Trouble with SSH

[eXtremist]

After reading the thread "I got rooted" here on LNO, I decided it was time to go with SSH instead of telnet.

So I installed the Open-SSH-Server package from my redhat CDROM. It looked as if everything went well. I restarted (still used to windows) and upon bootup, right before loading SSH, it said something like "Making RSA key...[OK]".

Anyways, I tried connecting from a terminal "ssh localhost" and it worked.

So I get in school and type "ssh my-computer-ip" and it gives me this:

The authenticity of host 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is a6:38:2a:bb:82:36:4a:20:cb:7d:69:2f:3d:d4:69:9c.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?

Now when I say YES, it gives me the same error. So I say no and guess what.. SAME ERROR.

I can't connect. Can someone help me at all?

Thanks

[TaeShadow]

Are you sure you typed "yes" and not "y" or "YES" or something like that? I may be wrong, but I think it has that effect if you don't do that.

[eXtremist]

geeze.. how counter-intuitive..

Okay.. Anyways, that worked.. Thanks..

Now, about that error message.. What the heck is it? Does this mean that my SSH connection isn't secure?

How can I fix this?

::EDIT:: Okay.. The SECOND time I SSH'd to my home computer is didn't give me all that "Auth can't be established" crap. Does this only happen once (the first time you ssh to a host)?

[ 02 April 2001: Message edited by: eXtremist ]

[Infested Flar]

hmm.. as far i know.. yeah it happens in the 1st time (i think) .. coz on first connect the sshd server gives a host key for the user to receive or not... if the host key is not in the database of the user, then it'll give an error that states ' the authenticity of the host blah.bah.com couldnt be establish.. do u want to continue connecting?' aight??.. so the second time u get connected, all is workin fine then..

-flar-

[eXtremist]

cOol.. So I guess if I ever connect home and the RSA key is different, I'll know something is up.

[Lorithar]

*grins*

It works two ways ..

on first connect the host sends back key..
after that if the key hashes don't agree it tells you that there might be a security problem. On *some* installations it will tell you if the HOST key has changed or if the CLIENT key has changed ... although that bit of magic I haven't figured out. You can also generate a key on the client side and sneakernet it to the host thus locking the loop so that the host can deny the connection based on the client key....
THIS is where the real security in ssh lies. You can collect all the client keys you will use on one disk .... go back to the host, and add them to the appropriate user files and then lock down the box.

[eXtremist]

...sounds useful.. :D

Linux is so cool (when it works)