The remote user can authenticate using either a password or a public key. After the connection is established, it is controlled by the configured password or the public key.
Password authentication
With password authentication, a password is configured for the remote user. This is the initial authentication type for an appliance that is added to the Central Management System appliance using the Web UI.
Public key authentication
Public key authentication uses a pair of keys—a public key and a private key. With public key authentication, an SSH-DSA2 or SSH-RSA2 identity is configured for the remote user and is pushed to the Central Management System appliance.
Benefits of public key authentication include:
The private key remains on the Email Security - Server appliance and cannot be computed from the public key. This is an advantage over password authentication, where the password could be cracked.
If you use password authentication, password change policies can break the connection between the Central Management System platform and the managed appliance.
For example, suppose users on the Central Management System appliance must change their passwords every 90 days. As the administrator of the Email Security - Server appliance, you might be unaware of this policy. After the password for the remote user changes, the connection to the Central Management System appliance will be broken until you change the password on the Email Security - Server appliance.
Tip
Because password change policies apply only to password authentication, Trellix recommends using public key authentication for this connection.
For details, see the following topics: