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Security

Signed commits

GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) is a free and open-source implementation of the OpenPGP standard. It is a tool for secure communication and data storage, allowing users to encrypt and sign their data and communications. GPG is widely used for email encryption, file encryption, and digital signatures.

1. Install GPG

Install via Homebrew:

bash
brew install gnupg

Verify it worked:

bash
gpg --version

2. Create a GPG key

Run the key generation wizard:

bash
gpg --full-gen-key

When prompted, choose:

  • Key type: RSA and RSA
  • Key size: 4096
  • Expiration: your call — no expiration is allowed
  • Name: your name
  • Email: the same email you use in GitLab
  • Passphrase: set one

3. Get your key ID

List your secret keys:

bash
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format LONG you@example.com

You'll see output like:

sec   rsa4096/30F2B65B9246B6CA 2026-03-18 [SC]

The part after the slash (30F2B65B9246B6CA) is your key ID — you'll need it for the next steps.

4. Export your public key

bash
gpg --armor --export 30F2B65B9246B6CA

Copy the full output block including the -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- and -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- lines. That is what you add to GitLab.

5. Add the public key to GitLab

In GitLab: click your avatar → Edit profile → Access → GPG keys → Add new key → paste the armored public key → save.

6. Configure Git to sign commits

Set your signing key and enable auto-signing:

bash
git config --global user.signingkey 30F2B65B9246B6CA
git config --global commit.gpgsign true

Make sure your Git identity matches the email in your GitLab account:

bash
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

7. Make a signed commit

bash
git commit -m "Test signed commit"

Push it, then open the commit in GitLab. A valid match will show a Verified badge.

8. Fix passphrase / pinentry issues (macOS)

If you're getting "signing failed" errors on zsh, run:

bash
echo 'export GPG_TTY=$(tty)' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Fail2Ban

Fail2Ban is a security tool that helps protect your server from brute-force attacks and unauthorized access attempts. It works by monitoring log files for suspicious activity, such as repeated failed login attempts, and then takes action to block the offending IP addresses.

System Messages

System messages on Linux servers