2.1 Choosing the authentication key type.This article assumes you already have a basic understanding of the Secure Shell protocol and have installed the openssh package. A general understanding of how SSH keys work will help you decide how and when to use them to meet your needs. Key-based authentication is not without its drawbacks and may not be appropriate for all environments, but in many circumstances it can offer some strong advantages. When used with a program known as an SSH agent, SSH keys can allow you to connect to a server, or multiple servers, without having to remember or enter your password for each system. The major advantage of key-based authentication is that in contrast to password authentication it is not prone to brute-force attacks and you do not expose valid credentials, if the server has been compromised (see RFC 4251 9.4.4).įurthermore SSH key authentication can be more convenient than the more traditional password authentication. SSH keys can serve as a means of identifying yourself to an SSH server using public-key cryptography and challenge-response authentication. Reason: The intro and Background section ignore the server perspective.
