Re: Setting up secure cvs server

[patrick_(_at_)_mail_(_dot_)_zill_(_dot_)_net (Patrick Giagnocavo)]

On Sat, Nov 27, 2004 at 10:34:06PM -0700, Joshua Rubin wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am looking for some articles to aid in setting up a secure cvs and cvsup
> server. I know that chrooting and using ssh are the way to go, but I have
> found minimal information about how to do that. I would love to set up remote
> password protected developer access without the obvious risks of pserver,
> unchrooted and sending passwords in plain text.  Way too many security issues
> with doing that...

I can't speak to your developers, but this is what has worked for me:

1.  All developers who commit code get SSH access to the server, and
use CVS over SSH to perform all CVS functions.  If you want to lock it
down further, you can setup SSH to only allow certain commands to be
run, which denies an attacker access to a shell if a developer's
account is compromised.

2.  Anonymous checkout is done via allowing people to download
tarballs and individual files via a Web interface.  There is a
Python-based web GUI which can serve up a CVS repository, something
like viewcvs.py .

I don't run pserver, and have found that the combination of allowing
developers easy commits, and everyone else easy source code access via
the Web, in either file by file or tarball form, to be something that
is acceptable.  It is a "good enough" solution, while being much more
secure.

Cordially
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