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Date:      Thu, 1 Jan 1998 23:35:54 -0500 (EST)
From:      mgraffam@mhv.net
To:        Brian Somers <brian@awfulhak.org>
Cc:        questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: ssh trust (was Re: HACKED (again)) 
Message-ID:  <Pine.LNX.3.96.980101233046.31382C-100000@localhost>
In-Reply-To: <199801012357.XAA01930@awfulhak.demon.co.uk>

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On Thu, 1 Jan 1998, Brian Somers wrote:

> Errrum, that's not true AFAIK.  Ssh's authentication is challenge 
> based - it goes something like this:
> 
> The server sends some random data, the client encrypts it using his 
> private key, his machines private key and the servers public key and 
> sends the answer to the server.  The server decrypts it using its 
> private key, the client machines public key and the clients public 
> key, then compares it against the original.  Someone watching the 
> conversation will be none the wiser.

I dont think that ssh uses this variation on RSA authentication, but
it well may .. however it is also true that ssh uses symmetric crypto
of the password (if you use a Unix password to login). 

In this scenario, public key crypto is used to send a session key for
IDEA or 3DES, or whatever you're using, and then the clients asks the
user for his Unix password, it is encrypted (along with all other traffic)
with the IDEA|3DES session key and sent to the host, decrypted and
verified as usual.

Ssh supports other authentication schemes as well, including kerberos
(if it is compiled in) and TIS, though I know nothing of this later
scheme.

Michael J. Graffam (mgraffam@mhv.net)
http://www.mhv.net/~mgraffam -- Philosophy, Religion, Computers, Crypto, etc
"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.
Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without the
guidance of another. . .Sapere aude! Have the courage to use your own
understanding!" - Immanuel Kant "What is Enlightenment?"

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