chef/cookbooks/openssl

OpenSSL Cookbook

This cookbook provides tools for working with the Ruby OpenSSL library. It includes:

• A library method to generate secure random passwords in recipes, using the Ruby SecureRandom library.
• A resource for generating RSA private keys.
• A resource for generating RSA public keys.
• A resource for generating EC private keys.
• A resource for generating EC public keys.
• A resource for generating x509 certificates.
• A resource for generating x509 requests.
• A resource for generating x509 crl.
• A resource for generating dhparam.pem files.
• An attribute-driven recipe for upgrading OpenSSL packages.

NOTE: All resources in this cookbook are now built-into Chef 14.4 and later so this cookbook is no longer necessary to use those resources. When Chef 15.4 is released (Aug 2019) the resources will be removed from this cookbook as all users should be running Chef 14.4 or later.

Platforms

• Debian / Ubuntu derivatives
• Fedora
• FreeBSD
• macOS
• openSUSE / SUSE Linux Enterprises
• RHEL/CentOS/Scientific/Amazon/Oracle
• Solaris

Chef

• Chef 12.7+

Cookbooks

• none

Attributes

• node['openssl']['restart_services'] - An array of service resources that depend on the openssl packages. This array is empty by default, as Chef has no reasonable way to detect which applications or services are compiled against these packages. Note Each service listed in this array should represent a "service" resource specified in the recipes of the node's run list.

Recipes

upgrade

The upgrade recipe iterates over the list of packages in the node['openssl']['packages'] attribute, and manages them with the :upgrade action. Each package will send a :restart notification to service resources named in the node['openssl']['restart_services'] attribute.

Example Usage

In this example, assume the node is running the stats_collector daemon, which depends on the openssl library. Imagine that a new openssl vulnerability has been disclosed, and the operating system vendor has released an update to openssl to address this vulnerability. In order to protect the node, an administrator crafts this recipe:

node.default['openssl']['restart_services'] = ['stats_collector']

# other recipe code here...
service 'stats_collector' do
  action [:enable, :start]
end

include_recipe 'openssl::upgrade'

When executed, this recipe will ensure that openssl is upgraded to the latest version, and that the stats_collector service is restarted to pick up the latest security fixes released in the openssl package.

Libraries

There are two mixins packaged with this cookbook.

random_password (OpenSSLCookbook::RandomPassword)

The RandomPassword mixin can be used to generate secure random passwords in Chef cookbooks, usually for assignment to a variable or an attribute. random_password uses Ruby's SecureRandom library and is customizable.

Example Usage

Chef::Recipe.send(:include, OpenSSLCookbook::RandomPassword)
node.normal['my_secure_attribute'] = random_password
node.normal_unless['my_secure_attribute'] = random_password
node.normal['my_secure_attribute'] = random_password(length: 50)
node.normal['my_secure_attribute'] = random_password(length: 50, mode: :base64)
node.normal['my_secure_attribute'] = random_password(length: 50, mode: :base64, encoding: 'ASCII')

Note that node attributes are widely accessible. Storing unencrypted passwords in node attributes, as in this example, carries risk.

Resources

openssl_x509_certificate

This resource generates signed or self-signed, PEM-formatted x509 certificates. If no existing key is specified, the resource will automatically generate a passwordless key with the certificate. If a CA private key and certificate are provided, the certificate will be signed with them.

Note: This resource was renamed from openssl_x509 to openssl_x509_certificate. The legacy name will continue to function, but cookbook code should be updated for the new resource name.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
common_name	String (Optional)	Value for the CN certificate field.
org	String (Optional)	Value for the O certificate field.
org_unit	String (Optional)	Value for the OU certificate field.
city	String (Optional)	Value for the L certificate field.
state	String (Optional)	Value for the ST certificate field.
country	String (Optional)	Value for the C ssl field.
email	String (Optional)	Value for the email ssl field.
expire	Integer (Optional)	Value representing the number of days from now through which the issued certificate cert will remain valid. The certificate will expire after this period. _Default: 365
extensions	Hash (Optional)	Hash of X509 Extensions entries, in format { 'keyUsage' => { 'values' => %w( keyEncipherment digitalSignature), 'critical' => true } } Default: empty
subject_alt_name	Array (Optional)	Array of Subject Alternative Name entries, in format DNS:example.com or IP:1.2.3.4 Default: empty
key_file	String (Optional)	The path to a certificate key file on the filesystem. If the key_file property is specified, the resource will attempt to source a key from this location. If no key file is found, the resource will generate a new key file at this location. If the key_file property is not specified, the resource will generate a key file in the same directory as the generated certificate, with the same name as the generated certificate.
key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase for an existing key's passphrase
key_type	String (Optional)	The desired type of the generated key (rsa or ec). Default: rsa
key_length	Integer (Optional)	The desired Bit Length of the generated key (if key_type is equal to 'rsa'). Default: 2048
key_curve	String (Optional)	The desired curve of the generated key (if key_type is equal to 'ec'). Run openssl ecparam -list_curves to see available options. Default: prime256v1
csr_file	String (Optional)	The path to a X509 Certificate Request (CSR) on the filesystem. If the csr_file property is specified, the resource will attempt to source a CSR from this location. If no CSR file is found, the resource will generate a Self-Signed Certificate and the certificate fields must be specified (common_name at last).
ca_cert_file	String (Optional)	The path to the CA X509 Certificate on the filesystem. If the ca_cert_file property is specified, the ca_key_file property must also be specified, the certificate will be signed with them.
ca_key_file	String (Optional)	The path to the CA private key on the filesystem. If the ca_key_file property is specified, the `ca_cert_file' property must also be specified, the certificate will be signed with them.
ca_key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase for CA private key's passphrase
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource.

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a self-signed x509 certificate for use with a web server. In order to create the certificate, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_x509 '/etc/httpd/ssl/mycert.pem' do
  common_name 'www.f00bar.com'
  org 'Foo Bar'
  org_unit 'Lab'
  country 'US'
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a key certificate at /etc/httpd/ssl/mycert.key. It will then use that key to generate a new certificate file at /etc/httpd/ssl/mycert.pem.

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a x509 certificate signed with a CA certificate and key. In order to create the certificate, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_x509_certificate '/etc/ssl_test/my_signed_cert.crt' do
  common_name 'www.f00bar.com'
  ca_key_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.key'
  ca_cert_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crt'
  expire 365
  extensions(
    'keyUsage' => {
      'values' => %w(
        keyEncipherment
        digitalSignature),
      'critical' => true,
    },
    'extendedKeyUsage' => {
      'values' => %w(serverAuth),
      'critical' => false,
    }
  )
  subject_alt_name ['IP:127.0.0.1', 'DNS:localhost.localdomain']
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a key certificate at /etc/ssl_test/my_signed_cert.key. It will then use that key to generate a CSR and signed it with my_ca.key/my_ca.crt. A new certificate file at /etc/ssl_test/my_signed_cert.cert will be created as a result.

openssl_x509_request

This resource generates PEM-formatted x509 certificates requests. If no existing key is specified, the resource will automatically generate a passwordless key with the certificate.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
common_name	String (Required)	Value for the CN certificate field.
org	String (Optional)	Value for the O certificate field.
org_unit	String (Optional)	Value for the OU certificate field.
city	String (Optional)	Value for the L certificate field.
state	String (Optional)	Value for the ST certificate field.
country	String (Optional)	Value for the C ssl field.
email	String (Optional)	Value for the email ssl field.
key_file	String (Optional)	The path to a certificate key file on the filesystem. If the key_file property is specified, the resource will attempt to source a key from this location. If no key file is found, the resource will generate a new key file at this location. If the key_file property is not specified, the resource will generate a key file in the same directory as the generated certificate, with the same name as the generated certificate.
key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase for an existing key's passphrase
key_type	String (Optional)	The desired type of the generated key (rsa or ec). Default: ec
key_length	Integer (Optional)	The desired Bit Length of the generated key (if key_type is equal to 'rsa'). Default: 2048
key_curve	String (Optional)	The desired curve of the generated key (if key_type is equal to 'ec'). Run openssl ecparam -list_curves to see available options. _Default: prime256v1
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource.

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a x509 CRL. In order to create the CRL, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_x509_request '/etc/ssl_test/my_ec_request.csr' do
  common_name 'myecrequest.example.com'
  org 'Test Kitchen Example'
  org_unit 'Kitchens'
  country 'UK'
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a key certificate at /etc/httpd/ssl/my_ec_request.key. It will then use that key to generate a new csr file at /etc/ssl_test/my_ec_request.csr.

openssl_x509_crl

This resource generates PEM-formatted x509 CRL.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
serial_to_revoke	String or Integer(Optional)	Serial of the X509 Certificate to revoke
revocation_reason	String or Integer(Optional)	Reason of the revocation Default: 0
expire	Integer (Optional)	Value representing the number of days from now through which the issued CRL will remain valid. The CRL will expire after this period. Default: 8
renewal_threshold	Integer (Optional)	Number of days before the expiration. It this threshold is reached, the CRL will be renewed Default: 1
ca_cert_file	String (Required)	The path to the CA X509 Certificate on the filesystem. If the ca_cert_file property is specified, the ca_key_file property must also be specified, the CRL will be signed with them.
ca_key_file	String (Required)	The path to the CA private key on the filesystem. If the ca_key_file property is specified, the `ca_cert_file' property must also be specified, the CRL will be signed with them.
ca_key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase for CA private key's passphrase
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource.

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create an empty X509 CRL. In order to create the CRL, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_x509_crl '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crl' do
  ca_cert_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crt'
  ca_key_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.key'
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a new CRL file at /etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crl.

In this example, an administrator wishes to revoke a certificate in an existing X509 CRL.

openssl_x509_crl '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crl' do
  ca_cert_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.crt'
  ca_key_file '/etc/ssl_test/my_ca.key'
  serial_to_revoke C7BCB6602A2E4251EF4E2827A228CB52BC0CEA2F
end

openssl_dhparam

This resource generates dhparam.pem files. If a valid dhparam.pem file is found at the specified location, no new file will be created. If a file is found at the specified location but it is not a valid dhparam file, it will be overwritten.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
key_length	Integer (Optional)	The desired Bit Length of the generated key. Default: 2048
generator	Integer (Optional)	The desired Diffie-Hellmann generator. Can be 2 or 5.
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource. Default: "0640"

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a dhparam.pem file for use with a web server. In order to create the .pem file, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_dhparam '/etc/httpd/ssl/dhparam.pem' do
  key_length 2048
  generator 2
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a dhparam file at /etc/httpd/ssl/dhparam.pem.

openssl_rsa_private_key

This resource generates rsa private key files. If a valid rsa key file can be opened at the specified location, no new file will be created. If the RSA key file cannot be opened, either because it does not exist or because the password to the RSA key file does not match the password in the recipe, it will be overwritten.

Note: This resource was renamed from openssl_rsa_key to openssl_rsa_private_key. The legacy name will continue to function, but cookbook code should be updated for the new resource name.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
key_length	Integer (Optional)	The desired Bit Length of the generated key. Default: 2048
key_cipher	String (Optional)	The designed cipher to use when generating your key. Run openssl list-cipher-algorithms to see available options. Default: des3
key_pass	String (Optional)	The desired passphrase for the key.
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource. Default: "0640"
force	true/false (Optional)	Force creating the key even if the existing key exists. Default: false

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a new RSA private key file in order to generate other certificates and public keys. In order to create the key file, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_rsa_private_key '/etc/httpd/ssl/server.key' do
  key_length 2048
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a passwordless RSA key file at /etc/httpd/ssl/server.key.

openssl_rsa_public_key

This resource generates rsa public key files given a private key.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
private_key_path	String (Required unless private_key_content used)	The path to the private key to generate the public key from
private_key_content	String (Required unless private_key_path used)	The content of the private key including new lines. Used if you don't want to write a private key to disk and use private_key_path.
private_key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase of the provided private key
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource. Default: "0640"

Note: To use private_key_content the private key string must be properly formatted including new lines. The easiest way to get the right string is to run the following from irb (/opt/chefdk/embedded/bin/irb from ChefDK)

File.read('/foo/bar/private.pem')

Example Usage

openssl_rsa_public_key '/etc/foo/something.pub' do
  priv_key_path '/etc/foo/something.pem'
end

openssl_ec_private_key

This resource generates ec private key files. If a valid ec key file can be opened at the specified location, no new file will be created. If the EC key file cannot be opened, either because it does not exist or because the password to the EC key file does not match the password in the recipe, it will be overwritten.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
key_curve	String (Optional)	The desired curve of the generated key. Run openssl ecparam -list_curves to see available options. _Default: prime256v1
key_cipher	String (Optional)	The designed cipher to use when generating your key. Run openssl list-cipher-algorithms to see available options. Default: des3
key_pass	String (Optional)	The desired passphrase for the key.
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource.
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource.
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource. Default: "0640"
force	true/false (Optional)	Force creating the key even if the existing key exists. Default: false

Example Usage

In this example, an administrator wishes to create a new EC private key file in order to generate other certificates and public keys. In order to create the key file, the administrator crafts this recipe:

openssl_ec_private_key '/etc/httpd/ssl/server.key' do
  key_curve "prime256v1'
end

When executed, this recipe will generate a passwordless EC key file at /etc/httpd/ssl/server.key.

openssl_ec_public_key

This resource generates ec public key files given a private key.

Properties

Name	Type	Description
path	String (Optional)	Optional path to write the file to if you'd like to specify it here instead of in the resource name
private_key_path	String (Required unless private_key_content used)	The path to the private key to generate the public key from
private_key_content	String (Required unless private_key_path used)	The content of the private key including new lines. Used if you don't want to write a private key to disk and use private_key_path.
private_key_pass	String (Optional)	The passphrase of the provided private key
owner	String (optional)	The owner of all files created by the resource. Default: "root"
group	String (optional)	The group of all files created by the resource. Default: "root or wheel depending on platform"
mode	String or Integer (Optional)	The permission mode of all files created by the resource. Default: "0640"

Note: To use private_key_content the private key string must be properly formatted including new lines. The easiest way to get the right string is to run the following from irb (/opt/chefdk/embedded/bin/irb from ChefDK)

File.read('/foo/bar/private.pem')

Example Usage

openssl_ec_public_key '/etc/foo/something.pub' do
  priv_key_path '/etc/foo/something.pem'
end

Maintainers

This cookbook is maintained by Chef's Community Cookbook Engineering team. Our goal is to improve cookbook quality and to aid the community in contributing to cookbooks. To learn more about our team, process, and design goals see our team documentation. To learn more about contributing to cookbooks like this see our contributing documentation, or if you have general questions about this cookbook come chat with us in #cookbok-engineering on the Chef Community Slack

License

Copyright: 2009-2018, Chef Software, Inc.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.