Yubikeys are used for 2 factor authentication. But you probably already knew that if you are
bothering to read this post. They can be quite handy and get you away from the authenticator
app on your phone. Let us cut to the chase on these devices on FreeBSD.
First we need to install some packages to get things working then enable some services. First
install the following packages:
yubikey-manager
yubikey-personalization-gui
yubioath-desktop
pcsc-lite
pcsc-tools
Next we need to enable the pcsc service to allow the system to talk to the yubikey. Add the following
lines to your /etc/rc.conf file:
# yubikey driver
pcscd_enable="YES"
One weird thing with the yubikey on FreeBSD. If I run ykman list as my normal user I get:
$ykman list
WARNING: PC/SC not available. Smart card (CCID) protocols will not function.
ERROR: Unable to list devices for connection
YubiKey 5 NFC (5.4.3) [OTP+FIDO+CCID] Serial: 25330243
If I run the command as root I get:
#ykman list
YubiKey 5 NFC (5.4.3) [OTP+FIDO+CCID] Serial: 25330243
The way to fix this is to setup the devfs.conf file to allow any user to access the key. Now it
weirdly still works without this step but who likes errors? No one. Add the following line to the
bottom of your /etc/devfs.conf file:
perm /dev/usbhid1 0666
A good writeup of how to configure all the various services with your yubikey can be found at:
Yubikey setup on FreeBSD