Forgot your password?
New user?
The Ticket-Granting Ticket
Document Actions
Why Use SSH?
Why Use SSH?
Next: Heimdal Up: SSH Previous: What is SSH?
Why Use SSH?
Threats to network traffic include packet sniffing, DNS and IP spoofing [2] and the proliferation of fake routing information. In general terms, these threats can be categorized as follows:
- Interception of communication between two systems - In this scenario, a third party exists somewhere on the network between communicating entities and makes a copy of the information being passed between them. The intercepting party may intercept and keep the information, or it may alter the information and send it on to the intended recipient.
- Impersonation of a particular host - Using this strategy, an intercepting system pretends to be the intended recipient of a message. If the strategy works, the client remains unaware of the deception and continues to communicate with the interceptor as if its traffic had successfully reached its destination.
If SSH is used for remote shell logins and file copying, these security threats can be greatly diminished. A server's digital signature provides verification for its identity. The entire communication between client and server systems cannot be used if intercepted, because each of the packets is encrypted. Attempts to spoof the identity of either side of a communication will not work, since each packet is encrypted using a key known only by the local and remote systems.
Next: Heimdal Up: SSH Previous: What is SSH?
2005-05-04