SSH key

SSH keys are a type of cryptographic key that is used to authenticate secure connections between computers (known as an SSH server and client). This type of authentication is commonly used for remote access to systems and services, such as remote login and remote command execution. SSH keys are composed of two parts: a public key that is shared and a private key that is kept secret. An analogy to explain SSH keys would be a lock and key. A lock can be opened by anyone with a key, but the key itself is only known to the person who it belongs to. Similarly, a public SSH key is shared between computers, but the private SSH key is only known by the computer that it belongs to. SSH keys are very secure and are used by many large companies and governments for secure communications. According to a 2020 report from the Global Cyber Security Index, 92% of organizations use SSH keys for authentication. Fun Fact: SSH keys were first introduced in 1995 and were based on an earlier protocol called rsh (remote shell).