![]() ![]() In some SFTP servers, you'll have to export the public key in OpenSSH format for this to work. Ssh-keygen -lf /path/to/public_key/pubkey_in_openssh_format.pub Lastly, if this tool is available on your server (it's usually available on Linux), you may run the following command: ![]() If your server runs on Windows or another GUI-based operating system, then you can install an SFTP client like An圜lient and connect to the server (again, locally). The moment you connect, you'll encounter something like this:Ĭopy that fingerprint and save it where you can easily access it. Delete the entry if you find any before attempting the connection. If you're using Linux and have the built-in SSH client, make sure there is no 'localhost' entry found inside ~/.ssh/known_hosts file. That way, you can be absolutely sure you're safe from man-in-the-middle attacks. installed on the same machine as your server. The quickest way to obtain it would be to login to your SSH/SFTP server from a locally installed client application, i.e. What if you're an admin but don't know what your server's fingerprint is? Don't look so surprised. How to obtain the fingerprint if you're an administrator If you accept a fingerprint without verifying, especially if you're connecting to a remote server, you might end up storing a fingerprint of a malicious server. It's therefore very important to make sure all fingerprints the client saves have already been manually verified. If a match is made, the client will know it's connecting to a server it had already connected to before. Once a fingerprint is saved, the client can automatically look up that fingerprint every time it connects to an SFTP server. Most SSH/SFTP clients allow users to save fingerprints. If they match, the user can then store that fingerprint for future login sessions. To verify, the user can contact you and you can then dictate to him your record of the fingerprint. The first time a user connects to your SSH/SFTP server, he'll be presented with your server's fingerprint. If you're not familiar with how hashes work, I suggest you read the post " Understanding Hashing" first.īecause fingerprints are much shorter than public keys, they're also much easier to inspect and compare even through the naked eye. Simply put, it's a shorter equivalent of the public key. A fingerprint in this context is basically a hash function of a public key. Your server authentication process will be time consuming.Ī better way of carrying out server authentication when using SSH/SFTP is by inspecting the public key fingerprint. So lengthy that it would be impractical for anyone to manually compare two copies. There is however one problem with this method. If they match, the user knows he's connecting to the right server. ![]() Everytime a user connects to the server, the server can show the user its public key and the user can then compare that with his local copy. As a server admin, you can furnish each user a copy of your server's public key. How do you implement server authentication in SSH/SFTP? Theoretically, you can do this. SSH / SFTP server autentication using fingerprints Server authentication helps prevent these from happening because if the authentication process fails, the client will be given an appropriate warning. Lastly, if a user downloads files from the server, that user could end up downloading malware. Secondly, if the unwitting user uploads files to the malicious server, those files will surely fall into the wrong hands. If a user unknowingly logs in to a malicious server, who ever has control of that server could easily acquire that user's login credentials and then use those credentials to gain access to the legitimate server. However, it could also mean that someone has carried out a spoofing or man-in-the-middle attack and, therefore, the client is likely on the verge of connecting to a malicious server. If the server fails the SSH host key authentication process, then it's possible that the server's host key was simply changed by the admin. In other words, it helps a client determine whether it's really connecting to the server it intended to connect to. Server authentication is a process that allows client applications to validate a server's identity. What it's actually referring to is the server's SSH/SFTP key fingerprint, an important security feature that helps users and client applications authenticate SSH/SFTP servers. The first time a user connects to your SSH or SFTP server, his/her file transfer client may display an alert or notice indicating it doesn't recognize the server's fingerprint. ![]()
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