during a normal session; they must ask the user to explicitly grant access.
- **Credential theft** — private keys in the wallet directories are not
visible to the `sovran-support` user by default.
- **Scope creep** — the restricted user account limits the blast radius of an
SSH session compared to direct root access.
### Known Limitations
| Limitation | Mitigation |
|------------|------------|
| Support user still has system-wide bash access | Restrict with `ForceCommand` or AppArmor in the NixOS config if a narrower scope is required |
| ACLs apply only to directories that exist at session start | If new wallet directories are created during a session, they are not auto-protected. Re-lock and re-enable support to pick up new paths |
| Root fallback grants full access | The Hub UI warns the user prominently; users should end the session if they are uncomfortable |
| `setfacl` / ACL filesystem support required | The `acl` package is declared in `tech-support.nix`; most Linux filesystems (ext4, btrfs, xfs) support ACLs by default |
| Wallet access grant is time-limited but lazy-expired | Expiry is checked on the next `/api/support/status` poll (every 10 seconds in the UI); there is a small window after expiry |
### Defense-in-Depth Recommendations
For environments that require stronger isolation, consider layering one or
more additional controls:
- **`ForceCommand`** in `sshd_config` (or `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` command
prefix) to restrict the support user to a specific diagnostic script.
- **`ChrootDirectory`** in the `sshd_config``Match User sovran-support` block
to confine the session to a prepared directory tree.
- **AppArmor or SELinux** profiles that deny the support process read access
to wallet paths at the kernel level.
- **Namespace/bind-mount overlays** (e.g., via a wrapper systemd unit) to
present a sanitized filesystem view.
---
## User Flow
```
User opens Hub → Clicks "Tech Support" in sidebar
│
▼
Modal: "Need help from Sovran Systems?"
• Explains what will happen
• Shows Wallet Protection notice
• User clicks "Enable Support Access"
│
▼
Hub: 1. Creates / verifies sovran-support user
2. Writes SSH key to that user's authorized_keys
3. Applies POSIX ACL deny on all existing wallet paths
4. Saves session metadata + writes SUPPORT_ENABLED to audit log
Blocking a user prevents them from interacting with repositories, such as opening or commenting on pull requests or issues. Learn more about blocking a user.