in reply to If you do go with ssh..
in thread Connecting to a remote host

Yeah, it won't ask for a password then, but it will ask for a passphrase instead. Now, it's possible to set an empty passphrase, such that it won't ask for one, but I strongly advice against that. That will weaken your security, because if machine1 is compromised, machine2 is as well.

Abigail

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Re: Re: If you do go with ssh..
by zengargoyle (Deacon) on Apr 04, 2003 at 15:14 UTC

    you can use key-agent and only have to type your password once per login and still keep your keys encrypted.

Re^2: If you do go with ssh..
by adrianh (Chancellor) on Apr 04, 2003 at 14:34 UTC

    Surely it weakens security because a single return is often the first thing Evil People will try if they do manage to get a copy of your private key.

    If they've compromised the machine running the SSH client you're in trouble regardless of the authentication method used since the Evil Person can just install a key logger and get your passwords that way.

      You may be in trouble, yes. But there's a big difference between able to continue the attack right away with a different machine, and being able to install software, log and gather data, and come back for a return visit undetected.

      Captain Picard still prefers his shields being at 40% over switching them off at the first sign of damage. ;-)

      Abigail

        True ;-) I'm certainly not advocating empty passwords.