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explanation
many-master-secrets.md
Document the choice between multiple master SSH keys/passphrases or not
Marco Ricci
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at 2026-04-05 22:33:26
many-master-secrets.md
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# Should I use one master SSH key/master passphrase, or many? Generally, using multiple master SSH keys or master passphrases partitions the `derivepassphrase` configuration into sets such that the compromise of one master SSH key/master passphrase compromises all passphrases within that set of configurations. However, using multiple master SSH keys or master passphrases also means that multiple SSH keys or passphrases must be managed. ## Multiple master SSH keys Managing multiple master SSH keys is conceptually no different than managing a single key. `derivepassphrase vault` can record which master SSH key to use for each configuration. ## Multiple master passphrases Managing multiple master passphrases is somewhat more difficult. The user must choose multiple high-quality master passphrases. If passphrases are memorized (as is recommended), then this puts a much higher cognitive load on the user than keeping multiple master SSH keys. Furthermore, `derivepassphrase vault` cannot record which master passphrase to use for each configuration, beyond storing the respective master passphrase itself (which is a **grave security risk**). The user must thus find a different (usually out-of-band) way to associate each configuration with its matching master passphrase. Due to these logistical difficulties, from a purely operational standpoint, using multiple master passphrases **is not recommended**.
