We take the security of ssh-vault seriously. If you discover a security vulnerability, please follow these steps:

DO NOT open a public issue for security vulnerabilities.

Instead, please report security issues by emailing: nbari@tequila.io

Please include:

• Description of the vulnerability
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Potential impact
• Suggested fix (if any)

• Initial Response: Within 48 hours
• Status Update: Within 7 days
• Fix Timeline: Depends on severity
  • Critical: Within 7 days
  • High: Within 14 days
  • Medium: Within 30 days
  • Low: Within 90 days

ssh-vault uses well-vetted cryptographic libraries:

• AES-256-GCM: Authenticated encryption for RSA vaults
• ChaCha20-Poly1305: Authenticated encryption for Ed25519 vaults
• HKDF-SHA256: Key derivation function
• X25519: Elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange
• RSA-OAEP: RSA encryption with optimal asymmetric encryption padding

• Secret Zeroization: Sensitive data is zeroed from memory after use using the zeroize crate
• Perfect Forward Secrecy: Ed25519 vaults use ephemeral keys for each encryption
• Memory Safety: Built with Rust's memory safety guarantees
• No Key Reuse: Each encryption operation generates new ephemeral keys

We regularly audit dependencies for known vulnerabilities:

• Automated daily security audits via GitHub Actions
• cargo-audit for vulnerability scanning
• cargo-deny for license and security policy enforcement

Status: Known and accepted risk

Description: The rsa crate (v0.9.8) has a timing side-channel vulnerability that could potentially allow key recovery through timing information observable over the network.

Impact Assessment:

• Severity: Medium (for ssh-vault's use case)
• Attack Requirements:
  • Network-observable timing measurements
  • Many decryption attempts (hundreds to thousands)
  • Sophisticated timing analysis equipment
• ssh-vault's Risk Profile: Low
  • Primarily used for local decryption (not network-exposed)
  • Single decryption attempt per vault
  • No continuous decryption service

Mitigation Status:

• Tracking upstream fix: RustCrypto/RSA#19
• RustCrypto team is working on constant-time implementation
• Will upgrade when patched version is available

Workaround:

• Use Ed25519 keys instead of RSA (recommended)
• Avoid using RSA vaults in network-exposed services
• Local use on non-compromised systems is safe

Reference: Marvin Attack Research

When using ssh-vault:

1. Use Strong SSH Keys: Generate keys with at least 2048 bits for RSA or Ed25519
2. Protect Private Keys: Store private keys securely with appropriate permissions (chmod 600)
3. Use Passphrases: Protect private keys with strong passphrases
4. Update Regularly: Keep ssh-vault updated to the latest version
5. Verify Sources: Only download ssh-vault from official sources
6. Prefer Ed25519: Ed25519 keys provide better security properties than RSA

• Daily vulnerability scans via cargo-audit
• License and dependency compliance via cargo-deny
• Continuous integration security checks on all PRs

• Code review for all security-sensitive changes
• Cryptographic implementations reviewed against best practices
• Regular dependency updates and audits

This project has not undergone a formal third-party security audit. We welcome security researchers to review our code and report findings.

We appreciate responsible disclosure and will acknowledge security researchers who help improve ssh-vault's security (with permission).