Why You Should Be Using SSH on Your Android Device
In order to do just about anything more advanced on your Android phone or tablet, you’ll need to make use of an SSH connection. We’re going to walk you through how to do this using your device’s built-in file manager so that you can get up and running quickly without having to install any extra software! We’ll also show you how to establish this SSH connection from your PC so that you can transfer files back and forth between the two devices, which will make all of the following much easier. Here’s how it works!
OpenSSH Client Installation
This tutorial will walk you through installing the OpenSSH client on your device. You’ll need a terminal app such as Terminal IDE to make this work, so install that first from the Play Store. Once installed, click the MENU button and select Install. Type openssh in the Search bar and then select it. Click Install to continue with the installation. When it’s done installing, you should see OpenSSH Client Installed at the bottom of the screen. Tap OPEN APP to open up the app and follow along below for how to use it! You’ll now be taken to the login prompt where you can type in either root or droid depending on what you want to do. In order to log into your account via ssh, type droid and then press enter.
You should now be prompted for which account you want to log into (type root if not). Next you will be prompted for the password (type alpine if not). After typing alpine, press enter again and wait while it connects.
OpenSSH Server Configuration
First, install OpenSSH Server and Root Explorer or another root enabled file browser. Second, copy the ssh key you created in the previous step to your device’s system folder. Third, open up the default SSH configuration file with Root Explorer or a text editor of your choice. Find the line that reads PermitRootLogin yes and change it to PermitRootLogin no.
Connecting with SecureCRT Mobile
Making an SSH connection with your mobile device is really easy to do. All you need is a SecureCRT Mobile license, but even better, if you are a member of SecureCRT’s Honor Roll then you already have one! The free version of the application will work for this exercise. The first step is to download and install the app from Google Play and then launch it. There are many screens available from which to choose from but for this tutorial we will start at Session Setup Wizard screen.
Disconnecting with SecureCRT Mobile
. Type openssh in the Search bar and then select it. Click Install to continue with installation. When it’s done installing, you should see OpenSSH Client Installed at the bottom of the screen. Tap OPEN APP to open up the app and follow along below for how to use it! You’ll now be taken to the login prompt where you can type in either root or droid depending on what you want to do. In order to log into your account via ssh, type droid and then press enter.
You should now be prompted for which account you want to log into (type root if not). Next you will be prompted for the password (type alpine if not). After typing alpine, press enter again and wait while it connects.
