For old-school CD keys, it was just a matter of making up an algorithm for which CD keys (which could be any string) are easy to generate and easy to verify, but the ratio of valid-CD-keys to invalid-CD-keys is so small that randomly guessing CD keys is unlikely to get you a valid one. As you can see, it’s very easy to generate SSH keys on Windows these days. Basically, the ssh-keygen command does all the work. If you find it difficult to understand how to add the public key to the server, look up your provider’s documentation.
-->Applies to
- Windows 10
How can I authenticate or unlock my removable data drive?
You can unlock removable data drives by using a password, a smart card, or you can configure a SID protector to unlock a drive by using your domain credentials. After you've started encryption, the drive can also be automatically unlocked on a specific computer for a specific user account. System administrators can configure which options are available for users, as well as password complexity and minimum length requirements. To unlock by using a SID protector, use Manage-bde:
Manage-bde -protectors -add e: -sid domainusername
What is the difference between a recovery password, recovery key, PIN, enhanced PIN, and startup key?
For tables that list and describe elements such as a recovery password, recovery key, and PIN, see BitLocker key protectors and BitLocker authentication methods.
How can the recovery password and recovery key be stored?
The recovery password and recovery key for an operating system drive or a fixed data drive can be saved to a folder, saved to one or more USB devices, saved to your Microsoft Account, or printed.
For removable data drives, the recovery password and recovery key can be saved to a folder, saved to your Microsoft Account, or printed. By default, you cannot store a recovery key for a removable drive on a removable drive.
A domain administrator can additionally configure Group Policy to automatically generate recovery passwords and store them in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) for any BitLocker-protected drive.
Is it possible to add an additional method of authentication without decrypting the drive if I only have the TPM authentication method enabled?
You can use the Manage-bde.exe command-line tool to replace your TPM-only authentication mode with a multifactor authentication mode. For example, if BitLocker is enabled with TPM authentication only and you want to add PIN authentication, use the following commands from an elevated command prompt, replacing 4-20 digit numeric PIN with the numeric PIN you want to use:
manage-bde –protectors –delete %systemdrive% -type tpm
manage-bde –protectors –add %systemdrive% -tpmandpin 4-20 digit numeric PIN
When should an additional method of authentication be considered?
New hardware that meets Windows Hardware Compatibility Program requirements make a PIN less critical as a mitigation, and having a TPM-only protector is likely sufficient when combined with policies like device lockout. For example, Surface Pro and Surface Book do not have external DMA ports to attack.For older hardware, where a PIN may be needed, it’s recommended to enable enhanced PINs that allow non-numeric characters such as letters and punctuation marks, and to set the PIN length based on your risk tolerance and the hardware anti-hammering capabilities available to the TPMs in your computers.
If I lose my recovery information, will the BitLocker-protected data be unrecoverable?
BitLocker is designed to make the encrypted drive unrecoverable without the required authentication. When in recovery mode, the user needs the recovery password or recovery key to unlock the encrypted drive.
Important
Store the recovery information in AD DS, along with your Microsoft Account, or another safe location.
Can the USB flash drive that is used as the startup key also be used to store the recovery key?
While this is technically possible, it is not a best practice to use one USB flash drive to store both keys. If the USB flash drive that contains your startup key is lost or stolen, you also lose access to your recovery key. In addition, inserting this key would cause your computer to automatically boot from the recovery key even if TPM-measured files have changed, which circumvents the TPM's system integrity check.
Can I save the startup key on multiple USB flash drives?
Yes, you can save a computer's startup key on multiple USB flash drives. Right-clicking a BitLocker-protected drive and selecting Manage BitLocker will provide you the options to duplicate the recovery keys as needed.
Can I save multiple (different) startup keys on the same USB flash drive?
Yes, you can save BitLocker startup keys for different computers on the same USB flash drive.
Can I generate multiple (different) startup keys for the same computer?
You can generate different startup keys for the same computer through scripting. However, for computers that have a TPM, creating different startup keys prevents BitLocker from using the TPM's system integrity check.
Can I generate multiple PIN combinations?
You cannot generate multiple PIN combinations.
What encryption keys are used in BitLocker? How do they work together?
Raw data is encrypted with the full volume encryption key, which is then encrypted with the volume master key. The volume master key is in turn encrypted by one of several possible methods depending on your authentication (that is, key protectors or TPM) and recovery scenarios.
Where are the encryption keys stored?
The full volume encryption key is encrypted by the volume master key and stored in the encrypted drive. The volume master key is encrypted by the appropriate key protector and stored in the encrypted drive. If BitLocker has been suspended, the clear key that is used to encrypt the volume master key is also stored in the encrypted drive, along with the encrypted volume master key.
This storage process ensures that the volume master key is never stored unencrypted and is protected unless you disable BitLocker. The keys are also saved to two additional locations on the drive for redundancy. The keys can be read and processed by the boot manager.
Why do I have to use the function keys to enter the PIN or the 48-character recovery password?
The F1 through F10 keys are universally mapped scan codes available in the pre-boot environment on all computers and in all languages. The numeric keys 0 through 9 are not usable in the pre-boot environment on all keyboards.
When using an enhanced PIN, users should run the optional system check during the BitLocker setup process to ensure that the PIN can be entered correctly in the pre-boot environment.
How does BitLocker help prevent an attacker from discovering the PIN that unlocks my operating system drive?
It is possible that a personal identification number (PIN) can be discovered by an attacker performing a brute force attack. A brute force attack occurs when an attacker uses an automated tool to try different PIN combinations until the correct one is discovered. For BitLocker-protected computers, this type of attack, also known as a dictionary attack, requires that the attacker have physical access to the computer.
The TPM has the built-in ability to detect and react to these types of attacks. Because different manufacturers' TPMs may support different PIN and attack mitigations, contact your TPM's manufacturer to determine how your computer's TPM mitigates PIN brute force attacks.After you have determined your TPM's manufacturer, contact the manufacturer to gather the TPM's vendor-specific information. Most manufacturers use the PIN authentication failure count to exponentially increase lockout time to the PIN interface. However, each manufacturer has different policies regarding when and how the failure counter is decreased or reset.
How can I determine the manufacturer of my TPM?
You can determine your TPM manufacturer in Windows Defender Security Center > Device Security > Security processor details.
How can I evaluate a TPM's dictionary attack mitigation mechanism?
The following questions can assist you when asking a TPM manufacturer about the design of a dictionary attack mitigation mechanism:
- How many failed authorization attempts can occur before lockout?
- What is the algorithm for determining the duration of a lockout based on the number of failed attempts and any other relevant parameters?
- What actions can cause the failure count and lockout duration to be decreased or reset?
Can PIN length and complexity be managed with Group Policy?
Yes and No. You can configure the minimum personal identification number (PIN) length by using the Configure minimum PIN length for startup Group Policy setting and allow the use of alphanumeric PINs by enabling the Allow enhanced PINs for startup Group Policy setting. However, you cannot require PIN complexity by Group Policy.
For more info, see BitLocker Group Policy settings.
Updated on March 30, 2020
Spend enough time in an IT environment and you will likely come across the term SSH keys. If you’ve already come across this IT term, then you might find yourself wondering, what are SSH keys? SSH (Secure Shell) keys are an access credential that is used in the SSH protocol.
Read the rest of this post to learn more about what are SSH keys or consider watching webinar below to find out more about the SSH protocol and the basics of SSH authentication.
Before this post delves into an explanation on what are SSH keys, let’s take a quick look at the SSH protocol.
The SSH Protocol
The first version of the SSH protocol was developed in the summer of 1995 by Tatu Ylonen. Tatu was a researcher at the University of Helsinki when a sniffing attack was discovered on the university network. A sniffing attack intercepts and logs the traffic that takes place on a network, and can provide attackers with usernames and passwords which can then be used to gain access to critical IT assets. Thousands of credentials were impacted, including those belonging to community partnerships. This sniffing attack motivated Tatu to figure out how to make networks more secure, and this ultimately led to the creation of the SSH protocol (SSH.com).
Today, the SSH protocol is widely used to login remotely from one system into another, and its strong encryption makes it ideal to carry out tasks such as issuing remote commands and remotely managing network infrastructure and other vital system components. To use the SSH protocol, a couple pieces of software need to be installed. The remote systems need to have a piece of software called an SSH daemon, and the system used to issue commands and manage the remote servers needs to have a piece of software called the SSH client. These pieces of software are necessary to create a proper communication channel using the SSH protocol (DigitalOcean).
Essentially, SSH keys are an authentication method used to gain access to this encrypted connection between systems.
What are SSH keys?
SSH keys come in many sizes, but a popular choice is RSA 2048-bit encryption, which is comparative to a 617 digit long password. On Windows systems, it is possible to generate your own SSH key pair by downloading and using an SSH client like PuTTY. On Mac® and Linux® systems, it is possible to generate an SSH key pair using a terminal window. Watch the video below to find out how to generate your own RSA key pair on Mac and Linux.
SSH keys always come in pairs, and each pair is made up of a private key and a public key. Who or what possesses these keys determines the type of SSH key pair. If the private key and the public key remain with the user, this set of SSH keys is referred to as user keys. If the private and public key are on a remote system, then this key pair is referred to as host keys. Another type of SSH key is a session key. When a large amount of data is being transmitted, session keys are used to encrypt this information.
Now let’s take a closer look at how a private key and public key work. To keep things simple, we will focus on how user keys work.
How User Keys Work
In a user key set, the private key remains on the system being used to access the remote system and is used to decrypt information that is exchanged in the SSH protocol. Private keys should never be shared with anyone. A public key is used to encrypt information, can be shared, and is used by the user and the remote server. On the server end, the public key is saved in a file that contains a list of authorized public keys. On the user’s side, the public SSH key is stored in an SSH key management software or in a file on their computer.
Using SSH Keys
First Steps
Before you can start using SSH keys, first you need to generate your own SSH key pair on the system you would like to use to access a remote system. This article and the video mentioned above are great resources that can guide you through on how to generate an SSH key pair. Once the key pair is generated, the next step is to put the public SSH key on the remote server. Depending on your setup, this can be done by entering a couple commands in the terminal window, using JumpCloud, or by manually placing the public SSH key on the remote server (DigitalOcean).
Behind the Scenes of SSH Key Authentication
After completing the steps mentioned above, use your terminal to enter in your ssh username and the IP address of the remote system in this format: ssh username@my_ip_address. This will initiate a connection to the remote system using the SSH protocol. The protocol and specified username will then tell the remote server which public key to use to authenticate you. Then the remote server will use that public key to encrypt a random challenge message that is sent back to the client. This challenge message is decrypted using the private key on your system. Once the message is decrypted, it is combined with a previously arranged session ID and then sent back to the server. If the message matches with what the server sent out, the client is authenticated, and you will gain access to the remote server. This process proves to the server that you have the corresponding private key to the public key it has on file.
However, the security that this authentication process provides can be undermined when SSH keys are not properly managed.
Managing SSH Keys
It is imperative that proper SSH key management is in place because they often grant access to mission-critical digital assets. Also, companies tend to have a lot of SSH keys. In fact, Fortune 500 companies will often have several millions of these. Despite the difficulty in trying to manually manage millions of SSH keys, having an SSH key management system in place is continuously overlooked. SSH.com did some digging and discovered a company that had 3 million SSH keys “that granted access to live production servers. Of those, 90% were no longer used. Root access was granted by 10% of the keys, ” (SSH.com). An effective SSH key management system in place would have gone a long way in reducing this concerning security risk.
IT has a couple options to gain control over SSH keys in their environment. One of these includes using an SSH key management tool. However, this means having to manage one more platform in addition to managing an SSO provider, a directory service, and maybe a system management solution. A new solution has emerged that is providing IT with a second option: Directory-as-a-Service®.
Which Keys Are Generated When You Use Water
Cloud IAM offers SSH Key Management
This cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution provides IT with one central place to manage SSH keys. Furthermore, IT can also centralize user authentication to Mac, Linux, and Windows systems, cloud servers, wired and WiFi networks, web-based and on-prem applications, and virtual and on-prem storage. With one central place to manage a user’s authentication to all of their resources, it becomes a simple matter of a few clicks to deprovision users from all of their resources, including SSH key access to remote systems.
Learn More about SSH Key Management with JumpCloud
For more information, consider reading this support article on how JumpCloud assists with SSH key management, or exploring this guide for a modern approach to managing user accounts on your cloud servers.
You are also more than welcome to reach out to us if you would like more information on how DaaS can simplify your SSH key management. If you’re ready to start testing our modern IAM platform, sign up for a free account. You’ll be able to explore all of our features, and your first ten users are free forever.
You are also more than welcome to reach out to us if you would like more information on how DaaS can simplify your SSH key management. If you’re ready to start testing our modern IAM platform, sign up for a free account. You’ll be able to explore all of our features, and your first ten users are free forever.