. Maybe it's possible not to send only the auth info, but also the 
> information if the user typed in his password or if used the "stored password 
> feature". So every administrator can decide if the server should accept 
> stored passwords or not...
> 
> But maybe is better to just let it the way it is. I also don't like the 
> feature to use a plaintext password file in addition to the --auth-user-pass 
> option. I think even in this situation the server should know that the client 
> used a username/password from a file, so that the admin can decide to accept 
> such connections or not. I don't like if the user can decide such things...
> 
> Mathias & James: Any comments on my idea to solve this issue?

There's no secure way for the server to know whether or not the password 
came from a file or from the keyboard.  Even if you strip out the code on 
the OpenVPN client which allows passwords to be read from a file, there is 
no secure way for the server to know how the client executable was built.

James


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