Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by gcp 3448 days ago
...and why encrypt stuff transferred with scp?
2 comments
45h34jh53k4j 3448 days ago
because encryption in transit != encryption at rest. Maybe you don't trust the server you are scp'ing the data to, with encryption at rest you dont' need to.
link
gcp 3448 days ago
That's not what the documentation is about, though:

====

Use GPG with the cipher AES256, without the --armour option, and with compression to encrypt your files during inter-host transfers. GPG

Encryption helps protect your files during inter-host file transfers (for example, when using the scp, bbftp, or ftp commands). We recommend GPG (Gnu Privacy Guard), an Open Source OpenPGP-compatible encryption system.

===

scp shouldn't be in that list.

link
falcolas 3448 days ago
If your goal is to transfer securely from person to person, 'scp' generally means there's a common server you're accessing - not that you're 'scp'ing directly to the other user's machine. Keeping it secure when "at rest" on the remote server would ensure it's securely transferred between the two end points.
link
jph 3448 days ago
NASA has historically done at least some open transfers, such as HTTP, FTP, etc. Using GPG for these is good. And it keeps the file encrypted at rest too.
link