SSH Keys: Best Practices and Tips for Cybersecurity Teams

Key takeaways from this article:

1. Traditional passwords create significant vulnerabilities, leaving organizations open to attacks. SSH keys provide a more secure and reliable alternative, reducing the risks of breaches.
2. Automating SSH key management helps eliminate human error, speeds up workflows, and strengthens overall security, making it a must-have for modern cybersecurity strategies.
3. SSH keys play a critical role in securing processes like remote server management, encrypted file transfers, and DevOps workflows, ensuring safe operations across your IT ecosystem.
4. Implementing proven security practices, such as key rotation and minimizing access privileges, can dramatically reduce risks and improve the safety of your systems.
5. Privileged Access Management (PAM) simplifies the complexities of SSH key management, offering centralized control, automated processes, and enhanced compliance for organizations.

Imagine finding out that a cybercriminal has been silently exploiting an unprotected SSH key in your system for 194 days before detection. That’s the average time it takes to identify a breach today, according to IBM. With data breaches costing businesses an average of $4.88 million in 2024, securing your systems has never been more urgent.

SSH keys are one of the most powerful tools for protecting your organization against unauthorized access, but when left unmanaged, they can become liabilities. 

This guide explores everything you need to know about SSH keys, from their importance to best practices, to keep your organization protected.

What Are SSH Keys and Why Are They Important?

SSH keys are digital authentication credentials that secure communication between systems. 

They’re an integral part of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, which encrypts data and replaces traditional password-based logins. SSH keys are widely used for secure remote administration, automated tasks, and encrypted data transfers. 

Their role is essential in today’s cybersecurity landscape, where 1,636 cyberattacks occur weekly, representing a 30% year-over-year increase (Check Point Research, Q2 2024).

Why SSH Keys matter:

1. Increased Security: Unlike passwords, SSH keys provide strong encryption, preventing eavesdropping and brute-force attacks.
2. Regulatory Compliance: Industries regulated by standards like GDPR and PCI DSS require secure authentication methods, making SSH keys indispensable.
3. Operational Efficiency: Automation workflows and secure server management rely heavily on SSH key-based authentication.

When properly managed, SSH keys act as gatekeepers, allowing only authorized users and systems to access sensitive resources.

SSH Keys vs. Passwords: A Safer, Smarter Authentication Method

While passwords are still widely used, they come with significant vulnerabilities that attackers are increasingly exploiting. 44% of users admit to reusing passwords across accounts (Keeper Security), making it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access. 

In fact, breaches caused by compromised credentials have surged by 71% year-over-year (IBM), highlighting the urgent need for stronger authentication methods.

SSH keys provide a more secure and reliable alternative to passwords. Here’s why they are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for organizations:

• Eliminate Password Vulnerabilities: SSH keys use public/private key encryption, removing the need to transmit passwords over the network.
• Mitigate Brute Force Attacks: Since attackers cannot guess a private key as they would a password, brute-force risks are significantly reduced.
• Improve Compliance: SSH keys meet regulatory demands for secure authentication methods.

For organizations managing sensitive data or operating within compliance-heavy industries, switching from passwords to SSH keys isn’t just a smart choice—it’s a necessity.

How SSH Key Authentication Works

SSH key authentication uses a public/private key pair to verify a user or system’s identity. The private key remains with the user, while the public key is shared with the target system. This setup removes the need to transmit passwords, significantly strengthening security.

Here’s how it works step by step:

1. Key Generation: Tools like ssh-keygen create a pair of cryptographic keys.
2. Key Exchange: The public key is installed on the target server, allowing authentication requests.
3. Secure Access: The server uses the public key to verify the private key, granting access to authenticated users.

This method protects against common attacks like credential phishing, which remains a leading cause of breaches.

Key Differences Between SSH and SSL/TLS

While SSH and SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) both use encryption, their use cases and functionality differ significantly.

1. Primary use:

• SSH: Secure remote access, server management
• SSL/TLS: Secure web and email communication

2. Key features:

• SSH: Public/private keys, tunneling
• SSL/TLS: Certificates, HTTPS encryption

3. Typical applications:

• SSH: System administration, automated tasks
• SSL/TLS: Website security, online transactions

Understanding these differences allows you to apply the right protocol for your specific needs.

5 Best Practices for Managing SSH Keys

Effective management of SSH keys is essential to prevent cyberattacks and maintain smooth operations. Poorly managed keys can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and compliance violations.

1. Perform a Comprehensive Key Audit: Identify all existing SSH keys in your environment. Many organizations have “shadow keys” that are undocumented and unmanaged, creating significant vulnerabilities.
2. Enforce the Principle of Least Privilege: Applying the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) limits access to only those systems and users that absolutely require it. This reduces the attack surface and aligns with modern security practices.
3. Automate Key Rotation: Manual key rotation is cumbersome and prone to errors. Automated solutions not only simplify the process but also keep keys updated, reducing the risk of compromise.
4. Monitor and Log Key Usage: Logging key usage provides critical insights into who is accessing what and when. This is vital for detecting suspicious behavior and meeting compliance requirements.
5. Avoid Embedded Keys: Never store SSH keys in application code or scripts. These keys are easily exploited by attackers and should be replaced with secure, centralized authentication methods.

Real-World Applications of SSH Keys

SSH keys are used in a variety of scenarios, making them indispensable for modern IT operations. Their applications include:

• Remote Server Administration: Securely manage servers without exposing sensitive credentials.
• Automated Backups and File Transfers: Tools like Rsync and SCP use SSH keys for encrypted data transfers.
• DevOps Workflows: Automate deployments and manage CI/CD pipelines securely.
• Tunneling and Port Forwarding: Establish secure connections for applications and databases.

With 32% of cyber incidents involving data theft and leakage (IBM), SSH keys play a critical role in safeguarding sensitive information during these operations.

The Cost of Inadequate SSH Key Management

Failing to manage SSH keys effectively can have dire consequences. Cybercrime cost businesses $8 trillion globally in 2023, a figure expected to reach $24 trillion by 2027 (USAid). 

Mismanaged SSH keys contribute to this figure by exposing organizations to data breaches, ransomware attacks, and compliance fines.

How PAM Simplifies SSH Key Management

Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions are designed to take the complexity out of SSH key management, addressing the challenges of manual processes that are time-consuming, error-prone, and increasingly unsustainable as organizations grow.

With PAM, you can automate critical tasks like key rotation, centralize control over key usage, and gain comprehensive visibility into who has access to what—streamlining management while improving security and compliance.

Comprehensive PAM solutions like senhasegura go even further by offering advanced tools to simplify and secure SSH key management:

• Centralized Management: Store, track, and control all SSH keys from a unified platform.
• Automated Key Rotation: Refresh keys regularly to align with security policies and regulatory requirements.
• Full Visibility: Generate detailed reports on key usage to support audits and detect anomalies.

With cyberattacks happening every 39 seconds (University of Maryland), leveraging a PAM solution like senhasegura is a critical necessity for modern cybersecurity.

Conclusion

SSH keys are essential for protecting your organization’s systems and data, but when they’re not managed properly, they can create serious vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and costly breaches. 

This blog has shown why SSH keys are so important, the risks of leaving them unmanaged, and how Privileged Access Management (PAM) can make managing them simpler and safer.

With PAM, you get control, automation, and visibility all in one solution. It takes the stress out of SSH key management by bringing everything under one centralized platform, automating time-consuming tasks like key rotation, and giving you the tools to secure access across your systems.

Manage your SSH Keys with senhasegura

senhasegura offers functionality that makes it possible to securely control the cycle of SSH keys through storage, rotation, and access control to protect these keys. 

Its benefits include blocking unauthorized access to privileged accounts through SSH keys, controlling and tracking their use, and managing trust relationships between keys and systems.

In practice, the solution centralizes the management of SSH keys, automatically rotating their pairs according to your company’s security policies. 

Below, we summarize its main functions:

• Linux servers scanning and identification of SSH keys
• Organization of relationship of connections between servers
• Reset of keys with manual publishing
• Publication of SSH keys
• SSH keymapping reports
• Reporting and access logs on the usage of these keys