Tag: ssh

In a previous post, I wrote about attackers using default passwords in FTP and Telnet to compromise devices (especially IoT ones such as cameras). The compromised devices were then used to attack other devices on the Internet. I suggested users change passwords on the devices where possible but acknowledged that some were not changeable. I […]

I wrote a series of blog posts a while ago about SSH authentication using cryptographic keys rather than passwords. I discussed why SSH keys provide easier authentication, how to set up an SSH key agent, and how to maintain multiple websites. There are two areas of security to consider regarding SSH. I think of them […]

Over the past two weeks, here, and here, I told you how to set up SSH so your remote access is both more secure and more convenient. Let’s put that to use! The Scenario Let’s say that you maintain a website, and you create and edit pages on both your office desktop computer and your […]

Last week I showed you how to set up cryptographic authentication for SSH. We got as far as the more secure part. In an analysis of a multi-year collection of several million SSH break-in attempts I didn’t see one that tried guessing cryptographic keys. Willie Sutton supposedly said that he robbed banks because that’s where […]

This week I will show you how to set up cryptographic authentication. Two Benefits at Once! Security and convenience are usually at odds, an increase in one usually has the collateral damage of driving the other one down. But cryptographic authentication is a rare opportunity to make things both more secure and easier to use. […]