WPA_PRIV(8)WPA_PRIV(8)NAME
wpa_priv - wpa_supplicant privilege separation helper
SYNOPSIS
wpa_priv [ -c ctrl path ] [ -Bdd ] [ -P pid file ] [ driver:ifname [driver:ifname ...] ]
OVERVIEW
wpa_priv is a privilege separation helper that minimizes the size of wpa_supplicant code that needs to be run with root privileges.
If enabled, privileged operations are done in the wpa_priv process while leaving rest of the code (e.g., EAP authentication and WPA hand-
shakes) to operate in an unprivileged process (wpa_supplicant) that can be run as non-root user. Privilege separation restricts the effects
of potential software errors by containing the majority of the code in an unprivileged process to avoid the possibility of a full system
compromise.
wpa_priv needs to be run with network admin privileges (usually, root user). It opens a UNIX domain socket for each interface that is
included on the command line; any other interface will be off limits for wpa_supplicant in this kind of configuration. After this, wpa_sup-
plicant can be run as a non-root user (e.g., all standard users on a laptop or as a special non-privileged user account created just for
this purpose to limit access to user files even further).
EXAMPLE CONFIGURATION
The following steps are an example of how to configure wpa_priv to allow users in the wpapriv group to communicate with wpa_supplicant with
privilege separation:
Create user group (e.g., wpapriv) and assign users that should be able to use wpa_supplicant into that group.
Create /var/run/wpa_priv directory for UNIX domain sockets and control user access by setting it accessible only for the wpapriv group:
mkdir /var/run/wpa_priv
chown root:wpapriv /var/run/wpa_priv
chmod 0750 /var/run/wpa_priv
Start wpa_priv as root (e.g., from system startup scripts) with the enabled interfaces configured on the command line:
wpa_priv -B -c /var/run/wpa_priv -P /var/run/wpa_priv.pid wext:wlan0
Run wpa_supplicant as non-root with a user that is in the wpapriv group:
wpa_supplicant -i ath0 -c wpa_supplicant.conf
COMMAND ARGUMENTS -c ctrl path
Specify the path to wpa_priv control directory (Default: /var/run/wpa_priv/).
-B Run as a daemon in the background.
-P file
Set the location of the PID file.
driver:ifname [driver:ifname ...]
The <driver> string dictates which of the supported wpa_supplicant driver backends is to be used. To get a list of supported driver
types see wpa_supplicant help (e.g, wpa_supplicant -h). The driver backend supported by most good drivers is wext.
The <ifname> string specifies which network interface is to be managed by wpa_supplicant (e.g., wlan0 or ath0).
wpa_priv does not use the network interface before wpa_supplicant is started, so it is fine to include network interfaces that are
not available at the time wpa_priv is started. wpa_priv can control multiple interfaces with one process, but it is also possible to
run multiple wpa_priv processes at the same time, if desired.
SEE ALSO wpa_supplicant(8)LEGAL
wpa_supplicant is copyright (c) 2003-2007, Jouni Malinen <j@w1.fi> and contributors. All Rights Reserved.
This program is dual-licensed under both the GPL version 2 and BSD license. Either license may be used at your option.
16 January 2010 WPA_PRIV(8)
Check Out this Related Man Page
WPA_CLI(8)WPA_CLI(8)NAME
wpa_cli - WPA command line client
SYNOPSIS
wpa_cli [ -p path to ctrl sockets ] [ -i ifname ] [ -hvB ] [ -a action file ] [ -P pid file ] [ command ... ]
OVERVIEW
wpa_cli is a text-based frontend program for interacting with wpa_supplicant. It is used to query current status, change configuration,
trigger events, and request interactive user input.
wpa_cli can show the current authentication status, selected security mode, dot11 and dot1x MIBs, etc. In addition, it can configure some
variables like EAPOL state machine parameters and trigger events like reassociation and IEEE 802.1X logoff/logon. wpa_cli provides a user
interface to request authentication information, like username and password, if these are not included in the configuration. This can be
used to implement, e.g., one-time-passwords or generic token card authentication where the authentication is based on a challenge-response
that uses an external device for generating the response.
The control interface of wpa_supplicant can be configured to allow non-root user access (ctrl_interface GROUP= parameter in the configura-
tion file). This makes it possible to run wpa_cli with a normal user account.
wpa_cli supports two modes: interactive and command line. Both modes share the same command set and the main difference is in interactive
mode providing access to unsolicited messages (event messages, username/password requests).
Interactive mode is started when wpa_cli is executed without including the command as a command line parameter. Commands are then entered
on the wpa_cli prompt. In command line mode, the same commands are entered as command line arguments for wpa_cli.
INTERACTIVE AUTHENTICATION PARAMETERS REQUEST
When wpa_supplicant need authentication parameters, like username and password, which are not present in the configuration file, it sends a
request message to all attached frontend programs, e.g., wpa_cli in interactive mode. wpa_cli shows these requests with "CTRL-
REQ-<type>-<id>:<text>" prefix. <type> is IDENTITY, PASSWORD, or OTP (one-time-password). <id> is a unique identifier for the current net-
work. <text> is description of the request. In case of OTP request, it includes the challenge from the authentication server.
The reply to these requests can be given with identity, password, and otp commands. <id> needs to be copied from the matching request.
password and otp commands can be used regardless of whether the request was for PASSWORD or OTP. The main difference between these two com-
mands is that values given with password are remembered as long as wpa_supplicant is running whereas values given with otp are used only
once and then forgotten, i.e., wpa_supplicant will ask frontend for a new value for every use. This can be used to implement one-time-
password lists and generic token card -based authentication.
Example request for password and a matching reply:
CTRL-REQ-PASSWORD-1:Password needed for SSID foobar
> password 1 mysecretpassword
Example request for generic token card challenge-response:
CTRL-REQ-OTP-2:Challenge 1235663 needed for SSID foobar
> otp 2 9876
COMMAND ARGUMENTS -p path
Change the path where control sockets should be found.
-i ifname
Specify the interface that is being configured. By default, choose the first interface found with a control socket in the socket
path.
-h Help. Show a usage message.
-v Show version information.
-B Run as a daemon in the background.
-a file
Run in daemon mode executing the action file based on events from wpa_supplicant. The specified file will be executed with the
first argument set to interface name and second to "CONNECTED" or "DISCONNECTED" depending on the event. This can be used to exe-
cute networking tools required to configure the interface.
Additionally, three environmental variables are available to the file: WPA_CTRL_DIR, WPA_ID, and WPA_ID_STR. WPA_CTRL_DIR contains
the absolute path to the ctrl_interface socket. WPA_ID contains the unique network_id identifier assigned to the active network, and
WPA_ID_STR contains the content of the id_str option.
-P file
Set the location of the PID file.
command
Run a command. The available commands are listed in the next section.
COMMANDS
The following commands are available:
status get current WPA/EAPOL/EAP status
mib get MIB variables (dot1x, dot11)
help show this usage help
interface [ifname]
show interfaces/select interface
level <debug level>
change debug level
license
show full wpa_cli license
logoff IEEE 802.1X EAPOL state machine logoff
logon IEEE 802.1X EAPOL state machine logon
set set variables (shows list of variables when run without arguments)
pmksa show PMKSA cache
reassociate
force reassociation
reconfigure
force wpa_supplicant to re-read its configuration file
preauthenticate <BSSID>
force preauthentication
identity <network id> <identity>
configure identity for an SSID
password <network id> <password>
configure password for an SSID
pin <network id> <pin>
configure pin for an SSID
otp <network id> <password>
configure one-time-password for an SSID
bssid <network id> <BSSID>
set preferred BSSID for an SSID
list_networks
list configured networks
terminate
terminate wpa_supplicant
quit exit wpa_cli
SEE ALSO wpa_supplicant(8)LEGAL
wpa_supplicant is copyright (c) 2003-2007, Jouni Malinen <j@w1.fi> and contributors. All Rights Reserved.
This program is dual-licensed under both the GPL version 2 and BSD license. Either license may be used at your option.
16 January 2010 WPA_CLI(8)