like virus

[roklebor]

If you only allow pubkey authentication on a publicly accessible SSH server, then there is no way to log in with just a password. So it is impossible to brute force into such a server. Well, theoretically it is possible to brute force search for a valid pubkey, but this would take so long, that in practice it is infeasible.

I consider pub key auth very comfortable. I use Pageant, a PuTTY pubkey agent, and unlock my personal private key just once a day when I turn the computer on. So even in spite my passphrase for my private key is somewhat ~35 characters long, I only have to type it once a day, no matter how many times I want to log into some system. Total Commander also cooperates with Pageant, so my access to any system either by PuTTY or by TC is unlocked by just a single password entered in the morning. Not bad at all.