Anti-Trend
Nonconformist Geek
Geez, my buddy asked my to allow him to SSH into my machine so he can download some files. So, I forwarded port 22 on my router to my system, and left it open overnight. No problem right? I mean, SSHv2 is very secure, if set up properly. Passwords are sent over strong encryption, root is forbidden to login (at least in my sshd_config), one must guess the username as well as the password simultaneously(!) for successful entry, and last but not least incorrect login attempts are met with a 4-second cooldown before they can attempt another login (to prevent brute force attacks). Who in their right mind would try to hack a random SSH2 server on a whim? Apparently, many many script kiddies. When I checked my auth.log file this morning, lo and behold, a veritable horde of 12-year-old web gnomes had tried for the prize. Many of them even used their proper names (such as Patrick, a Pac-Bell Cable customer). What am I, a retard magnet?