Server Virtualization Research Library

OpenSSH is an open-source implementation of the SSH (Secure SHell) protocols, originally developed in 1995 by Tatu Ylonen. SSH-based tools provide secure client/server connections and are usually designed to replace older remote-access tools like rsh and telnet. Unlike their predecessors, SSH-based tools encrypt their transmissions, making it difficult or impossible for intruders to "sniff" important information, such as passwords, from the data stream. SSH implementations exist for every major platform including Microsoft Windows. This paper will focus on the OpenSSH implementation, which was initially developed as part of the OpenBSD project and is installed by default on most modern BSD and Linux-based operating systems, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora. The goal of this paper is to provide a brief introduction to several techniques for getting the most out of this powerful tool.