SSH Credentials

Use SSH credentials for host-based checks on Unix systems and supported network devices. Tenable Security Center uses these credentials to obtain local information from remote Unix systems for patch auditing or compliance checks. Tenable Security Center uses Secure Shell (SSH) protocol version 2 based programs (e.g., OpenSSH, Solaris SSH, etc.) for host-based checks.

Tenable Security Center encrypts the data using the AES-256-CBC algorithm to protect it from being viewed by sniffer programs.

Note: Non-privileged users with local access on Linux systems can determine basic security issues, such as patch levels or entries in the /etc/passwd file. For more comprehensive information, such as system configuration data or file permissions across the entire system, an account with root privileges is required.

Note: You can add up to 1000 SSH credentials in a single scan. For best performance, Tenable recommends adding no more than 10 SSH credentials per scan.

Configure the following options for SSH credentials, including options specific for your authentication method:

General Option Description

Name

(Required) A name for the credential.
Description A description for the credential.

Tag

A tag for the credential. For more information, see Tags.