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SSH Public Key Authentication Lab

The document outlines a step-by-step lab for configuring SSH public key authentication on a Kali Linux virtual machine. It includes instructions for generating a key pair, copying the public key to the authorized_keys file, and logging in using the SSH public key authentication method. The process emphasizes the importance of following password policies and ensuring proper permissions for the authorized_keys file.

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2 views1 page

SSH Public Key Authentication Lab

The document outlines a step-by-step lab for configuring SSH public key authentication on a Kali Linux virtual machine. It includes instructions for generating a key pair, copying the public key to the authorized_keys file, and logging in using the SSH public key authentication method. The process emphasizes the importance of following password policies and ensuring proper permissions for the authorized_keys file.

Uploaded by

sweettone
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SSH Public Key Authentication Lab

1. Start and login to your Kali Linux virtual machine as user kali with a password of kali.

2. Start the SSH daemon by typing sudo service ssh start.

3. Open another terminal window and type ssh localhost -l kali. When asked to continue
connecting, type yes and press ENTER. Enter kali for the user password. You are now logged
in via SSH using a username and password. Type exit.

4. You will now configure SSH public key authentication. Enter ssh-keygen to generate a
unique public and private key pair. Press ENTER to accept the default location and filename for
the private key file. Enter kali as the passphrase twice to confirm. For production environments
always follow organization password policy requirements.

5. Type cd and press ENTER to change the current user home directory.

6. Type cd .ssh to change to the hidden ssh directory. Type ls to list files; notice the
private key file (id_rsa) and the public key file (id_rsa.pub).

7. When creating key pairs on other hosts, you must copy the user public key file to the
server, specifically, the authorized_keys file in the user .ssh folder. Even though we generated
the keys on the SSH server (localhost IP of 127.0.0.1), we will step through how this works.
Type ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub [email protected]. When asked to trust the SSH server
fingerprint, type yes and press ENTER.

8. Enter ls and notice the authorized_keys file that the ssh-copy-id command created and
copied the public key file to. The ssh-copy-id command also sets the necessary permissions for
user access (and nobody else!) to the file.

9. View the copied public key by typing cat authorized_keys. The public key must reside
on the server and the private key is on the connecting user station (same computer in this
example).

10. In another terminal window type ssh localhost -l kali once again to login as user kali.
This time you are asked for the SSH private key passphrase (and not the user password). Enter
kali. You are now logged in using SSH public key authentication.

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