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CaptSaltyJack

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
351
1
I'm surprised this wasn't one of the first things to show up on the App Store! We need a good, free ssh client for the iPhone. Ideally it would allow us to bookmark hosts to easily connect later, and maybe have a few different color schemes (black on white, green on black, etc).
 

Jeremy1026

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2007
2,215
1,029
Doubt we will ever see it, that would make it too easy to mess with system files, which Apple has already said they will not allow.
 

CaptSaltyJack

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
351
1
No no.. ssh client, not shell access on the phone. In other words, I tap the SSH client on the iPhone, it loads up and asks me where I want to connect to. (my Linux server, what have you). I can see people trying to connect to "localhost" to access the phone, maybe there's some way to prevent that. I really just want to be able to access remote servers from my phone.
 

plumbingandtech

macrumors 68000
Jun 20, 2007
1,993
1
I want one too.

Jeremy1026, you are wrong there is MUCh use for this in the enterprise and those in charge of web sites.
 

CaptSaltyJack

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
351
1
Additional thoughts on keeping hackers out of the iPhone..

The ssh client itself would have to check to make sure the user isn't trying to connect to localhost. Either that, or maybe the iPhone isn't running sshd so it's not a problem. That would be the only roadblock I think. Otherwise, an ssh client would be awesome.
 

plumbingandtech

macrumors 68000
Jun 20, 2007
1,993
1
Additional thoughts on keeping hackers out of the iPhone..

The ssh client itself would have to check to make sure the user isn't trying to connect to localhost. Either that, or maybe the iPhone isn't running sshd so it's not a problem. That would be the only roadblock I think. Otherwise, an ssh client would be awesome.

I was going to add that...

if(host == 127.0.0.1) block

problem solved.
 

Jeremy1026

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2007
2,215
1,029
Ok, I stand corrected. I didn't know where you were going with it. The application of SSH you are speaking of would certainly prove to be a very useful tool.
 

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,141
1,384
Silicon Valley
Doubt we will ever see it, that would make it too easy to mess with system files, which Apple has already said they will not allow.

Not a problem: all SDK apps run inside a sandbox. So ssh will be able to mess with all the files insides it's own sandbox, and everything else will be inaccessible to it. It's just not possible to mess with most anything outside the sandbox from an SDK developed ssh client or server.

The delay with ssh is probably for two main reasons:

1) A lot of the easy free ssh code has a license that is incompatible with Apple's. So that code either needs to be completely rewritten from scratch, or a compatible license has to be purchased from all the previous authors.
2) The App Store may require government export certification paperwork for all apps using certain types of encryption, so someone may have to pay a lawyer to do all the legal documents.
 

rdrr

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2003
532
1,243
NH
It seems to me, that the easiest thing to do would be to take the ssh client that apple has native in OS X and put a gui around it. That asks you where you want to go...

No licensing fee or lawyers need apply. ;)
 

CaptSaltyJack

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
351
1
1) A lot of the easy free ssh code has a license that is incompatible with Apple's. So that code either needs to be completely rewritten from scratch, or a compatible license has to be purchased from all the previous authors.

But isn't ssh GPL?
 

skestes

macrumors member
Jul 16, 2007
82
0
Mocha VNC

Combine Mocha VNC with a low graphics Linux installation(X-windows running at 800x600 @ 16 colors) and run the terminal application at full screen and you have an SSH client.
 

CaptSaltyJack

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2007
351
1
Combine Mocha VNC with a low graphics Linux installation(X-windows running at 800x600 @ 16 colors) and run the terminal application at full screen and you have an SSH client.

No..by doing what you suggest, I have shell access.. not ssh. :) VNC is not secure. So by connecting from your iPhone to your Linux through VNC, you're operating over a non-secure connection. Not to mention that means you have a VNC port open to the world, not safe.

ssh is encrypted.
 

skestes

macrumors member
Jul 16, 2007
82
0
Yes, with caveats

No..by doing what you suggest, I have shell access.. not ssh. :) VNC is not secure. So by connecting from your iPhone to your Linux through VNC, you're operating over a non-secure connection. Not to mention that means you have a VNC port open to the world, not safe.

ssh is encrypted.

Yes, you are correct about the security, or lack thereof.

As for SSH I was leaving it as an exercise to the reader to use that shell access to then run a command line SSH utility. A GUI based one would work just as well but I was going for speed since VNC is a slowdown to begin with.

I was thinking purely along the lines of creating a work-around for the lack of SSH not for a long-term solution. And not for a DMZ->internal network configuration.
 
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