ChainLock, A Linux Tool for Locking Down Important Files

Let’s say you have a valuable file on your computer, such as a bitcoin wallet file (“wallet.dat”), or some other file with sensitive information, and you decide put a password on it to keep it safe. If you use MS Windows maybe you’ve taken steps to protect yourself from clipboard hijacking malware, and now you’re wondering what to do next in the constant arms race against attackers.

We know about some malware that try to target and steal your wallet.dat file so the attacker can crack your password offline and then transfer the funds to an account they control, so from Innovation and Laboratory we wanted to create something for Linux users.

We wanted the tool to be accessible, so it could be used to protect sensitive files without doing things like recompiling the kernel or configuring SELinux. We ended up with a new tool, dubbed ChainLock. ChainLock can lock any file on your Linux computer such that it can only be opened by a specific application. For example, it can ensure your wallet.dat file can only be accessed by your bitcoin core application and can’t be opened or copied by malware.

How does it work?

First, we onboard a file with the ChainLock command line program. This encrypts the target file with a strong password, and then a QR code pops up on screen which we can scan with the companion application for smartphones. Now the key to unlock the protected file is only stored on your phone and can’t be found on your computer. An attacker must compromise both devices to unlock your file without permission.

That takes care of protecting the file at rest, but locked files aren’t very helpful when you’re trying to use them. We can ask ChainLock to unlock the file, and a QR code pops up. With the companion app we can select the file we want to unlock, then scan the QR code. The app will send the information necessary to unlock the file to your computer using a Tor hidden service.

ChainLock now starts a daemon to watch over the file and only allow access from the authorized binary, and then decrypts the file so it can be used. Now the wallet can only be used with the specified application. Nothing else works! ChainLock also supports upgrading or changing the authorized program, so you can always upgrade your wallet application without fear, or migrate to another device.

Where do I get it?

You can download ChainLock and the companion application at the ChainLock site. If you want a deeper look at how it works, check out the accompanying walkthrough. The walkthrough will guide you through installing and using ChainLock.

You can check this video to see Chainlock in action:

With this tool we want to give to the community a new technique to ensure their important files are kept safe. We hope you find it useful.