SSHHostprüfungen

SSHHostprüfungen, which translates to SSH Host Checks, refers to the process of verifying the identity of an SSH server before establishing a secure connection. When a client connects to an SSH server for the first time, the server presents its host key. The SSH client then compares this key against a known list of previously accepted host keys. If the key is new, the client typically prompts the user to confirm if they trust this new key. If the key matches a previously stored key, the connection proceeds without prompting. If the key matches but is different from what was previously stored, it can indicate a potential man-in-the-middle attack, and the client will issue a warning, advising the user to abort the connection. This mechanism is crucial for preventing attackers from impersonating legitimate SSH servers. The host keys are stored on the client machine, often in a file named known_hosts. Managing these known hosts is important to maintain the security of SSH connections. Users can manually remove entries from the known_hosts file if they are certain a server's host key has legitimately changed, or if they suspect a security compromise.