Why we are changing to SECURE SHELL (SSH) Until now, Kent State University has been using telnet as well as FTP to access mail.kent.edu. This is where email as well as personal web pages are stored. There is a problem with using these, however. Passwords and information are sent in plain text over the internet; they are not encoded. This is a privacy problem for users. This is why Kent State has now switched to using secure shell in place of telnet and FTP. Using a program called SSH for Windows (or for Macs), users can connect to do the same functions. In fact, it looks just like telnet and the FTP programs. Introduction to SSH Secure Shell SSH Secure Shell with its array of unmatched security features is an essential tool for today's network environment. It is a powerful guardian against the numerous security hazards that nowadays threaten network communications. SSH is the secure shell, a more secure replacement for telnet and ftp. One of the problems with telnet and ftp is that your password is sent over the network unencrypted, in plain text. SSH encrypts the password and the protocol, which protects you from people eavesdropping on your session. SSH is very similar to telnet and ftp in functionality, and it should not be too difficult to learn how to use SSH. SSH requires additional software to use which doesn't come standard with most operating systems. There are links below for you to download the appropriate software for your machine, and there is also a web accesible client available for you to use. The University of Arizona has some excellent help pages available on how to use SSH on various platforms. Their main page for SSH is available at http://www.u.arizona.edu/ssh Please do not contact the University of Arizona for support. If you are in need of assistance, please contact the Kent State Information Services Helpdesk at helpdesk@kent.edu or (330)672-4357