Harden config perms and key derivation

Write generated configs 0600, treat new keys as raw AES-256, keep
PBKDF2 for unprefixed material, and cache derivation at startup.

README.md

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ Both services share the same encrypted tunnel connection!
 
 ## Features
 
-- **Secure Encryption**: All traffic is encrypted using AES-GCM encryption with PBKDF2 key derivation
+- **Secure Encryption**: All traffic is encrypted using AES-GCM. New keys are raw 256-bit AES keys; passphrase-style configs still use PBKDF2
 - **Port Forwarding**: Forward multiple ports with different protocols (TCP and UDP)
 - **Configuration-based**: Easy configuration via YAML files
 - **Bidirectional**: Full bidirectional port forwarding
@@ -186,8 +186,8 @@ dns_server:
     - `"tcp://80:8080"` (client) - listen on `127.0.0.1:8080`, forward to teleport server's port 80
     - `"tcp://22:0.0.0.0:2222"` (client) - listen on all interfaces port 2222
     - `"udp://53:5353"` (client) - listen on `127.0.0.1:5353`, forward to teleport server's port 53
-- `encryption_key`: Shared secret key for encryption (must be the same on both sides)
+- `encryption_key`: Shared secret (must be the same on both sides). New keys from `--generate-key` / `--generate-config` are `raw:` plus 64 hex characters (32-byte AES-256 key, no PBKDF2). Unprefixed values — passphrases and hex strings from older `--generate-key` — still go through PBKDF2 so existing configs keep working. To migrate an old hex key to raw AES, re-generate with `--generate-key` and update both sides together; do not strip `raw:` from a new key or add `raw:` to an old hex string.
-- `keep_alive`: Enable TCP keep-alive
+- `keep_alive`: Enable TCP keep-alive on tunnel and forwarded TCP connections (helps long-lived forwards through NAT)
 - `read_timeout`: Read timeout duration
 - `write_timeout`: Write timeout duration
 - `max_connections`: Maximum concurrent connections (default: 1000 for server, 100 for client)
@@ -265,7 +265,9 @@ dns_server:
 ./teleport -k
 ```
 
-This generates a cryptographically secure 256-bit encryption key that you can use in your configuration files.
+This prints a `raw:` prefixed 256-bit key. Paste the entire value into `encryption_key` on both server and client. It is used as an AES-256 key directly (no PBKDF2). Existing configs that store a passphrase or an unprefixed hex string still use PBKDF2.
+
+`--generate-config` writes the file mode `0600` because the file embeds a live encryption key.
 
 ### Logging Options
 
@@ -503,6 +505,8 @@ rate_limit:
   window_size: 1s          # Time window for rate limiting
 ```
 
+The token bucket is process-global (not per source IP). One noisy peer can consume the budget for everyone; that is enough for a single-user homelab.
+
 
 ### Advanced Logging
 
@@ -523,7 +527,7 @@ Teleport includes sophisticated logging with:
 ## Notes
 
 - The encryption key must be identical on both server and client
-- Use `./teleport --generate-key` to create a secure random encryption key
+- Use `./teleport --generate-key` to create a raw 256-bit AES key (`raw:` + 64 hex). Unprefixed keys in existing configs still use PBKDF2
 - The server listens on the specified `listen_address` for incoming tunnel connections (examples bind loopback; `0.0.0.0` must be explicit)
 - The client connects to the remote server and forwards local connections from `bind_address` (default `127.0.0.1`)
 - All port forwarding is bidirectional

cmd/teleport/main.go

@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"crypto/rand"
-	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/signal"
@@ -62,7 +60,8 @@ func main() {
 			return
 		}
 		fmt.Printf("Generated encryption key: %s\n", key)
-		fmt.Println("Use this key in your configuration file for both server and client.")
+		fmt.Println("Paste the entire value into encryption_key on both server and client.")
+		fmt.Println("This is a raw 256-bit AES key (no PBKDF2). Unprefixed keys in existing configs still use PBKDF2.")
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -116,21 +115,14 @@ func main() {
 	}
 }
 
-// generateRandomKey generates a cryptographically secure random encryption key
+// generateRandomKey generates a raw 256-bit AES key (raw: + 64 hex chars).
 func generateRandomKey() (string, error) {
-	// Generate 32 random bytes (256 bits) for a strong encryption key
+	key, err := encryption.GenerateRawKey()
-	bytes := make([]byte, 32)
+	if err != nil {
-	if _, err := rand.Read(bytes); err != nil {
+		return "", err
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to generate random key: %v", err)
 	}
-
-	// Convert to hexadecimal string for easy copying
-	key := hex.EncodeToString(bytes)
-
-	// Validate the generated key
 	if err := encryption.ValidateEncryptionKey(key); err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("generated key failed validation: %v", err)
 	}
-
 	return key, nil
 }

internal/client/client.go

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func NewTeleportClient(config *config.Config) *TeleportClient {
 		cancel:           cancel,
 		connectionPool:   make(chan net.Conn, maxPoolSize),
 		maxPoolSize:      maxPoolSize,
-		derivedKey:       encryption.DeriveKey(config.EncryptionKey),
+		derivedKey:       mustResolveKey(config.EncryptionKey),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) Start() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to server: %v", err)
 	}
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn, tc.config.KeepAlive)
 	tc.serverConn = conn
 
 	// Start DNS server if enabled
@@ -187,6 +188,7 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) getConnection() (net.Conn, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create connection: %v", err)
 	}
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn, tc.config.KeepAlive)
 
 	// Set connection timeouts
 	if tc.config.ReadTimeout > 0 {
@@ -343,6 +345,7 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) sendTaggedUDPPacketWithResponse(packet types.TaggedUDP
 		return
 	}
 	defer serverConn.Close()
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(serverConn, tc.config.KeepAlive)
 
 	logger.WithField("packetID", packet.Header.PacketID).Debug("UDP CLIENT: Connected to server, sending port forward request")
 
@@ -399,9 +402,8 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) sendTaggedUDPPacketToConnection(conn net.Conn, packet
 		"data_length": len(data),
 	}).Debug("UDP CLIENT: Serialized packet")
 
-	// Encrypt the data
+	// Encrypt the data (key resolved once at process start)
-	key := encryption.DeriveKey(tc.config.EncryptionKey)
+	encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, tc.derivedKey)
-	encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, key)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.WithFields(map[string]interface{}{
 			"packetID": packet.Header.PacketID,
@@ -453,9 +455,8 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) waitForUDPResponseAndForward(conn net.Conn, expectedPa
 				"bytes_received": n,
 			}).Debug("UDP CLIENT: Received response bytes")
 
-			// Decrypt the response
+			// Decrypt the response (key resolved once at process start)
-			key := encryption.DeriveKey(tc.config.EncryptionKey)
+			decryptedData, err := encryption.DecryptData(buffer[:n], tc.derivedKey)
-			decryptedData, err := encryption.DecryptData(buffer[:n], key)
 			if err != nil {
 				logger.WithFields(map[string]interface{}{
 					"packetID": expectedPacketID,
@@ -638,6 +639,7 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) deserializeTaggedUDPPacket(data []byte) (types.TaggedU
 // handleTCPConnection handles a TCP connection from a local client
 func (tc *TeleportClient) handleTCPConnection(clientConn net.Conn, rule config.PortRule) {
 	defer clientConn.Close()
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(clientConn, tc.config.KeepAlive)
 
 	// Get a connection from the pool or create a new one
 	serverConn, err := tc.getConnection()
@@ -825,3 +827,12 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) serializeRequest(request types.PortForwardRequest) ([]
 
 	return data, nil
 }
+
+func mustResolveKey(material string) []byte {
+	key, err := encryption.ResolveKey(material)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.WithField("error", err).Error("Failed to resolve encryption key")
+		return nil
+	}
+	return key
+}

internal/server/server.go

@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func NewTeleportServer(config *config.Config) *TeleportServer {
 		goroutineSem:     make(chan struct{}, maxGoroutines),
 		maxGoroutines:    maxGoroutines,
 		metrics:          metricsInstance,
-		derivedKey:       encryption.DeriveKey(config.EncryptionKey),
+		derivedKey:       mustResolveKey(config.EncryptionKey),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -254,9 +254,8 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) sendTaggedUDPPacket(clientConn *net.UDPConn, packet ty
 		return
 	}
 
-	// Encrypt the data
+	// Encrypt the data (key resolved once at process start)
-	key := encryption.DeriveKey(ts.config.EncryptionKey)
+	encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, ts.derivedKey)
-	encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, key)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.WithField("error", err).Debug("Failed to encrypt UDP packet")
 		return
@@ -310,6 +309,8 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) handleConnectionWithLimit(conn net.Conn) {
 		ts.metrics.DecrementActiveConnections()
 	}()
 
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn, ts.config.KeepAlive)
+
 	// Set connection timeouts
 	if ts.config.ReadTimeout > 0 {
 		conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(ts.config.ReadTimeout))
@@ -393,6 +394,7 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) handleTCPForward(clientConn net.Conn, rule *config.Por
 		return
 	}
 	defer targetConn.Close()
+	config.ApplyTCPKeepAlive(targetConn, ts.config.KeepAlive)
 
 	logger.WithFields(map[string]interface{}{
 		"client": clientConn.RemoteAddr(),
@@ -478,9 +480,8 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) handleUDPForward(clientConn net.Conn, rule *config.Por
 
 				logger.WithField("bytes_received", n).Debug("UDP SERVER: Received bytes from client")
 
-				// Decrypt the data
+				// Decrypt the data (key resolved once at process start)
-				key := encryption.DeriveKey(ts.config.EncryptionKey)
+				decryptedData, err := encryption.DecryptData(buffer[:n], ts.derivedKey)
-				decryptedData, err := encryption.DecryptData(buffer[:n], key)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.WithField("error", err).Debug("UDP SERVER: Failed to decrypt UDP packet")
 					continue
@@ -595,8 +596,7 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) handleUDPForward(clientConn net.Conn, rule *config.Por
 					continue
 				}
 
-				key := encryption.DeriveKey(ts.config.EncryptionKey)
+				encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, ts.derivedKey)
-				encryptedData, err := encryption.EncryptData(data, key)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.WithFields(map[string]interface{}{
 						"packetID": originalPacketID,
@@ -897,3 +897,12 @@ func (ts *TeleportServer) deserializeRequest(data []byte, request *types.PortFor
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func mustResolveKey(material string) []byte {
+	key, err := encryption.ResolveKey(material)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.WithField("error", err).Error("Failed to resolve encryption key")
+		return nil
+	}
+	return key
+}

pkg/config/config.go

@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package config
 
 import (
-	"crypto/rand"
-	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"os"
@@ -609,24 +607,33 @@ func GenerateExampleConfig(filename string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal config: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	err = os.WriteFile(filename, data, 0644)
+	err = os.WriteFile(filename, data, 0o600)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write config file: %v", err)
 	}
+	if err := os.Chmod(filename, 0o600); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to set config file permissions: %v", err)
+	}
 
 	fmt.Printf("Generated example configuration: %s\n", filename)
 	fmt.Printf("Edit the configuration file and run: ./teleport -config %s\n", filename)
 	return nil
 }
 
-// generateStrongEncryptionKey generates a cryptographically secure encryption key
+// generateStrongEncryptionKey generates a raw 256-bit key (raw: + 64 hex chars).
 func generateStrongEncryptionKey() (string, error) {
-	// Generate 32 random bytes (256 bits) for a strong encryption key
+	return encryption.GenerateRawKey()
-	bytes := make([]byte, 32)
+}
-	if _, err := rand.Read(bytes); err != nil {
+
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to generate random key: %v", err)
+// ApplyTCPKeepAlive enables TCP keep-alive when enabled is true.
-	}
+func ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn net.Conn, enabled bool) {
-
+	if conn == nil || !enabled {
-	// Convert to hexadecimal string for easy copying
+		return
-	return hex.EncodeToString(bytes), nil
+	}
+	tcp, ok := conn.(*net.TCPConn)
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	_ = tcp.SetKeepAlive(true)
+	_ = tcp.SetKeepAlivePeriod(30 * time.Second)
 }

pkg/config/config_test.go

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
+
+	"teleport/pkg/encryption"
 )
 
 func TestLoadConfig(t *testing.T) {
@@ -585,3 +587,61 @@ func TestGenerateExampleConfigUsesLoopback(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("generated client local listen %q", got)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGenerateExampleConfigMode0600(t *testing.T) {
+	tempDir := t.TempDir()
+	configFile := filepath.Join(tempDir, "server.yaml")
+	if err := GenerateExampleConfig(configFile); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	st, err := os.Stat(configFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if st.Mode().Perm() != 0o600 {
+		t.Fatalf("generated config mode %04o want 0600", st.Mode().Perm())
+	}
+	cfg, err := LoadConfig(configFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reload generated config: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !encryption.IsRawKey(cfg.EncryptionKey) {
+		t.Fatalf("generated encryption_key is not raw: %q", cfg.EncryptionKey[:min(8, len(cfg.EncryptionKey))])
+	}
+	key, err := encryption.ResolveKey(cfg.EncryptionKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(key) != 32 {
+		t.Fatalf("resolved key len %d", len(key))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyTCPKeepAlive(t *testing.T) {
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer ln.Close()
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		c, err := ln.Accept()
+		if err != nil {
+			errCh <- err
+			return
+		}
+		defer c.Close()
+		ApplyTCPKeepAlive(c, true)
+		errCh <- nil
+	}()
+	conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", ln.Addr().String())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+	ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn, true)
+	ApplyTCPKeepAlive(conn, false)
+	if err := <-errCh; err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}

pkg/encryption/encryption.go

@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"crypto/subtle"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"math"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -24,22 +26,69 @@ const (
 	// Replay protection parameters
 	MaxPacketAge = 5 * time.Minute // Maximum age for UDP packets
 	NonceWindow  = 1000            // Number of nonces to track for replay protection
+
+	// RawKeyPrefix marks a hex-encoded 32-byte AES key that must not go through PBKDF2.
+	RawKeyPrefix = "raw:"
+	RawKeyHexLen = 64 // 32 bytes
 )
 
-// DeriveKey derives an encryption key from a password using PBKDF2
+// deriveCache memoizes PBKDF2 so handshake/UDP paths never pay 100k iterations twice.
+var deriveCache sync.Map // map[string][]byte
+
+// GenerateRawKey returns a raw: prefixed hex encoding of 32 random bytes.
+// Paste the entire string into encryption_key; it is used as an AES-256 key (no PBKDF2).
+func GenerateRawKey() (string, error) {
+	key := make([]byte, PBKDF2KeyLength)
+	if _, err := io.ReadFull(rand.Reader, key); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to generate random key: %v", err)
+	}
+	return RawKeyPrefix + hex.EncodeToString(key), nil
+}
+
+// IsRawKey reports whether material is a raw 256-bit key (raw: + 64 hex chars).
+func IsRawKey(material string) bool {
+	return strings.HasPrefix(material, RawKeyPrefix)
+}
+
+// ResolveKey returns a 32-byte AES key from config material.
+//
+//   - raw:<64 hex>: hex-decode, no PBKDF2 (new --generate-key / generated configs)
+//   - anything else, including legacy unprefixed 64-hex from older --generate-key:
+//     PBKDF2 with the historical password-derived salt (existing configs keep working)
+func ResolveKey(material string) ([]byte, error) {
+	if strings.HasPrefix(material, RawKeyPrefix) {
+		hexStr := material[len(RawKeyPrefix):]
+		key, err := hex.DecodeString(hexStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid raw encryption key: %w", err)
+		}
+		if len(key) != PBKDF2KeyLength {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("raw encryption key must be %d bytes, got %d", PBKDF2KeyLength, len(key))
+		}
+		return key, nil
+	}
+	return DeriveKey(material), nil
+}
+
+// DeriveKey derives an encryption key from a password using PBKDF2.
+// The first call for a given password runs 100k iterations; later calls return the cached key.
 func DeriveKey(password string) []byte {
-	// Use a deterministic salt derived from the password hash for consistent key derivation
+	if v, ok := deriveCache.Load(password); ok {
-	// This ensures the same password always produces the same key while avoiding rainbow tables
+		return v.([]byte)
+	}
+
+	// Historical salt is SHA256(password)[:16]. That is not a random salt; keep it only
+	// so existing passphrase and unprefixed hex configs still derive the same key.
 	hasher := sha256.New()
 	hasher.Write([]byte(password))
 	passwordHash := hasher.Sum(nil)
 
-	// Create a deterministic salt from the password hash
 	salt := make([]byte, PBKDF2SaltLength)
 	copy(salt, passwordHash[:PBKDF2SaltLength])
 
 	key := pbkdf2.Key([]byte(password), salt, PBKDF2Iterations, PBKDF2KeyLength, sha256.New)
-	return key
+	actual, _ := deriveCache.LoadOrStore(password, key)
+	return actual.([]byte)
 }
 
 // DeriveKeyWithSalt derives an encryption key from a password using PBKDF2 with a custom salt
@@ -176,6 +225,21 @@ func ConstantTimeCompare(a, b []byte) bool {
 
 // ValidateEncryptionKey validates that an encryption key meets security requirements
 func ValidateEncryptionKey(key string) error {
+	if strings.HasPrefix(key, RawKeyPrefix) {
+		hexStr := key[len(RawKeyPrefix):]
+		if len(hexStr) != RawKeyHexLen {
+			return fmt.Errorf("raw encryption key must be %d hex characters (32 bytes), got %d", RawKeyHexLen, len(hexStr))
+		}
+		decoded, err := hex.DecodeString(hexStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("raw encryption key is not valid hex: %w", err)
+		}
+		if len(decoded) != PBKDF2KeyLength {
+			return fmt.Errorf("raw encryption key must decode to %d bytes", PBKDF2KeyLength)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	if len(key) < 32 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("encryption key must be at least 32 characters long")
 	}

pkg/encryption/encryption_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package encryption
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -240,3 +242,95 @@ func TestConstantTimeCompare(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("Empty slices should compare equal")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestResolveKeyRaw(t *testing.T) {
+	raw, err := GenerateRawKey()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GenerateRawKey: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !IsRawKey(raw) {
+		t.Fatalf("generated key is not raw: %q", raw[:4])
+	}
+	key, err := ResolveKey(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ResolveKey raw: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(key) != 32 {
+		t.Fatalf("raw key length %d", len(key))
+	}
+	decoded, err := hex.DecodeString(raw[len(RawKeyPrefix):])
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(key, decoded) {
+		t.Fatal("raw key was not hex-decoded as-is")
+	}
+	if bytes.Equal(key, DeriveKey(raw)) {
+		t.Fatal("raw key must not go through PBKDF2")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveKeyLegacyHexStillPBKDF2(t *testing.T) {
+	legacy := "a0e3dd20a761b118ca234160dd8b87230a001e332a97c9cfe3b8b9c99efaae03"
+	decoded, err := hex.DecodeString(legacy)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := ResolveKey(legacy)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ResolveKey legacy hex: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := DeriveKey(legacy)
+	if !bytes.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatal("unprefixed 64-hex must still use PBKDF2 (old --generate-key configs)")
+	}
+	if bytes.Equal(got, decoded) {
+		t.Fatal("unprefixed 64-hex must not be treated as a raw AES key")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveKeyPassphrase(t *testing.T) {
+	pw := "test-passphrase-not-a-hex-key-value"
+	got, err := ResolveKey(pw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(got, DeriveKey(pw)) {
+		t.Fatal("passphrase should use PBKDF2")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDeriveKeyCached(t *testing.T) {
+	pw := "cache-me-please-this-is-long-enough"
+	start := time.Now()
+	k1 := DeriveKey(pw)
+	first := time.Since(start)
+	start = time.Now()
+	k2 := DeriveKey(pw)
+	second := time.Since(start)
+	if !bytes.Equal(k1, k2) {
+		t.Fatal("cached key mismatch")
+	}
+	if first < 10*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Logf("first PBKDF2 unexpectedly fast: %v", first)
+	}
+	if second > 5*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("cached DeriveKey too slow: first=%v second=%v", first, second)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidateRawEncryptionKey(t *testing.T) {
+	raw, err := GenerateRawKey()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := ValidateEncryptionKey(raw); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("valid raw key rejected: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := ValidateEncryptionKey("raw:not-hex"); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("invalid raw hex should fail")
+	}
+	if err := ValidateEncryptionKey("raw:abcd"); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("short raw key should fail")
+	}
+}