Overview

The use of a keystore is optional and these instructions can be skipped, if desired.

PhixFlow can use a keystore for:

• a pepper string, which PhixFlow will add to local user passwords when encrypting them

• the database username and password.

The pepper string and database account credentials are encrypted and stored here, along with their aliases. You can then use an alias to retrieve each secret from the keystore.

To configure the keystore, use the Java keytool -importpass command at the command line. In the following examples, we have used

• a file type of PKCS12. You can also use JCEKS.

• a keystore name of keystore.jks. If you use a different name for the keystore, you must update its name in the phixflow-secret.xml configuration file.

See also

• Adding Data to a Keystore for the command syntax and how the keystore works

• Understanding Password Encryption for information about the pepper string and how to ensure user security information is migrated to use the most secure encryption

• Considerations for Pepper Strings for whether or not to use different pepper keys for different instances.

Create the keystore and add the pepper string and its alias

If you are creating the keystore on Windows, you must use the backslash \ in the path. PhixFlow will not be able to read the pepper key value if you use the forward slash /.

1. Run the -importpass command, specifying the alias: pepperkey 
   The alias is case-sensitive and must match phixflow-instance.xml: <prop key="pepperkey">pepperkey</prop>
   If you use a different alias, update phixflow-instance.xml to use the same alias.

2. When prompted, enter the password you want to set for the keystore file, then re-enter to confirm it.
   Keep a secure record of this password.

3. When prompted for the password, enter the string you want to use to pepper user passwords. 
   We recommend this string has the same characteristics as a password. For example it should be a random string containing at least 6 letters, numbers and special characters. 
   Keep a secure record of the pepper key. 

Windows Command Line Example

Windows Powershell Example

Linux Example

Populate the Keystore

Step 1  Add the database username

1.1 Run the -importpass command, specifying the alias username for the PhixFlow database, for example phixflow-database-user.

1.2 When prompted, enter the keystore password.

1.3 When prompted for the password, enter the actual username for the PhixFlow database, for example phixflow. 

Windows Command Line

Windows Powershell Example

Linux Example

Step 2  Add the database password and alias to the keystore file

2.1.  Run the -importpass command specifying the alias password for the PhixFlow database, for example phixflow-database-password.

2.2  When prompted, enter the keystore password.

2.3 When prompted for the password, enter the actual password for the PhixFlow database.

Windows Command Line Example

Windows Powershell Example

Linux Example

Configure Phixflow

The following settings need to be configured in local.properties or as environment variables.

Changing the Keystore Password

It is not possible to change the password directly on the keystore file as this corrupts its values. Instead we recommend creating a new keystore file and importing the original values into it.

The process to create a new keystore is:

1. Tomcat needs to be stopped.

2. Rename your original keystore file e.g. keystoreOld.jks.

3. Use the importkeystore command to import the existing keystore into a a new keystore, at which point you will be prompted for the password for the original keystore and then a new password for the new keystore.

   1. Give the new keystore the original keystore's name e.g. keystore.jks. 

4. Depending on your configuration, you will need to update local.properties, phixFlow-secret.xml or the environment variable, with the new keystore password.

Examples

Linux

Windows