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Minimal improvement to SSH over LAN or Tor sdconfig prompt
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This is a minimal change to make clear:

1. Tor is the recommended option.
2. Disabling Tor enables LAN and vice versa.
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redshiftzero committed May 3, 2018
1 parent 61ba607 commit cad8b4e
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Showing 2 changed files with 16 additions and 16 deletions.
3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion admin/securedrop_admin/__init__.py
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -340,7 +340,8 @@ def __init__(self, args):
SiteConfig.ValidateOSSECPassword(),
None],
['enable_ssh_over_tor', True, bool,
u'Enable SSH over Tor',
u'Enable SSH over Tor instead of LAN (recommended). '
u'If you respond no, SSH will be available over LAN only',
SiteConfig.ValidateYesNo(),
lambda x: x.lower() == 'yes'],
['securedrop_supported_locales', [], types.ListType,
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29 changes: 14 additions & 15 deletions docs/ssh_over_local_net.rst
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -4,20 +4,20 @@ SSH Over Local Network
Under a production installation post-install, the default way to gain SSH
administrative access is over the Tor network. This provides a number of benefits:

* Allows remote administration outside of the local network
* Allows remote administration outside of the local network.
* Provides anonymity to an administrator while logging into the SecureDrop
back-end.
servers.
* Can mitigate against an attacker on your local network attempting to exploit
vulnerabilities against the SSH daemon.

Most administrators will need SSH access during the course of running a
SecureDrop instance and a few times a year for maintanence. So the
potential short-falls of having SSH over Tor aren't usually a big deal.
SecureDrop instance and a few times a year for maintenance. So the
potential shortfalls of having SSH over Tor are not usually a major issue.
The cons of having SSH over Tor can include:

* Really slow and delayed remote terminal performance
* Slow and delayed remote terminal performance
* Allowing SSH access from outside of your local network can be seen as a
potential larger security hole for some organizations. Particularly those
potential larger security hole for some organizations, particularly those
with tight network security controls.

That being said, the default setting of only allowing SSH over Tor is a good fit
Expand All @@ -32,15 +32,15 @@ Configuring SSH for local access

.. warning:: It is important that your firewall is configured adequately if you
decide you need SSH over the local network. The install process locks
down access as much as possible with net restrictions, SSH-keys, and
down access as much as possible with net restrictions, SSH keys, and
google authenticator. However, you could still leave the interface
exposed to unintended users if you did not properly follow our network
firewall guide.

.. warning:: This setting will lock you out of SSH access to your instance if your
*Admin Workstation* passes through a NAT in order to get to the
SecureDrop servers. If you are unsure whether this is the case, please
consult with your firewall configuration or network administrator.
consult your firewall configuration or network administrator.

.. note:: Whichever network you install from will be the one that SSH is
restricted to post-install. This will come into play particularly if
Expand All @@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ latest production release.
$ ./securedrop-admin update
$ ./securedrop-admin setup
The setting that controls SSH over LAN access is set during the `sdconfig` step
The setting that controls SSH over LAN access is set during the ``sdconfig`` step
of the install. Below is an example of what the prompt will look like. You can
answer either 'no' or 'false' when you are prompted for `Enable SSH over Tor`:
answer either 'no' or 'false' when you are prompted for ``Enable SSH over Tor``:

.. code:: sh
Expand All @@ -69,16 +69,16 @@ answer either 'no' or 'false' when you are prompted for `Enable SSH over Tor`:
Hostname for Application Server: app
Hostname for Monitor Server: mon
[...]
Enable SSH over Tor: no
Enable SSH over Tor instead of LAN (recommended). If you respond no, SSH will be available over LAN only: yes
Then you'll have to run the installation script
Then you'll have to run the installation script:

.. code:: sh
$ ./securedrop-admin install
.. note:: If you are migrating from a production install previously configured
with SSH over Tor, you will be prompted to re-run the `install` portion
with SSH over Tor, you will be prompted to re-run the ``install`` portion
twice. This is due to the behind the scenes configuration changes being
done to switch between Tor and the local network.

Expand All @@ -88,10 +88,9 @@ Finally, re-configure your *Admin Workstation* as follows:
$ ./securedrop-admin tailsconfig
Assuming everything is working you should be able to gain SSH access as follows
Assuming everything is working you should be able to gain SSH access as follows:

.. code:: sh
$ ssh app
$ ssh mon

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