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+# OpenBSD Security Reference for shadow-rs
+
+Reference notes from OpenBSD's passwd implementation (ISC license).
+These are design patterns and hardening techniques to adopt.
+
+## Key OpenBSD Security Patterns
+
+### 1. pledge(2) — Syscall Restriction
+
+OpenBSD's passwd calls `pledge("stdio rpath wpath cpath flock proc exec getpw id tty", NULL)`
+immediately after startup, restricting the process to only the syscalls it needs.
+
+**Linux equivalent**: `seccomp-bpf` or `landlock`. We should investigate adding
+a seccomp filter after initialization to restrict syscalls.
+
+**Status**: Not implemented. Future work.
+
+### 2. unveil(2) — Filesystem Restriction
+
+OpenBSD restricts file access to only:
+- `/etc/` (read/write for shadow files)
+- `/dev/tty` (read/write for password prompts)
+
+**Linux equivalent**: `landlock` (kernel 5.13+). Could restrict filesystem
+access to only `/etc/passwd`, `/etc/shadow`, `/dev/tty`.
+
+**Status**: Not implemented. Future work.
+
+### 3. Privilege Separation
+
+OpenBSD drops privileges as early as possible. The passwd binary:
+1. Reads files as root
+2. Drops to the target user's UID for PAM interaction
+3. Re-elevates only for the final file write
+
+**Our approach**: We use `caller_is_root()` (getuid) for authorization but
+run the entire operation with full privileges. Could improve by dropping
+euid to caller's uid during PAM conversation.
+
+### 4. Signal Handling
+
+OpenBSD blocks `SIGINT`, `SIGQUIT`, `SIGHUP`, `SIGTSTP` during critical
+sections (file writes) to prevent partial updates, then restores them.
+
+**Our approach**: We rely on RAII (lock drop, echo guard drop) but don't
+block signals during the file write itself. A signal between the rename
+and the lock release is harmless, but a signal during the write closure
+could leave a partial temp file (mitigated by TmpGuard).
+
+### 5. Memory Zeroing
+
+OpenBSD uses `explicit_bzero()` on all password buffers — this cannot be
+optimized away by the compiler (unlike `memset`).
+
+**Our approach**: We use the `zeroize` crate which uses volatile writes
+to prevent compiler optimization. Equivalent security.
+
+### 6. File Locking
+
+OpenBSD uses `flock(2)` (advisory locks) instead of `.lock` files.
+The `.lock` file approach (used by GNU shadow-utils and us) has the
+TOCTOU race we mitigated with hard-link pattern.
+
+`flock(2)` is cleaner but:
+- Not compatible with GNU shadow-utils convention
+- Doesn't work across NFS (neither do .lock files)
+
+**Our approach**: Hard-link pattern is correct for GNU compatibility.
+
+### 7. Atomic File Replacement
+
+OpenBSD's `pw_mkdb` creates the file with restrictive permissions from
+the start (like our fix in #19), fsyncs, then renames.
+
+**Our approach**: Same pattern. Already implemented correctly.
+
+## Recommendations for shadow-rs
+
+| Priority | What | OpenBSD Pattern | Effort |
+|----------|------|-----------------|--------|
+| High | Drop privileges during PAM conversation | `seteuid(caller_uid)` | Medium |
+| High | Block signals during file write | `sigprocmask` | Low |
+| Medium | Add landlock filesystem restriction (Linux 5.13+) | Like `unveil` | Medium |
+| Medium | Add seccomp filter after init | Like `pledge` | High |
+| Low | Environment sanitization | Clear env except essentials | Low |
+
+## File References
+
+- OpenBSD passwd.c: https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/src/usr.bin/passwd/
+- OpenBSD pw_dup.c: https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/src/lib/libc/gen/pw_dup.c
+- sudo-rs privilege handling: https://github.com/trifectatechfoundation/sudo-rs
diff --git a/docs/SECURITY-HARDENING.md b/docs/SECURITY-HARDENING.md
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+# Security Hardening Roadmap
+
+Techniques to adopt from OpenBSD and best practices for setuid-root tools.
+
+## Already Implemented
+
+- [x] `caller_is_root()` uses `getuid()` not `geteuid()` for authorization
+- [x] Atomic file writes with `fsync` + `rename`
+- [x] Temp files created with `0o600` (no world-readable window)
+- [x] Lock-via-hard-link (TOCTOU-resistant)
+- [x] Stale lock detection only on `ESRCH` (not `EPERM`)
+- [x] Password strings zeroed via `zeroize` crate
+- [x] Absolute paths for subprocess execution (`/usr/sbin/nscd`)
+- [x] PAM delegation (no custom password hashing)
+- [x] `TmpGuard` drop pattern (no leaked temp files)
+
+## Phase 1: Quick Wins
+
+### Signal Blocking During File Writes
+Block `SIGINT`/`SIGTERM`/`SIGHUP` during the critical section between
+lock acquisition and lock release. Prevents partial shadow file updates.
+
+```rust
+use nix::sys::signal::{SigSet, SigmaskHow, sigprocmask};
+
+let mut oldset = SigSet::empty();
+let mut blockset = SigSet::empty();
+blockset.add(Signal::SIGINT);
+blockset.add(Signal::SIGTERM);
+blockset.add(Signal::SIGHUP);
+sigprocmask(SigmaskHow::SIG_BLOCK, Some(&blockset), Some(&mut oldset))?;
+
+// ... critical section: lock, write, rename, unlock ...
+
+sigprocmask(SigmaskHow::SIG_SETMASK, Some(&oldset), None)?;
+```
+
+### Environment Sanitization
+Clear the environment on startup for setuid binaries, keeping only:
+- `PATH=/usr/bin:/bin`
+- `TERM`
+- `LANG`/`LC_*`
+
+```rust
+fn sanitize_env() {
+    let keep = ["TERM", "LANG", "LC_ALL", "LC_MESSAGES"];
+    let saved: Vec<_> = keep.iter()
+        .filter_map(|k| std::env::var(k).ok().map(|v| (*k, v)))
+        .collect();
+    // Clear everything
+    for (key, _) in std::env::vars() {
+        std::env::remove_var(&key);
+    }
+    // Restore kept vars + safe PATH
+    std::env::set_var("PATH", "/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin");
+    for (key, val) in saved {
+        std::env::set_var(key, val);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Privilege Drop During PAM Conversation
+Drop effective UID to caller's real UID during the PAM conversation,
+re-elevate only for file writes:
+
+```rust
+let caller_uid = nix::unistd::getuid();
+nix::unistd::seteuid(caller_uid)?;  // drop privs
+pam.authenticate(0)?;
+pam.chauthtok(0)?;
+nix::unistd::seteuid(Uid::from_raw(0))?;  // re-elevate for file write
+```
+
+## Phase 2: Linux-Specific Hardening
+
+### Landlock (Linux 5.13+)
+Restrict filesystem access to only the files we need:
+
+```rust
+// Only allow: /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/shadow.lock, /dev/tty
+let ruleset = Ruleset::new()
+    .handle_access(AccessFs::ReadFile | AccessFs::WriteFile)?
+    .create()?;
+ruleset.add_rule(PathBeneath::new(PathFd::new("/etc/")?, AccessFs::all()))?;
+ruleset.add_rule(PathBeneath::new(PathFd::new("/dev/tty")?, AccessFs::all()))?;
+ruleset.restrict_self()?;
+```
+
+### Seccomp-BPF
+Restrict syscalls to only what passwd needs after initialization.
+Complex but effective — sudo-rs uses this approach.
+
+## References
+
+- OpenBSD pledge(2): https://man.openbsd.org/pledge.2
+- OpenBSD unveil(2): https://man.openbsd.org/unveil.2
+- Linux landlock: https://docs.kernel.org/userspace-api/landlock.html
+- Linux seccomp: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/seccomp.2.html
+- sudo-rs security: https://github.com/trifectatechfoundation/sudo-rs