Linux has always offered lots of tools that make it easy to work remotely over a network. However, many of those tools were highly insecure. OpenSSH changes that and keeps your communications secure.
Once upon a time, the Unix powers that be said “let there be networks,” and there were networks. And they saw the networks, and they thought that they were good. Until the first time someone eavesdropped on a remote login session, hijacked the remote user’s name and password, and then used that information to break into the system later that night.
And so it was in the early days of Unix networking, when all we had were the simple tools for remote connectivity: telnet and its cousins rlogin, rsh, rcp, and ftp, all of which sent your information over the transom as clear text — that is, unencrypted and unprotected.
Sending information as clear text isn’t a problem if you are working on a trusted network (such as a LAN) that is not connected to the Internet. However, that’s a fairly rare circumstance these days. Most Linux and Unix systems are either connected directly to the Internet or live on a LAN that is connected to the Internet. If you have machines that are connected to the Internet either directly or indirectly, you need to take certain steps in order to protect yourself. Not taking these steps can open you up to some serious security risks.
One way to minimize your security risk is to replace insecure network tools like ftp, telnet, and rlogin with secure network connectivity tools. And when it comes…
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