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| ssh 2007-06-15 | ssh 2023-06-05 (current) | ||
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| ====== Understanding SSH ====== | ====== Understanding SSH ====== | ||
| SSH is a cryptographically protected remote login protocol that replaces insecure telnet and rlogin protocols. It provides strong protection against password sniffing and third party session monitoring, better protecting your authentication credentials | SSH is a cryptographically protected remote login protocol that replaces insecure telnet and rlogin protocols. It provides strong protection against password sniffing and third party session monitoring, better protecting your authentication credentials | ||
| - | and privacy. In addition, SSH offers additional authentication methods that are considered more secure than passwords, such as public key authentication and extensive | + | and privacy. In addition, %%SSH%% offers additional authentication methods that are considered more secure than passwords, such as [[public_key|public key authentication]] and extensive |
| protection against spoofing. | protection against spoofing. | ||
| - | ===== Authentication in SSH ===== | + | The %%SSH%% employs a public key cryptography that uses [[ssh_keys|two keys pairs, for host and user]]. |
| + | |||
| + | ===== [[authentication]] Authentication in SSH ===== | ||
| SSH servers offer the client a selection of authentication | SSH servers offer the client a selection of authentication | ||
| methods. The server advertises what it supports, and the client | methods. The server advertises what it supports, and the client | ||
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| Generally, the client will choose methods that are the least intrusive | Generally, the client will choose methods that are the least intrusive | ||
| to the user, if they are available. In most cases, the client provides | to the user, if they are available. In most cases, the client provides | ||
| - | the option to choose which methods can be used. In WinSCP, you can configure this on [[ui_login_authentication|Login dialog]]. | + | the option to choose which methods can be used. In WinSCP, you can configure this on //[[ui_login_authentication|SSH > Authentication page]]// of Advanced Site Settings dialog. |
| - | The actual order of authentication methods is as follows: MIT Kerberos GSSAPI 5 (SSH-2 only), [[public key]] (using Pageant), [[public key]] (using [[ui_login_session|configured file]]), keyboard-interactive (SSH-2 only), TIS or Cryptocard (SSH-1 only), password. | + | The actual order of authentication methods is as follows: [[ui_login_authentication#gssapi|GSSAPI]], [[public key]] (using [[ui_pageant|Pageant]]), public key (using [[ui_login_authentication|configured file]]), keyboard-interactive, password. |
| - | ===== Verifying the Host Key ===== | + | ===== [[verifying_host_key]] Verifying the Host Key ===== |
| - | If you are using WinSCP to connect to a server for the first time, you will probably see a message looking something like this: | + | To prevent [[wp>Man-in-the-middle_attack|man-in-the-middle attacks]], each SSH server has a unique identifying code, called a host key. These keys prevent a server from forging another server's key. If you connect to a server for the first time or if the server presets a different key than previously, WinSCP will prompt you to [[ssh_verifying_the_host_key|verify the key]]. |
| - | + | ||
| - | ··The server's host key was not found in the cache. You have no guarantee that the | + | |
| - | server is the computer you think it is. | + | |
| - | ··The server's rsa2 key fingerprint is: | + | |
| - | ··ssh-rsa 1024 94:3c:9e:2b:23:df:bd:53:b4:ad:f1:5f:4e:2f:9d:ba | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | This is a feature of the SSH protocol. It is designed to protect you against a network attack known as spoofing: secretly redirecting your connection to a different computer, so that you send your password to the wrong machine. Using this technique, an attacker would be able to learn the password that guards your login account, and could then log in as if they were you and use the account for their own purposes. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | To prevent this attack, each server has a unique identifying code, called a host key. These keys prevent a server from forging another server's key. If you connect to a server and you receive an unexpected host key, WinSCP can warn you that the server may have been switched and that a spoofing attack might be underway. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | WinSCP records the host key for each server you connect to, in the [[config|configuration storage]]. Every time you connect to a server, it compares the server's host key to the host key you received the last time you connected. If the keys differ, you will receive a warning and a chance to abandon your connection before you enter any private information such as a password. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | However, when you connect to a server for the first time, WinSCP has no way of telling whether the host key is the right one or not. So it gives the warning shown above, and asks you whether you want to trust this host key or not. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Whether or not to trust the host key is your choice. If you are connecting within a company network, you might feel that all the network users are on the same side and spoofing attacks are unlikely, so you might choose to trust the key without checking it. If you are connecting across a hostile network (such as the Internet), you should check with your system administrator, perhaps by telephone or in person. (Some modern servers have more than one host key. If the system administrator sends you more than one fingerprint, you should make sure the one WinSCP shows you is on the list, but it doesn't matter which one it is.) ((&puttydoccite)) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Once the key is verified, you can see it during all future sessions on [[ui_fsinfo#server_hostkey_fingerprint|Server and Protocol Information Dialog]]. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | [[administration|System administrator can restrict]] connection to server without having their host keys accepted in advance. | + | |
| ===== Encryption in SSH ===== | ===== Encryption in SSH ===== | ||
| - | SSH clients and servers can use a number of encryption methods. In the older SSH-1 protocol, 3DES and DES are typically used. | + | SSH clients and servers can use a number of encryption methods. |
| - | SSH-2 adds support for additional encryption methods including AES and | + | Most widely used encryption methods in SSH are AES and |
| - | Blowfish. By default, AES is used if supported by the server. While AES is | + | Blowfish. By default, %%AES%% is used if supported by the server. While %%AES%% is |
| - | considered to be highly secure, AES encryption requires substantial processor overhead. Blowfish is also considered | + | considered to be highly secure, %%AES%% encryption requires substantial processor overhead. Blowfish is also considered |
| secure, but with less computational overhead, it's also theoretically | secure, but with less computational overhead, it's also theoretically | ||
| easier to perform a brute-force attack. Depending on your security and | easier to perform a brute-force attack. Depending on your security and | ||
| performance requirements, you may wish to configure WinSCP to prefer | performance requirements, you may wish to configure WinSCP to prefer | ||
| - | the Blowfish algorithm. 3DES and DES are used with SSH-1 servers. DES | + | the %%Blowfish%% algorithm. %%3DES%% and %%DES%% are used with %%SSH-1%% servers. %%DES%% |
| is widely regarded as insecure, as the resources to perform an | is widely regarded as insecure, as the resources to perform an | ||
| exhaustive brute-force attack have been well within the realm of | exhaustive brute-force attack have been well within the realm of | ||
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| ===== SSH Protocols ===== | ===== SSH Protocols ===== | ||
| - | Two major versions of the SSH protocol are in widespread use. | + | Two major versions of the SSH protocol exist, SSH-2 and SSH-1. Most %%SSH%% servers nowadays allow modern and secure %%SSH-2%% only, which is also WinSCP's default. |
| - | The SSH-1 protocol is an older version that's still | + | |
| - | widely supported despite its age and some technical issues. The SSH-2 | + | |
| - | protocol has become the de-facto installation standard, though some systems only support SSH-1. In addition, many sites that use SSH-2 disable the SSH-1 protocol | + | |
| - | for security reasons. | + | |
| - | WinSCP's default setting is to prefer SSH-2 and negotiate | + | ===== [[compression]] Compression ===== |
| - | down to SSH-1 if SSH-2 is not available. If the majority of systems you | + | |
| - | connect to are using SSH-2, you may wish to change this setting in the | + | |
| - | [[ui_login_ssh|SSH preferences]]. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===== Compression ===== | + | |
| SSH supports data stream compression between the client | SSH supports data stream compression between the client | ||
| and the server. On slow links, this may increase throughput, while in faster connections the added CPU overhead may actually result in | and the server. On slow links, this may increase throughput, while in faster connections the added CPU overhead may actually result in | ||
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| cryptanalysis. | cryptanalysis. | ||
| + | ===== Supported Algorithms ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | See list of [[ssh_algorithms|supported SSH algorithms]]. | ||