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- Secure Shell (SSH)
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RSA, DSA, and ECDSA
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Advantages of RSA
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Disadvantages of RSA
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Advantages of DSA
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Disadvantages of DSA
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Advantages of ECDSA
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Disadvantages of ECDSA
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Here’s what else to consider
SSH, or Secure Shell, is a protocol that allows you to securely connect to remote servers and execute commands. SSH uses asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, to authenticate users and encrypt data. Asymmetric encryption involves a pair of keys: a public key that can be shared with anyone, and a private key that must be kept secret. Anyone with the public key can encrypt a message, but only the owner of the private key can decrypt it.
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- Devendra Tandekar, BS Lead Software Engineer | Software Development | AWS | DevOps | Test Automation | Leader in Technologies| Problem Solving
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1 RSA, DSA, and ECDSA
RSA, DSA, and ECDSA are three popular algorithms for generating and using asymmetric keys for SSH. They differ in how they create and verify signatures, which are used to prove the identity of the sender and the integrity of the message. RSA stands for Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, DSA stands for Digital Signature Algorithm, and ECDSA stands for Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm.
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2 Advantages of RSA
RSA is an asymmetric encryption algorithm that has been used for many years. It is based on the mathematical problem of factoring large numbers, which is difficult for conventional computers. RSA is compatible with most SSH clients and servers, and is often the default option. Additionally, it can be used for both encryption and signing, which simplifies key management, as well as providing a high security level if the key size is large enough (at least 2048 bits).
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- Devendra Tandekar, BS Lead Software Engineer | Software Development | AWS | DevOps | Test Automation | Leader in Technologies| Problem Solving
This is also a popular way of maintaining cloud infrastructure in AWS, where you can obtain one time private key and use it to decrypt data in S3 buckets, which is encrypted by the system at runtime. There are lot of enterprise examples available, like GitHub token etc.
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3 Disadvantages of RSA
RSA, while commonly used for SSH, has some drawbacks. Primarily, the algorithm is relatively slow and computationally intensive, particularly with larger keys. Additionally, RSA is vulnerable to quantum attacks, which could break the factoring problem with quantum computers. It is also not immune to side-channel attacks, which use physical or environmental information to reveal the private key.
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4 Advantages of DSA
DSA is an asymmetric encryption algorithm designed specifically for signing, not encryption. It is based on the mathematical problem of discrete logarithms, which is believed to be difficult for conventional computers to solve. DSA is faster and more efficient than RSA for signing, as it uses smaller keys (usually 1024 or 2048 bits). Additionally, it is resistant to some types of side-channel attacks, such as timing attacks, and is standardized by the US government and widely adopted by many applications.
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5 Disadvantages of DSA
DSA has some drawbacks when used in SSH. It is not universally compatible with all clients and servers, and may require additional configuration. Additionally, it cannot be used for encryption, so another algorithm must be employed. It is also vulnerable to quantum attacks, which could break the discrete logarithm problem with quantum computers.
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6 Advantages of ECDSA
ECDSA is a newer asymmetric encryption algorithm that is based on elliptic curves, geometric shapes with special properties. This algorithm offers many advantages for SSH, such as being faster and more secure than RSA and DSA for signing due to its smaller keys (usually 256 or 384 bits). Additionally, ECDSA is more resistant to quantum attacks as the quantum algorithms for breaking elliptic curves are less efficient than those for breaking factoring and discrete logarithms. Furthermore, it is supported by most modern SSH clients and servers and is becoming increasingly popular.
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- Devendra Tandekar, BS Lead Software Engineer | Software Development | AWS | DevOps | Test Automation | Leader in Technologies| Problem Solving
The size of key makes it a lot more vulnerable to reverse engineering.Less characters to break to attack anything that is encrypted with ECDSA, although it’s newer and has not caught the eyes of attackers.
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7 Disadvantages of ECDSA
ECDSA has some disadvantages for SSH, such as not being as compatible with older or legacy systems, being more complex and harder to implement correctly, and being subject to certain side-channel attacks. These issues can lead to errors or vulnerabilities, as well as exploit the power consumption of the device.
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8 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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