Extracting Client Certificates
You can display all of the server’s certificates using the following command:
$ openssl s_client -showcerts server.name:port | sed -n '/-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----/,/-----END CERTIFICATE-----/p'
This output can be piped or copy/pasted to a text file (only keep the
parts between the BEGIN and END CERTIFICATE sections)
and give it a .crt file extension. You can then use it as
input to whatever client app needs it.
In the below example we pipe the openssl output to
grep to remove the identifiers of the certificates. You may
not get your prompt back until the command times out, so you
should wait a bit and after a bit you should get something similar to
the following output:
$ openssl s_client -showcerts example.com:443 2>&1 |grep -v '^depth'| sed -n '/-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----/,/-----END CERTIFICATE-----/p'
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Tags: cli, certificates, openssl, motd
Encrypting Files using OpenSSL
Let’s say we have a file that contains sensitive information and we
want to encyrpt it. You can encrypt a file very easily using the
openssl command:
$ cat secret.txt
This file contains some very secret stuff
$ openssl enc -e -aes-256-cbc -pbkdf2 -a -salt -in secret.txt -out secret.enc
enter aes-256-cbc encryption password: <enter-a-password>
Verifying - enter aes-256-cbc encryption password: <enter-a-password>
$ cat secret.enc
U2FsdGVkX19Rnz48WjLeljd19wvNOhQy+zzYwxCANezCTkqpGMl9zs4HdwdUzZjl
VQkUsCJ7b0rUpRi83UlcwA==
Now we decrypt it (output to a different file). Make sure you enter the same password that you input above:
$ openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -pbkdf2 -a -salt -in secret.enc -out unencrypted-secret.txt
enter aes-256-cbc decryption password: <enter-a-password>
$ cat unencrypted-secret.txt
This file contains some very secret stuff
$
Tags: cli, openssl, encryption, motd
Finding the SSL Directory on a Server
I’ve had situations where I was configuring a secure connection to an
application and needed to know where the SSL certificates are stored on
the server. You can easily find out this information using the
openssl and grep commands:
$ openssl version -a | grep OPENSSLDIR
OPENSSLDIR: "/etc/pki/tls"