Configuring Supported SSH Ciphers, MACs, and KexAlgorithms

Important:

On Scalable Platforms (ElasticXL, Maestro, and Chassis), you must run the applicable commands in Gaia gClish of the applicable Security Group.
After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.
To view all SSH parameters (Ciphers, Key Exchange Algorithms, and MACs, run the "show ssh server all" command (available in R82 and higher versions).

Background

You can configure different settings for the SSH daemon on the Gaia Operating System.

You can configure these SSH settings in Gaia Clish:

Available SSH Settings

Setting	Description
SSH Ciphers	SSH uses ciphers for privacy of data it sends over an SSH connection.
SSH Message Authentication Codes	SSH uses Message Authentication Codes to maintain the integrity of each message it sends over and SSH connection. This provides integrity between SSH peers.
SSH Key Exchange Algorithms	SSH uses Key Exchange Algorithms to exchange a shared session key securely with an SSH peer.
SSH Client Alive Interval	In SSHv2, this is a timeout interval (in seconds), after which if no data is received from an SSH client, the sshd daemon sends a message through the encrypted channel to request a response from the client. This controls the "`ClientAliveInterval`" parameter for the sshd daemon. By default, this feature is disabled (the default value is 0). See https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sshd_config.5.html.
SSH Password Authentication	Specifies whether password authentication is allowed. This controls the "`PasswordAuthentication`" parameter for the sshd daemon. By default, this feature is enabled (the default value is "`yes`"). See https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sshd_config.5.html.
SSH Permit Root Login	Specifies whether the root user can log in over SSH. This controls the "`PermitRootLogin`" parameter for the sshd daemon. By default, this feature is enabled (the default value is "`yes`"). See https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sshd_config.5.html.
SSH DNS Usage	Specifies whether the sshd daemon needs to look up the remote hostname and make sure the resolved hostname for the remote IP address maps back to the same IP address. This controls the "`UseDNS`" parameter for the sshd daemon. By default, this feature is disabled (the default value is "`no`"). See https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sshd_config.5.html.

Complete Syntax

set ssh server

cipher <Cipher> {on | off}

client-alive-interval 0-65535

kex <Key Exchange Algorithm> {on | off}

mac <Message Authentication Code> {on | off}

password-authentication {yes | no}

permit-root-login {yes | no | without-password | prohibit-password | forced-commands-only}

use-dns {yes | no}

show ssh server

all

cipher enabled

cipher supported

client-alive-interval

kex enabled

kex supported

mac enabled

mac supported

password-authentication

permit-root-login

use-dns

Syntax for SSH Ciphers

To view the supported SSH Ciphers:

show ssh server cipher supported

To view the enabled SSH Ciphers:

show ssh server cipher enabled

To enable or disable the supported SSH Ciphers:

set ssh server cipher <Cipher> {on | off}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH Key Exchange Algorithms

To view the supported SSH Key Exchange Algorithms:

show ssh server kex supported

To view the enabled SSH Key Exchange Algorithms:

show ssh server kex enabled

To enable or disable the supported SSH Key Exchange Algorithms:

set ssh server kex <Key Exchange Algorithm> {on | off}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH Message Authentication Codes (MACs)

To view the supported SSH Message Authentication Codes:

show ssh server mac supported

To view the enabled SSH Message Authentication Codes:

show ssh server mac enabled

To enable or disable the supported SSH Message Authentication Codes:

set ssh server mac <Message Authentication Code> {on | off}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH Client Alive Interval

To view the current interval:

show ssh server client-alive-interval

To configure the required interval (in seconds):

set ssh server client-alive-interval 0-65535

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH Password Authentication

To view the current permission:

show ssh server password-authentication

To configure the required permission:

set ssh server password-authentication {yes | no}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH Permit Root Login

To view the current permission:

show ssh server permit-root-login

To configure the required permission:

set ssh server permit-root-login {yes | no | without-password | prohibit-password | forced-commands-only}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Syntax for SSH DNS Usage

To view the current permission:

show ssh server use-dns

To configure the required permission:

set ssh server use-dns {yes | no}

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.