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A comment on Improving the security of your SSH private key files. Parent comment

Re:Improving the security of your SSH private key files by mhurron on Friday May 24, 2013 @03:12PM (#5764731)
> In other words, how much additional security does password-protecting your private key gain you?

Someone took your laptop, they could now have one of two things:

(a) - Just your laptop

(b) - your laptop and every server you're using your key for access to.

b is prevented by the passphrase.

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Re:Improving the security of your SSH private key files by quaint- on Friday May 24, 2013 @06:08PM (#5765439)
No, I think more like one of three things:

a) just your laptop, b) your laptop and all files, or c) your laptop and all your files, and access to servers as per above.

I like "a" the best, and it's achieved through full-disk encryption. You don't even need a new passphrase for that, considering that you probably already password-protect your computer.

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