Securing Router Logins with SSH

Securing Router Logins with SSHThis is a walk through to help new students learn how to configure a more secure login with a router and utilize SSH.

Checking Router Bin file

This is a check to ensure that the router you are using is going to run SSH.

• Step 1

Issue the command show flash, to check and see if K9 is in the bin file

Router Configuration

This will cover the commands needed to setup the router logins and SSH.

• Step 1

enaable

• Step 2

config t

• Step 3

hostname (name)

• Step 4

security passwords min-length (number), we used 10 for a password length of 10 characters.

• Step 5

eable secret (password)

• Step 6

no enable password to clear passwords that may already be set.

• Step 7

user (name) secret (password) this will be your user name and password for loging in to the router and SSH.

• Step 8

line console 0

login local

• Step 9

line aux 0

no password

login local

• Step 10

line vty 0 4

login local

transport input ssh this last command is to use ssh and not telnet.

• Step 11

ip domain-name (domain name)

• Step 12

cry key generate rsa

(360-2048) you will use this to set the size of the key the larger the more secure.

• Step 13

ip ssh time-out (number)

ip ssh authentication-retries (number)

SSH Through Putty

• Step 1

You will login using the IP of the router you are connecting to.

• Step 2

Login using the user name and password created previously.

Go to enable mode and enter your password. You are now using secure SSH.