Implementing secure practices for repositories involves several key steps, including enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), enforcing SSH keys, and implementing role-based access control (RBAC). Here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing these practices.

Table of Contents

• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
• Enforce SSH Keys
• Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• SSH Key Usage
• Conclusion

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Why

Enabling 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide a second form of authentication, such as a code from a security app, in addition to their password.

How

• Access GitHub Account Settings:

  • Log into your GitHub account.

  • Navigate to your account settings.

• Enable 2FA:

  • Go to "Password and authentication."

  • Scroll down to "Two-factor authentication" and click "Enable two-factor authentication."

  • Choose your preferred method (e.g., Authenticator App, Security Keys).

  • Follow the prompts to set up 2FA.

Enforce SSH Keys

Why

Enforcing SSH keys provides a more secure way to authenticate users and reduce the risk of password theft. It enhances the security of your repositories by ensuring that only authorized users can access them.

How

• Generate SSH Keys:

  • Open a terminal or command prompt.

  • Run the following command:

    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

  • Let's break it down before moving further:

    • ssh-keygen: This is the main command to generate a new SSH key pair. SSH keys are used for secure authentication in various applications, such as logging into a server or connecting to GitHub.
    • -t ed25519: Specifies the type of key to generate. Here, Ed25519 refers to a modern public-key algorithm known for being fast, secure, and efficient. It's a good choice for generating SSH keys.
    • -C "your_email@example.com": Adds a comment to the key, which is your email address.
    • What happens when you run this command?
      • The system will ask you where to save the generated key. By default, it suggests saving it in ~/.ssh/id_ed25519. You can press Enter to accept the default location.
      • Set a passphrase (optional): You'll be prompted to enter a passphrase for extra protection. If you set a passphrase, you'll need to enter it every time you use the key. Pressing Enter skips the passphrase step.
      • Key pair generated: The command generates two files:
        • A private key (e.g., id_ed25519): This file should remain secret and stored securely.
        • A public key (e.g., id_ed25519.pub): This file is shared with the server or service you're connecting to (e.g., GitHub).

• Add SSH Key to ssh-agent:

  • Unix environment:

    • Evaluate and add the ssh-agent:

    eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
    ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

    • Copy the public key:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

  • MS DOS environment:

    • Start the ssh-agent in the background:

    start-ssh-agent.cmd

    • Go the directory where your private key has just been stored:

    cd C:\Users\[username]\.ssh

    • View the content of the directory and verify our private key has been stored:

    dir

    • Look for a file with the .pub extension in the directory. You should get something alike:

    id_ed25519.pub

    • Open the public key file with any text editor, in order to copy its content:

    notepad id_ed25519.pub

• Add SSH Key to GitHub:

  • Go to your GitHub account settings.

  • Navigate to "SSH and GPG keys".

  • Click "New SSH key".

  • Paste your public key and give it a title.

  • Click "Add SSH key".

Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Why

Implementing RBAC helps in managing access to repositories by assigning specific permissions to users based on their roles, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and changes.

How

• Create Teams and Roles:

  • In your GitHub organization, create teams (e.g., Developers, Reviewers, Security).

  • Assign roles with specific permissions (e.g., write, maintain, admin).

• Configure Repository Access:

  • Set access levels for each repository (e.g., protected branches).

  • Use JSON to define protection rules for branches, including required reviews and status checks2.

  • Assign teams to repositories with specific permissions.

  • Configure branch protection rules:

    • Set required approvals for protected branches.

    • Enable required status checks.

    • Configure required reviews for pull requests.

    • Set branch permissions for each team.

SSH Key Usage

Now that you have generated and added your SSH key to GitHub, here's how you can use it to connect to securely:

1. Cloning a repository via SSH

To clone a repository using SSH, you need to use the SSH URL of the repository. Here’s how you can do it:

• Find the SSH URL:

  • Go to the repository on GitHub.

  • Click the "Code" button.

  • Select "SSH" from the dropdown menu.

  • Copy the SSH URL (it should look something like git@github.com:username/repository.git).

• Clone the Repo:

  • Open PowerShell or Command Prompt.

  • Navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository.

  • Run the following command to clone the repository using SSH:

  git clone git@github.com:username/repository.git

2. Push Changes using SSH

After cloning, you can push changes to the repository using SSH, following these steps:

• Make changes:

  • Edit files in your local repo

• Stage and commit changes:

git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"

• Push changes:

git push -u origin <branch_name>

Replace branch-name with the name of your branch.

Test your SSH Connection

To ensure your SSH connection is working correctly, you can test it by running:

ssh -T git@github.com

If everything is set up correctly, you should see a message indicating that you've successfully authenticated.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, ensure that:

• Your SSH key is correctly added to your GitHub account.

• The SSH key is added to the SSH agent (ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa or ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519).

• You are using the correct SSH URL for cloning and pushing.

Additional Tips

• Use Git Bash or WSL: For a more Unix-like experience, consider using Git Bash or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for Git operations.

• Keep Your SSH Keys Secure: Always keep your private SSH key secure and never share it publicly.

Conclusion

By implementing these practices and leveraging GitHub’s advanced security features, you can significantly enhance the security of your repositories and protect your code from unauthorized access and vulnerabilities.

References

• Security Guidelines - Unit 11
• GitHub Auth Docs - GitHub

Credits

• Dr BUGINGO Emmanuel, our lecturer who allowed us to work on this topic
• Alain MUGISHA, Group 11 member
• Matheo OKISSI, Group 11 member