CertFP
Introduction
This page describes how to connect, and identify yourself to services securely via a certificate fingerprint.
A major advantage of using a CertFP to authenticate is that you don't have to use /msg NickServ IDENTIFY
anymore.
By using SSL you are also encrypting the connection between you and the server.
Creating the certificate
OpenSSL
We will be using OpenSSL to create the certificate. If you haven't already, please install OpenSSL using these instructions:
Windows | Linux |
---|---|
|
Most distributions come with OpenSSL or have the OpenSSL package in their repositories. If they don't, please go to https://www.openssl.org/ and install it. |
Generating a .pem
To generate the required .pem file, you will need to create a key and a certificate first:
Windows | Linux |
---|---|
|
openssl req -nodes -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout Rizon.key -x509 -days 365 -out Rizon.cer
|
Assuming your commands were entered successfully, you will be asked some questions. Fill them in similarly to what is shown below:
Country Name (2 letter code) [US]:US State or Province Name (full name) [Texas]:Michigan Locality Name (eg, city) [San Antonio]:Grand Rapids Organization Name (eg, company) [Stealth3]: Rizon Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) [ISP]: IRC Common Name (eg, YOUR name) []:Rebel_n00b Email Address []:rebel@rizon.net
By now, two files have been generated; which you will need to combine together as follows:
Windows | Linux |
---|---|
|
cat Rizon.cer Rizon.key > Rizon.pem
|
Configuring your client
This section varies highly from client to client.
KVIrc
Move the Rizon.pem file to a safe place.
- Go to Settings → Configure KVIrc
- Go to Connection → Advanced
- On the tab SSL check Use SSL certificate and Use SSL private key and point both to the Rizon.pem file you created.
- Change your connection settings and enable the SSL option.
mIRC
Move the Rizon.pem file to a safe place. Make sure you can connect using SSL. If not, then go here https://www.mirc.com/ssl.html
- Go to Tools → Options → Connect → Options
- Press the SSL... button, if there isn't one, then you didn't install SSL properly.
- Click on the empty box below Private key file:, navigate to where you placed your Rizon.pem and select it.
- Do the same for Certificate chain file:
XChat
XChat uses the .pem file that corresponds with the name of the network under Network list. If irc.rizon.net is named under Rizon, then all you have to do is move the Rizon.pem file to ~/.xchat2/Rizon.pem
or C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Roaming\X-Chat 2
. If it's not named Rizon, then you will have to either rename the .pem file, or rename the network that irc.rizon.net is listed under, so they match each other. Once you are done with that:
- Go to XChat → Network List
- In the Networks list, find Rizon and press Edit...
- Select the box Use SSL for all the servers on this network.
- Press Close and then press Connect
HexChat
HexChat uses the .pem file that corresponds with the name of the network under Network list. If irc.rizon.net is named under Rizon, then all you have to do is move the Rizon.pem file to ~/.config/hexchat/certs/Rizon.pem
or C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Roaming\hexchat\certs
. If it's not named Rizon.pem, then you will have to either rename the .pem file, or rename the network that irc.rizon.net is listed under, so they match each other. Once you are done with that:
- Go to HexChat → Network List
- In the Networks list, find Rizon and press Edit...
- Select the box Use SSL for all the servers on this network.
- Press Close and then press Connect
WeeChat
- Quit WeeChat
- Move Rizon.pem to
~/.weechat/ssl/Rizon.pem
- Ppen
~/.weechat/irc.conf
- Make the following options look like this:
# changing the port to 6697 or 9999 is what matters rizon.addresses = "irc.rizon.net/6697" rizon.ssl = on rizon.ssl_cert = "%h/ssl/Rizon.pem" # 2048 is the default anyway... *shrugs* rizon.ssl_dhkey_size = 2048
Irssi
- Move the cert to
~/.irssi/certs/Rizon.pem
- Use the command
/server add -ssl -ssl_cert ~/.irssi/certs/Rizon.pem -network Rizon irc.rizon.net 6697
ZNC
- Ensure the Cert module is loaded (cert not certauth).
- To add your certificate/pem file, either:
- Copy and Paste the contents of the *.pem file into the *certauth web interface at http<s>://<url>:<port>/mods/network/<rizon net name>/cert/
- or
Quassel
- Go to Quassel and click Settings → Configure Quassel (or press Template:Key F7).
- Click Identities in the left-hand sidebar, and choose the identity you wish to associate your certificate with.
- In the Advanced tab, under the Use SSL Certificate section, load the Rizon.pem file you created.
You can check to make sure this is setup correctly by typing /msg *cert info
. If you get back You have a certificate in: <path>
then you're done. You can now use /msg *status connect
to reconnect using cert.
When you connect to Rizon, you should see something like:
* *** Connected securely via SSLv3 AES256-SHA-256 * *** Your client certificate fingerprint is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * Welcome to the Rizon Internet Relay Chat Network Rebel_n00b
If you see that, that means you have configured everything correctly.
Add the certificate fingerprint to NickServ
First, identify yourself through services with /msg NickServ IDENTIFY password
.
Next, just copy and paste this line /msg NickServ ACCESS ADD FINGERPRINT
Disable whatever auto-authentication you had with NickServ before you saw this tutorial, and reconnect. If it worked, you will be identified by services automatically via the fingerprint.
If you have any questions, feel free to join #ssl or #help and ask.