SSH Penetration Testing

Tests SSH services through enumeration, credential attacks, exploitation, and tunneling techniques.

1|Updated May 10, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Tgoldi/claude-skills --skill ssh-penetration-testing-tgoldi
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: SSH Penetration Testing
Source: https://github.com/Tgoldi/claude-skills/tree/main/SSH%20Penetration%20Testing
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Tgoldi/claude-skills --skill ssh-penetration-testing-tgoldi

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Security testers need a structured methodology to assess SSH service security, from discovering exposed services and weak configurations to testing credentials and documenting vulnerabilities, without assembling commands from scattered sources. ## Core Features & Use Cases - SSH Enumeration and Auditing: Discover SSH services with Nmap, grab banners, enumerate algorithms, and audit configurations with ssh-audit to find weak ciphers and key exchange methods. - Credential and Key Testing: Run brute-force and password-spraying attacks with Hydra, Medusa, or Metasploit, and test key-based authentication with found private keys. - Tunneling and Post-Exploitation: Set up local, remote, and dynamic port forwarding, chain jump hosts with ProxyJump, and automate SSH actions with Python Paramiko scripts. - Use Case: During an authorized engagement, you find port 22 open on a target. Use this Skill to enumerate the OpenSSH version, audit weak algorithms, test for CVE-2018-15473 username enumeration, and pivot into the internal network via a SOCKS proxy. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to enumerate and audit the SSH service on an authorized target host and report weak configurations and testable credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions about SSH Penetration Testing

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I brute force SSH credentials with Hydra?

Run hydra with a username and password list against the SSH service, for example hydra -l admin -P rockyou.txt ssh://target. Use -s to specify a custom port, -f to stop on first success, and -t 1 -w 5 to slow the attack and evade rate limiting.

How to enumerate SSH configuration and weak algorithms?

Use ssh-audit against the target to list supported key exchange algorithms, ciphers, and MACs with security recommendations. Nmap scripts like ssh2-enum-algos and ssh-hostkey provide similar enumeration during port scanning.

Hydra vs Medusa for SSH password attacks?

Both perform SSH brute-forcing with username and password lists. Hydra offers flexible flags for rate limiting and verbose output, while Medusa supports parallel host testing via a targets file and per-module thread control.

Can SSH tunneling be used for network pivoting?

Yes, dynamic port forwarding with ssh -D 1080 creates a SOCKS proxy that tools like proxychains can route traffic through. Local and remote forwarding with -L and -R expose specific internal services, and ProxyJump chains multiple SSH hops.

Why does SSH brute-forcing fail or get blocked?

Failures commonly result from Fail2ban or similar tools banning the source IP, account lockout policies, or key-only authentication disabling password logins. Slow the attack with timing flags and verify the target accepts password authentication first.

What are the legal limitations of SSH penetration testing?

SSH security testing requires written authorization from the system owner before any enumeration or credential attacks. Brute-forcing may violate terms of service, and all testing activities should be documented for the engagement report.