Artifactory Security

General Settings

Artifactory provides several system-wide settings to control access to different resources. These are found under Artifactory | Security | Settings in the Administration module.

SSH Server Configuration

Artifactory supports SSH authentication for Git LFS and the JFrog CLI using RSA public and private keys. This allows these tools to exchange sensitive information with the Artifactory server that is authenticated via SSH.

There are two main facets of SSH authentication:

• Server authenticates itself to the client: The server must be authenticated before you send it any confidential data. For example, you should not authenticate a user to the server with the user's password before the server has been authenticated. The server is authenticated in the following manner. When the SSH connection is established, the server sends its public key to the client, and the client matches the key to a list of known public keys stored in a known_hosts file. (Before the first ever connection to the server, you must obtain the server's public key by some other means and add it it to the known_hosts file manually). This verifies that the server is indeed the owner of the stored public key, since only that server will have the corresponding private key. It also verifies that the server is known (and not an imposter) since its public key is stored in the known_hosts file.
  
  
• User authenticates itself to the server: This process mirrors the process of the server being authenticated to the client. The user must first provide his public key to the server which stores it in the user's account authorization list. Then, when the user tries to log in, the server sends the user back his public key, and the user must show that he holds the corresponding private key.
  
  

Configuring SSH

To configure SSH authentication, you need to execute the following main steps:

1. Configure Server Authentication
2. Configure User Authentication
3. Configure the Git LFS or CLI Client

Configuring Server Authentication

In this step you will configure Artifactory's SSH authentication parameters. First you need to generate an SSH key pair for Artifactory. For example, on a Linux-based system, you could execute the following command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "server@domain.com"

 Then, to configure Artifactory for SSH authentication, in the Administration module, select Artifactory | Security | SSH Server and fill in the required fields.

Configuring User Authentication

In this step, you will configure Artifactory with your public key so that you may be authenticated when sending requests to Artifactory from the Git LFS client or from the Artifactory CLI.

First, you need to generate a key pair. For example, on a Linux-based system, you could execute the following command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "USER@domain.com"

Your public and private keys should be created under the ~/.ssh folder.

Configuring the Client

To configure your Git LFS client, please refer to Authenticating with SSH. 

Signing Keys Management

Artifactory lets you manage a pair of GPG signing keys so you can sign packages for authentication in several formats such as Debian, Opkg and YUM. You can manage your GPG signing keys in the Administration module under Artifactory | Security | Signing Keys.

Generating Keys

The way to generate keys is platform dependent. 

The example below shows how to generate the public and private keys on Linux:

# generate the keys
gpg --gen-key
 
# list all keys in your system and select the pair you want to use in Artifactory
gpg --list-keys

# resolve the key-id from the lists-keys by selecting the relevant license
pub   2048R/8D463A47 2015-01-19      
uid   JonSmith (Jon) <jon.smith@jfrog.com>
key-id =  8D463A47

#export the private key with the specified id to a file
gpg --output {private key file name and path} --armor --export-secret-keys {key-id}
 
#export the public key with the specified id to a file
gpg --output {public key file name and path} --armor --export {key-id}

You also need to specify a pass phrase that must be used together with the signing keys. The pass phrase can be saved, or passed in with a REST API call.

Uploading Keys

To upload your signing keys, in the Admin tab, go to Admin | Artifactory | Security | Signing Keys.

Once you have specified the key file, click Upload for the corresponding field.

Artifactory will indicate when keys are installed, and you can click on the Public key is installed link to download the public key.

If your signing keys were created with a pass-phrase, enter it in the designated field. You can click "Verify" to make sure the pass-phrase matches the uploaded keys.

Click Save.

Downloading the Public Key

Once you have uploaded your signing keys, you can download your public key whenever needed using the Public key is installed link. 

Trusted Keys Management 

To create a trust between Distribution, source Artifactory instances, and Artifactory Edge nodes, you will need to deploy the generated GPG key to each service. 
You create your signing key using the following:

• Distribution service: Set Signing Key for Distribution REST API
• Source Artifactory and Artifactory Edge node: Set GPG Public Key REST API

For more information, see GPG Signing.

You can upload your Distribution service GPG public key to the source and Edge Artifactory in the Administration module under Artifactory | Security | Trusted Keys.

Certificates

Some remote repositories (e.g. Red Hat Networks) block access from clients that are not authenticated with an SSL/TLS certificate. Therefore, to use a remote repository to proxy such resources, Artifactory must be equipped with the corresponding SSL/TLS certificate.

Adding Certificates

Certificates are managed in the Administration module under  Artifactory | Security | Certificates.

A certificate entered into this module should be a PEM file that includes both a private key and its corresponding certificate.

To add a new certificate, click New.

Provide the  Certificate Alias and copy the certificate contents into the designated area. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the corresponding PEM file into the designated area.

Using a Certificate with a Remote Repository

When a remote repository proxy's a resource that requires authentication with a certificate, you need to obtain the certificate from the resource's owner and add it to the list of certificates as described above.

Under the remote repository's Other Settings, select the certificate you want to use from the list provided in the SSL/TLS Certificate field.

Proxying a Resource that Uses a Self-Signed Certificates

If the remote resource that your Artifactory remote repository is proxying (e.g. Red Hat Network's server) uses an untrusted server certificate (i.e. it is self-signed and not signed by any known Certificate Authority), you need to import the server's certificate into Artifactory's JVM truststore. To learn more about configuring a Self-Signed Certificate in Artifactory, please refer to Managing TLS Certificates.