ssh server configuration - Are public key and password exclusive?

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 04:24:14PM -0500, Christopher Browne wrote:
> You tell them:
>  "Give me a copy of both the private key and the public key.  If I
> don't see a passphrase on the private key, I won't be adding this key
> to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"
> 
> Further...
>   "You don't want to give me the private key?  Well, if you don't give
> me both keys, I won't be authorizing your access.  Giving me both keys
> is a condition of your Continued Employment."
> 
> I'm not certain it's easy to validate that a public and private key
> correspond to each other without having the password; I leave that
> puzzle for others to puzzle over.

Giving you the private key is also bad security practice and proves
nothing to you.  You can remove the passphrase later after all or
change it.

-- 
LeN Sorensen
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