On Jan 30, 2010 the Freenode IRC network finally activated SSL support. This is something that many have long been waiting for, and I’m glad to finally see it! I have been an IRC user for some years now, the majority of which has been specific to the Freenode network. Historically all data passed to the Freenode network, including username, password and chat messages have been done in the clear. This no longer has to be the case as SSL client support is now available.

In this article I will outline how to configure your IRC client to connect to the Freenode IRC network using SSL client encryption. This article includes instructions for Irssi, Empathy and Pidgin.

Access Freenode via SSL – Irssi

This section outlines how to configure irssi, the command-line IRC client, to connect to freenode via SSL secure connection.

First, you’ll need to ensure you have an updated list of CA root certificates. This can be done by verifying you have the following package installed:

sudo aptitude install ca-certificates

It is likely that this is already installed, but it won’t cause any problems to attempt installation just to make sure.

Once you’ve verified that you have the latest CA root certificates you can connect to Freenode via SSL using the following command:

/connect -ssl_verify -ssl_capath /etc/ssl/certs chat.freenode.net 7000

If you’d like to automatically connect to freenode each time you launch irssi, use the following:

/network add -nick <nick> -realname <realname> freenode

/server add -auto -ssl_verify -ssl_capath /etc/ssl/certs -network freenode chat.freenode.net 7000

/save

Access Freenode via SSL – Empathy (IDLE)

This section outlines how to configure Empathy, the default messaging client in Ubuntu 9.10+, to connect to freenode via SSL secure connection.

You’ll need to verify that you have an updated list of CA root certificates. This can be done by verifying you have the following package installed:

sudo aptitude install ca-certificates

Once you’ve verified that you have the latest CA root certificates, you’ll also need to verify your Empathy configuration. Below is a screenshot for the FreeNode configuration in Empathy. Ensure yours matches the port and SSL activation.

Access Freenode via SSL – Pidgin

This section outlines how to configure Pidgin, the default messaging client in older Ubuntu releases, to connect to freenode via SSL secure connection.

You’ll need to verify that you have an updated list of CA root certificates. This can be done by verifying  you have the following package installed:

sudo aptitude install ca-certificates

Once you’ve verified that you have the latest CA root certificates you’ll also need to verify your Pidgin configuration. Below is a screenshot for the IRC configuration in Pidgin. Ensure yours matches by modifying your account.

On the “Basic” tab, the default Server: entry will likely be “irc.ubuntu.com”. Unless you change this to “chat.freenode.net”, you’ll get a warning about not being able to verify the certificate.

Next, navigate to the Advanced tab. On this tab you’ll need to change the Port: to 7000 and activate the checkbox for “Use SSL”. When you are finished, save your changes

Conclusion

Encrypted connections via SSL are important for network security, particularly in the situation where usernames and passwords are being transfered. As end-users we should be aware of improved security options available to us, such as encrypted network connections. If you are an IRC user and haven’t yet made the switch to SSL enabled connections, I’d invite you to take a minute and do so now.

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Source: Accessing Freenode IRC Network via SSL Secure Connection

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