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Cryptography
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May 6, 2024 10:49 PM
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👉 Overview
👀 What ?
SSH (Secure Shell) is a cryptographic network protocol for secure data communication. An SSH key is a pair of cryptographic keys which can be used to authenticate a client to a server without the use of a password. Decrypting an SSH key refers to the process of converting encrypted data (the SSH key) into a format that is readable and usable.
🧐 Why ?
Decrypting an SSH key is a critical part of maintaining secure communications in a network. It is used to authenticate a client to a server, ensuring that the client is who they claim to be. Without it, the data transmitted between the client and server could be intercepted and modified by malicious parties.
⛏️ How ?
To decrypt an SSH key, you will first need to have the private key and the passphrase used to encrypt it. The process can be done using SSH-keygen, a tool provided by OpenSSH. Here is a basic step by step guide: 1. Open a terminal. 2. Type the command 'ssh-keygen -p' and press Enter. 3. At the prompt, type the file path of your private key and press Enter. 4. At the next prompt, type your old passphrase and press Enter. 5. At the final prompt, type your new passphrase and press Enter.
⏳ When ?
SSH was introduced in 1995 as a secure replacement for the telnet protocol, which transmits communication in plain text. The need to decrypt SSH keys arises when you need to authenticate a client to a server, or when you need to change the passphrase of an encrypted private key.
⚙️ Technical Explanations
SSH keys are generated using a mathematical algorithm. The result is two long strings of characters: the private key and the public key. The private key is kept secret and secure by the user, while the public key can be shared with anyone. When a client attempts to authenticate to a server using an SSH key, the server encrypts a random number with the client's public key and sends it to the client. The client then decrypts the number using their private key and sends it back to the server. If the number matches the original, the server knows that the client has the correct private key and authenticates them.