

Creating an SSH Key Pair for User Authentication They should have a proper termination process so that keys are removed when no longer needed.

Thus, they must be managed somewhat analogously to user names and passwords. However, SSH keys are authentication credentials just like passwords. It improved security by avoiding the need to have password stored in files, and eliminated the possibility of a compromised server stealing the user's password. SSH introduced public key authentication as a more secure alternative to the older. The authentication keys, called SSH keys, are created using the keygen program. The SSH protocol uses public key cryptography for authenticating hosts and users. Such key pairs are used for automating logins, single sign-on, and for authenticating hosts. Ssh-keygen is a tool for creating new authentication key pairs for SSH. Contents What Is ssh-keygen? SSH Keys and Public Key Authentication Creating an SSH Key Pair for User Authentication Choosing an Algorithm and Key Size Specifying the File Name Copying the Public Key to the Server Adding the Key to SSH Agent Creating Host Keys Using X.509 Certificates for Host Authentication Using OpenSSH's Proprietary Certificates Key Management Requires Attention Make Sure There Is Enough Randomness General Purpose Systems Embedded Devices and Internet of Things Command and Option Summary What Is ssh-keygen?
