Remote Access Overview
You (the network administrator) can access a router, switch, or security device remotely using services such as DHCP, Finger, FTP, rlogin, SSH, and Telnet services. This topic shows you how to configure remote access using Telnet, SSH, FTP, and Finger services.
System Services Overview
For security reasons, remote access to the router is disabled by default. You must configure the router explicitly so that users on remote systems can access it. Users can access the router from a remote system by means of the DHCP, finger, FTP, rlogin, SSH, and Telnet services. In addition, Junos XML protocol client applications can use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the Junos XML protocol-specific clear-text service, among other services.
To protect system resources, you can limit the number of simultaneous connections that a service accepts and the number of processes owned by a single user. If either limit is exceeded, connection attempts fail.
Configure Telnet Service for Remote Access to a Router or Switch
To configure the router or switch to accept Telnet as an access service, include the
telnet statement at the [edit system services]
hierarchy level:
[edit system services] telnet { connection-limit limit; rate-limit limit; }
By default, the router or switch supports a limited number of simultaneous Telnet sessions and connection attempts per minute.
Optionally, you can include either or both of the following statements to change the defaults:
-
connection-limit limit—Maximum number of simultaneous connections per protocol (IPV4 and IPv6). The range is from 1 through 250. The default is 75. When you configure a connection limit, the limit is applicable to the number of telnet sessions per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a connection limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 telnet sessions and 10 IPv4 telnet sessions. -
rate-limit limit—Maximum number of connection attempts accepted per minute (from 1 through 250). The default is 150. When you configure a rate limit, the limit is applicable to the number of connection attempts per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a rate limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 telnet session connection attempts per minute and 10 IPv4 telnet session connection attempts per minute.
You cannot include the telnet statement on devices
that run the Junos-FIPS software. We recommend that you do not use Telnet in a
Common Criteria environment.
Configure FTP Service for Remote Access to the Router or Switch
To configure the device to accept FTP as an access service, include the ftp
statement at the [edit system services] hierarchy level:
[edit system services] ftp { connection-limit limit; rate-limit limit; }
By default, the router or switch supports a limited number of simultaneous FTP sessions and connection attempts per minute. You can include either or both of the following statements to change the defaults:
-
connection-limit limit—Maximum number of simultaneous connections per protocol (IPV4 and IPv6). The range is a value from 1 through 250. The default is 75. When you configure a connection limit, the limit is applicable to the number of sessions per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a connection limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 FTP sessions and 10 IPv4 FTP sessions. -
rate-limit limit—Maximum number of connection attempts accepted per minute (a value from 1 through 250). The default is 150. When you configure a rate limit, the limit is applicable to the number of connection attempts per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a rate limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 FTP session connection attempts and 10 IPv4 FTP session connection attempts.
You can use passive FTP to access devices that accept only passive
FTP services. All commands and statements that use FTP also accept
passive FTP. Include the ftp statement at the [edit
system services] hierarchy level to use either active FTP or
passive FTP.
To start a passive FTP session, use pasvftp (instead
of ftp ) in the standard FTP format (ftp://destination). For example:
request system software add pasvftp://name.com/jinstall.tgz
You cannot include the ftp statement on routers or switches
that run the Junos-FIPS software. We recommend that you not use the FTP service in a
Common Criteria environment.
Configure Finger Service for Remote Access to the Router
To configure the router to accept finger as an
access service, include the finger statement at the [edit system services] hierarchy level:
[edit system services] finger { connection-limit limit; rate-limit limit; }
By default, the router supports a limited number of simultaneous finger sessions and connection attempts per minute. Optionally, you can include either or both of the following statements to change the defaults:
-
connection-limit limit—Maximum number of simultaneous connections per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). The range is a value from 1 through 250. The default is 75. When you configure a connection limit, the limit is applicable to the number of sessions per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a connection limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 clear-text service sessions and 10 IPv4 clear-text service sessions -
rate-limit limit—Maximum number of connection attempts accepted per minute (a value from 1 through 250). The default is 150. When you configure a rate limit, the limit is applicable to the number of connection attempts per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a rate limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 session connection attempts per minute and 10 IPv4 session connection attempts per minute.
You cannot include the finger statement on routers that run the
Junos-FIPS software. We recommend that you not use the finger service in a Common
Criteria environment.
Configure SSH Service for Remote Access to the Router or Switch
To configure the router or switch to accept SSH as an access service, include the
ssh statement at the [edit system services]
hierarchy level:
[edit system services] ssh { authentication-order [method 1 method2...]; authorized-keys-command authorized-keys-command; authorized-keys-command-user authorized-keys-command-user; authorized-principals-file filename authorized-principals-command program-path ciphers [ cipher-1 cipher-2 cipher-3 ...]; client-alive-count-max number; client-alive-interval seconds; connection-limit limit; fingerprint-hash (md5 | sha2-256); host-certificate-file filename hostkey-algorithm (algorithm | no-algorithm); key-exchange [algorithm1 algorithm2...]; log-key-changes log-key-changes; macs [algorithm1 algorithm2...]; max-pre-authentication-packets number; max-sessions-per-connection number; no-challenge-response; no-password-authentication; no-passwords; no-public-keys; no-tcp-forwarding; port port-number; protocol-version [v2]; rate-limit number; rekey { data-limit bytes; time-limit minutes; } root-login (allow | deny | deny-password); sftp-server; tcp-forwarding; trusted-user-ca-key-file filename }
By default, the router or switch supports a limited number of simultaneous SSH sessions and connection attempts per minute. Use the following statements to change the defaults:
-
connection-limit limit—Maximum number of simultaneous connections per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). The range is a value from 1 through 250. The default is 75. When you configure a connection limit, the limit is applicable to the number of SSH sessions per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a connection limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 SSH sessions and 10 IPv4 SSH sessions. -
max-sessions-per-connection number—Include this statement to specify the maximum number of SSH sessions allowed per single SSH connection. This allows you to limit the number of cloned sessions tunneled within a single SSH connection. The default value is 10. -
rate-limit limit—Maximum number of connection attempts accepted per minute (a value from 1 through 250). The default is 150. When you configure a rate limit, the limit is applicable to the number of connection attempts per protocol (IPv4 and IPv6). For example, a rate limit of 10 allows 10 IPv6 SSH session connection attempts per minute and 10 IPv4 SSH session connection attempts per minute. -
data-limit—Data limit before renegotiating session keys (bytes) -
time-limit—Time limit before renegotiating session keys (minutes)
Starting in Junos OS
Release 19.4R1 and Junos OS Release 17.4R3, you can disable either the SSH login
password or the challenge-response authentication using the
no-password-authentication and
no-challenge-response options at the [edit system services
ssh] hierarchy level.
By default, a user can create an SSH tunnel over a CLI session to a router running
Junos OS via SSH. This type of tunnel can be used to forward TCP traffic, bypassing any
firewall filters or access control lists. By bypassing firewall filters or access
control lists, this type of tunnel allows access to resources beyond the router. Use the
no-tcp-forwarding option to prevent a user from creating an SSH
tunnel to a router via SSH.
For information about other configuration settings, see the following topics:
- Configure the Root Login Through SSH
- Configure Incoming SFTP Connections
- Configure the SSH Protocol Version
- Configure the Client Alive Mechanism
- Configure the SSH Fingerprint Hash Algorithm
Configure the Root Login Through SSH
By default, users are allowed to log in to the router or switch as
root through SSH when the authentication method does not
require a password. To control user access through SSH, include the
root-login statement at the [edit systems services
ssh] hierarchy level:
[edit system services ssh] root-login (allow | deny | deny-password);
allow—Allows users to log in to the router or switch as root
through SSH.
deny—Disables users from logging in to the router or switch as
root through SSH.
deny-password—Allows users to log in to the
router or switch as root through SSH when the authentication method (for
example, RSA) does not require a password.
The
default is deny-password.
Configure Incoming SFTP Connections
SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a network protocol that
provides file access, file transfer, and file management over any reliable data
stream. Starting in Junos OS Release 19.1R1, we have globally disabled the
incoming SFTP connections by default. If desired, you can globally enable
incoming SFTP connections by configuring the statement
sftp-server at the [edit system services
ssh] hierarchy level. Prior to Junos OS Release 19.1R1, incoming
SFTP connections were globally enabled by default.
Only the incoming SFTP connections are disabled by default. For example,
given devices A and B (where device A is running 19.1R1), you cannot connect
through SFTP from B to A by default. However, you can connect through SFTP
from device B to device A if you configure sftp-server on
device A.
The incoming SFTP connections are disabled by default. To enable incoming SFTP connections:
Configure the SSH Protocol Version
By default, only version 2 of the SSH protocol is enabled.
To configure the router or switch to use version 2 of the SSH protocol, include
the protocol-version statement and specify v2
at the [edit system services ssh] hierarchy
level:
[edit system services ssh] protocol-version [ v2 ];
Systems in FIPS mode always use SSH protocol version
v2.
Configure the Client Alive Mechanism
The client alive mechanism is valuable when the client or server depends on
knowing when a connection has become inactive. It differs from the standard
keepalive mechanism because the client alive messages are sent through the
encrypted channel. The client alive mechanism is not enabled by default. To
enable it, configure the client-alive-count-max and
client-alive-interval statements. This option applies to
SSH protocol version 2 only.
In the following example, unresponsive SSH clients will be disconnected after approximately 100 seconds (20 x 5):
[edit system ssh] client-alive-count-max 5; client-alive-interval 20;
Configure the SSH Fingerprint Hash Algorithm
To configure the hash algorithm used by the SSH
server when it displays key fingerprints, include the
fingerprint-hash statement and specify md5 or
sha2-256 at the [edit system services ssh]
hierarchy level:
[edit system services ssh] fingerprint-hash (md5 | sha2-256);
The md5 hash algorithm is unavailable on systems in
FIPS mode.
SSH Certificate-Based Authentication Overview
Starting in Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved Release 22.4R1, you can configure SSH certificate-based authentication for users and hosts. This feature lets you establish password-less SSH access for users and trust hosts without verifying key fingerprints.
Benefits of SSH Certificate-Based Authentication
-
SSH certificate-based authentication eliminates the need for users to remember and enter passwords, streamlining the login process.
-
Compared to traditional password-based approaches, SSH certificates offer stronger security. They are harder to breach with no password to guess or crack.
-
SSH certificates simplify the management of authentication keys. Instead of managing individual keys for each user and host, administrators can issue and revoke certificates from a centralized certificate authority.
Generating Signing Keys
Signing keys are specialized cryptographic keys used in SSH certificate-based authentication. The first step for configuring SSH certificate-based authentication is to generate signing keys. You can generate signing keys on any Linux/FreeBSD system. Follow these steps to generate signing keys for SSH certificate-based authentication:
Run the command:
ssh-keygen -f <filename_ca>. This will create a private key named<filename_ca>and a corresponding public key named<filename_ca.pub>.Log in to your Juniper device and configure the SSH trusted user certificate authority (CA) key file by executing the command:
set system services ssh trusted-user-ca-key-file <path-to-public-key>and then commit the configuration.Each user can generate their own user keys using the following CLI command:
ssh-keygen -t <rsa|ecdsa|ed25519>.Copy the user-created public key onto the machine that has the user certificates
<filename_ca>and<filename_ca.pub>.Sign the user public key in the
<filename_ca.pub>file.
Configuration
To configure SSH certificate-based authentication, use the following CLI configuration statements:
-
[system services ssh trusted-user-ca-key-file filename]—Configure theTrustedUserCAKeyfile at /etc/ssh/sshd_config, which contains the public keys of an SSH certificate. -
[system services ssh host-certificate-file filename]—Configure theHostCertificatefile at /etc/ssh/sshd_config, which contains the signed host certificate. -
[system services ssh authorized-principals-file filename]—Configure theAuthorizedPrincipalsfile at /var/etc, which contains a list of names, one of which must appear in the certificate for it to be accepted for authentication. -
[system services ssh authorized-principals-command program-path]—Specify a program to be used for generating the list of allowed certificate principals found in theAuthorizedPrincipalsfile.
Disabling SSH
If you enabled SSH and want to disable it, simply remove the ssh
statement from the [edit system services] hierarchy level.
If you only want to disable external SSH, use the
access-disable-external statement at the [edit system services
ssh] hierarchy level.
Starting in Junos OS Release 21.4R1, Junos platforms with VM host installed have SSH enabled by default.
When SSH is enabled by default, you can't disable it through the [edit system
services] hierarchy like normal. Instead, you can configure a firewall filter
to deny SSH access:
set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from protocol tcp set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from port ssh set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from interface fxp0 set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 then discard set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 2 then accept
Step-by-Step Procedure
Follow these steps to configure a firewall filter to deny SSH access:
-
Define the filter term 1. This term denies TCP traffic from SSH:
[edit] user@R1# set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from protocol tcp user@R1# set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from port ssh user@R1# set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 from interface fxp0 user@R1# set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 1 then discard
-
Define the filter term 2. This term allows any traffic that isn't denied by filter term 1:
[edit] user@R1# set firewall family inet filter SSH-FILTER term 2 then accept
For more information about using firewall filters to disable SSH, see Example: Configure a Filter to Block Telnet and SSH Access.
The telnet Command
You can use the CLI telnet command to open a Telnet session to a remote
device:
user@host> telnet host <8bit> <bypass-routing> <inet> <interface interface-name> <no-resolve> <port port> <routing-instance routing-instance-name> <source address>
On SRX100, SRX210, SRX220, SRX240, SRX300, SRX320, SRX340, SRX345, and SRX1500 devices, the maximum number of concurrent Telnet sessions is indicated in the following table. Platform support depends on the Junos OS release in your installation.
|
SRX100 |
SRX210SRX220 |
SRX240 |
SRX300SRX320SRX340 |
SRX345 |
SRX1500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
To exit the Telnet session and return to the Telnet command prompt, press Ctrl-].
To exit the Telnet session and return to the CLI command prompt, enter
quit.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Use an 8-bit data path. |
|
|
Bypass the routing tables and open a Telnet session only to hosts on directly attached interfaces. If the host is not on a directly attached interface, an error message is returned. |
|
|
Open a Telnet session to the specified hostname or IP address. |
|
|
Force the Telnet session to an IPv4 destination. |
|
|
Open a Telnet session to a host on the specified interface. If you do not include this option, all interfaces are used. |
|
|
Suppress the display of symbolic names. |
|
|
Specify the port number or service name on the host. |
|
|
Use the specified routing instance for the Telnet session. |
|
|
Use the specified source address for the Telnet session. |
The ssh Command
You can use the CLI ssh command to use the secure
shell (SSH) program to open a connection to a remote device:
user@host> ssh host <bypass-routing> <inet> <interface interface-name> <routing-instance routing-instance-name> <source address> <v1> <v2>
On SRX100, SRX210, SRX220, SRX240, SRX300, SRX320, SRX340, SRX345, and SRX1500 devices, the maximum number of concurrent SSH sessions is indicated in the following table. Platform support depends on the Junos OS release in your installation.
|
SRX100 |
SRX210SRX220 |
SRX240 |
SRX300SRX320SRX340 |
SRX345 |
SRX1500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
Table 2 describes the ssh command options.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Bypass the routing tables and open an SSH connection only to hosts on directly attached interfaces. If the host is not on a directly attached interface, an error message is returned. |
|
|
Open an SSH connection to the specified hostname or IP address. |
|
|
Force the SSH connection to an IPv4 destination. |
|
|
Open an SSH connection to a host on the specified interface. If you do not include this option, all interfaces are used. |
|
|
Use the specified routing instance for the SSH connection. |
|
|
Use the specified source address for the SSH connection. |
|
|
Force SSH to use version 1 for the connection. |
|
|
Force SSH to use version 2 for the connection. |
Configure SSH Known Host Keys for Secure Copying of Data
Secure Shell (SSH) uses encryption algorithms to generate a host, server, and session key system that ensures secure data transfer. You can configure SSH host keys to support secure copy (SCP) as an alternative to FTP for the background transfer of data such as configuration archives and event logs. To configure SSH support for SCP, you must complete the following tasks:
-
Specify SSH known hosts by including hostnames and host key information in the Routing Engine configuration hierarchy.
-
Set an SCP URL to specify the host from which to receive data. Setting this attribute automatically retrieves SSH host key information from the SCP server.
-
Verify that the host key is authentic.
-
Accept the secure connection. Accepting this connection automatically stores host key information in the local host key database. Storing host key information in the configuration hierarchy automates the secure handshake and allows background data transfer using SCP.
Tasks to configure SSH host keys for secure copying of data are:
Configure SSH Known Hosts
To configure SSH known hosts, include the host statement, and
specify hostname and host key options for trusted servers at the [edit
security ssh-known-hosts] hierarchy level:
[edit security ssh-known-hosts]
host corporate-archive-server {
dsa-key key;
}
host archive-server-url {
rsa-key key;
}
host server-with-ssh-version-1 {
rsa1-key key;
}
Host keys are one of the following:
-
dsa-key key—Base64 encoded Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) key for SSH version 2. -
ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-keykey—Base64 encoded ECDSA-SHA2-NIST256 key. -
ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-keykey—Base64 encoded ECDSA-SHA2-NIST384 key. -
ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-keykey—Base64 encoded ECDSA-SHA2-NIST521 key. -
ed25519-keykey—Base64 encoded ED25519 key. -
rsa-key key—Base64 encoded public key algorithm that supports encryption and digital signatures for SSH version 1 and SSH version 2. -
rsa1-key key—Base64 encoded RSA public key algorithm, which supports encryption and digital signatures for SSH version 1.
Configure Support for SCP File Transfer
To configure a known host to support background SCP file transfers, include the
archive-sites statement at the [edit system
archival configuration] hierarchy level.
[edit system archival configuration]
archive-sites {
scp://username<:password>@host<:port>/url-path;
}
When specifying a URL in a Junos OS statement using an IPv6 host address, you must enclose the entire URL in quotation marks (" ") and enclose the IPv6 host address in brackets ([ ]). For example, “scp://username<:password>@[host]<:port>/url-path”;
Setting the archive-sites statement to point to an SCP URL
triggers automatic host key retrieval. At this point, Junos OS connects to the SCP host to fetch the SSH
public key, displays the host key message digest or fingerprint as output to the
console, and terminates the connection to the server.
user@host# set system archival configuration archive-sites “<scp-url-path>” The authenticity of host <my-archive-server (<server-ip-address>)> can’t be established. RSA key fingerprint is <ascii-text key>. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
To verify that the host key is authentic, compare this fingerprint with a fingerprint that you obtain from the same host using a trusted source. If the fingerprints are identical, accept the host key by entering yes at the prompt. The host key information is then stored in the Routing Engine configuration and supports background data transfers using SCP.
Update SSH Host Key Information
Typically, SSH host key information is automatically retrieved when you set a URL
attribute for SCP using the archival configuration archive-sites
statement at the [edit system] hierarchy level. However, if you
need to manually update the host key database, use one of the following methods.
Retrieve Host Key Information Manually
To manually retrieve SSH public host key information, configure the
fetch-from-server option at the [edit security
ssh-known-hosts] hierarchy level. You must to specify the host
from which to retrieve the SSH public key.
user@host# set security ssh-known-hosts fetch-from-server <hostname>
Import Host Key Information from a File
To manually import SSH host key information from a
known_hosts file, include the
load-key-file option at the [edit security
ssh-known-hosts] hierarchy level. You must specify the path to
the file from which to import host key information.
user@host# set security ssh-known-hosts load-key-file /var/tmp/known-hosts
Configure the SSH Service to Support Legacy Cryptography
You can configure Junos OS to support legacy cryptography ciphers and key exchange methods.
Lack of support for legacy cryptography in devices causes Junos Space device
discovery to fail. To work around this issue, configure the device to support the
3des-cbc or blowfish-cbc cipher, or both, and
the dh-group1-sha1 key-exchange method. This issue does not affect
devices running Junos OS with upgraded FreeBSD.
Junos OS supports the following set of ciphers by default:
-
chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com -
aes128-ctr -
aes192-ctr -
aes256-ctr -
aes128-gcm@openssh.com -
aes256-gcm@openssh.com
In Junos OS, the following ciphers are not supported by default, but you can configure your device to support them. They are listed from the most secure to the least secure:
-
aes256-cbc -
aes192-cbc -
aes128-cbc -
3des-cbc
Junos OS supports the following set of key-exchange methods by default:
-
curve25519-sha256 -
ecdh-sha2-nistp256 -
ecdh-sha2-nistp384 -
ecdh-sha2-nistp521 -
group-exchange-sha2 -
dh-group14-sha1
In Junos OS, the following key-exchange methods are not supported by default, but you can configure your device to support them:
-
group-exchange-sha1 -
dh-group1-sha1
To configure the SSH service to support legacy cryptography:
By configuring an ordered set of ciphers, key-exchange methods, or message
authentication codes (MACs), the newly defined set is applied to both server and
client commands. Changes to the defaults affect the file copy
command when you use Secure Copy Protocol (SCP).
See Also
Configure Outbound SSH Service
You can configure a device running Junos OS to initiate a TCP/IP
connection with a client management application. If the management application does not
reach a Juniper Networks device, for example, the device being a firewall. In such
cases, outbound-ssh can be configured on the Juniper Networks device.
An outbound-ssh configuration initiates a reverse SSH connection from
server to client to the management application. This outbound SSH connection is closed
only after the configuration are removed from the device.
There is no initiation command with outbound SSH. After you configure and commit outbound SSH, the device begins to initiate an outbound SSH connection based on the committed configuration. The device repeatedly attempts to create this connection until successful. If the connection between the device and the client management application is dropped, the device again attempts to create a new outbound SSH connection until successful. This connection is maintained until the outbound SSH stanza is removed from the configuration.
To configure the device for outbound SSH connections, include the
outbound-ssh statement at the [edit system
services] hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh]
The following topics describe the tasks for configuring the outbound SSH service.
- Send the Public SSH Host Key to the Outbound SSH Client
- Configure Keepalive Messages for Outbound SSH Connections
- Configure a New Outbound SSH Connection
- Configure the Outbound SSH Client to Accept NETCONF as an Available Service
- Configure Outbound SSH Clients
- Configure Routing Instances for Outbound SSH Clients
Send the Public SSH Host Key to the Outbound SSH Client
Each time the router or switch establishes an outbound SSH connection, it first sends an initiation sequence to the management client. This sequence identifies the router or switch to the management client. Within this transmission is the value of device-id.
To configure the device identifier of the router or switch, include the
device-id statement at the [edit system services
outbound-ssh client client-id] hierarchy
level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client client-id] device-id device-id;
The initiation sequence when secret is not configured:
MSG-ID: DEVICE-CONN-INFO\r\n MSG-VER: V1\r\n DEVICE-ID: <device-id>\r\n
During the initialization of an SSH connection, the client authenticates the
identity of the device using the public SSH host key of the device. Therefore,
before the client can initiate the SSH sequence, the client needs the public SSH
key of the device. When you configure the secret statement, the
device passes its public SSH key as part of the outbound SSH connection
initiation sequence.
When the secret statement is set and the device establishes an
outbound SSH connection, the device communicates its device ID, its public SSH
key, and an SHA1 hash derived in part from the secret
statement. The value of the secret statement is shared between
the device and the management client. The client uses the shared secret to
authenticate the public SSH host key it is receiving to determine whether the
public key is from the device identified by the device-id
statement.
Using the secret statement to transport the public SSH host key
is optional. You can manually transport and install the public key onto the
client system.
Including the secret statement means that the device sends
its public SSH host key every time it establishes a connection to the
client. It is then up to the client to decide what to do with the SSH host
key if the client already has an SSH key for that device. We recommend that
you replace the client’s copy of the SSH host key with the new key. Host
keys can change for various reasons. By replacing the key each time a
connection is established, you ensure that the client has the latest
key.
To send the router’s or switch’s public SSH host key when the device connects to
the client, include the secret statement at the [edit
system services outbound-ssh client client-id]
hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client client-id] secret password;
The following message is sent by the device when the secret
attribute is configured:
MSG-ID: DEVICE-CONN-INFO\r\n MSG-VER: V1\r\n DEVICE-ID: <device-id>\r\n HOST-KEY: <public-host-key>\r\n HMAC:<HMAC(pub-SSH-host-key, <secret>>)>\r\n
Configure Keepalive Messages for Outbound SSH Connections
After the client application has the router’s or switch’s public SSH host key, it can initiate the SSH sequence as if it had created the TCP/IP connection. The client can then authenticate the device using its copy of the router’s or switch’s public host SSH key as part of that sequence. The device authenticates the client user through the mechanisms supported in Junos OS (RSA/DSA public string or password authentication).
To enable the device to send SSH protocol keepalive messages to the client
application, configure the keep-alive statement at the
[edit system services outbound-ssh client
client-id] hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client client-id]
keep-alive {
retry number;
timeout seconds;
}
Configure a New Outbound SSH Connection
When disconnected, the device begins to initiate a new outbound SSH connection.
To specify how the device reconnects to the server after a connection is
dropped, include the reconnect-strategy statement at the
[edit system services outbound-ssh client
client-id] hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client-id] reconnect-strategy (sticky | in-order);
You can also specify the number of retry attempts and set the amount of time before the reconnection attempts stop. See Configure Keepalive Messages for Outbound SSH Connections.
Configure the Outbound SSH Client to Accept NETCONF as an Available Service
To configure the application to accept NETCONF as an available service, include
the services netconf statement at the [edit system
services outbound-ssh client client-id]
hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client client-id]
services {
netconf;
}
Configure Outbound SSH Clients
To configure the clients available for this outbound SSH connection, list each
client with a separate address statement at the [edit system services
outbound-ssh client client-id] hierarchy level:
[edit system services outbound-ssh client client-id]
address address {
retry number;
timeout seconds;
port port-number;
}
Outbound SSH connections support IPv4 and IPv6 address formats.
Configure Routing Instances for Outbound SSH Clients
To use the management routing instance, first enable the
mgmt_junos routing instance using the set system
management-instance command.
To use any other routing instance, first configure the routing instance at the
[edit routing-instances] hierarchy.
If you do not specify a routing instance, your device will establish the outbound SSH connection using the default routing table.
Configure NETCONF-Over-SSH Connections on a Specified TCP Port
Junos OS enables you to restrict incoming NETCONF
connections to a specified TCP port without configuring a firewall. To configure the
TCP port used for NETCONF-over-SSH connections, include the port
statement at the [edit system services netconf ssh] hierarchy
level. The configured port accepts only NETCONF-over-SSH sessions. Regular SSH
session requests for this port are rejected.
You can either configure the default port 830 for NETCONF connections over SSH, as specified in RFC 4742, Using the NETCONF Configuration Protocol over Secure Shell (SSH), or configure any port from 1 through 65535.
-
The default SSH port (22) continues to accept NETCONF sessions even with a configured NETCONF server port. To disable the SSH port from accepting NETCONF sessions, specify this in the login event script.
-
We do not recommend configuring the default ports for FTP (21) and Telnet (23) services for configuring NETCONF-over-SSH connections.
Configure Password Retry Limits for Telnet and SSH Access
To prevent brute force and dictionary attacks, a device performs the following actions for Telnet or SSH sessions by default:
Disconnects a session after a maximum of 10 consecutive password retries.
After the second password retry, introduces a delay in multiples of 5 seconds between subsequent password retries.
For example, the device introduces a delay of 5 seconds between the third and fourth password retry, a delay of 10 seconds between the fourth and fifth password retry, and so on.
Enforces a minimum session time of 20 seconds, during which a session cannot be disconnected. Configuring the minimum session time prevents malicious users from disconnecting sessions before the password retry delay goes into effect. Configuring the minimum session time also prevents them from attempting brute force and dictionary attacks with multiple logins.
You can configure the password retry limits for Telnet and SSH access. In this example, you configure the device to take the following actions for Telnet and SSH sessions:
Allow a maximum of four consecutive password retries before disconnecting a session.
Introduce a delay in multiples of 5 seconds between password retries that occur after the second password retry.
Enforce a minimum session time of 40 seconds, during which a session cannot be disconnected.
To configure password retry limits for Telnet and SSH access:
Example: Configure a Filter to Block Telnet and SSH Access
Requirements
You need two devices running Junos OS with a shared network link. No special configuration beyond basic device initialization (management interface, remote access, user login accounts, etc.) is required before configuring this example. While not a strict requirement, console access to the R2 device is recommended.
Our content testing team has validated and updated this example.
Overview and Topology
In this example, you create an IPv4 stateless firewall filter that logs and rejects Telnet or SSH packets sent to the local Routing Engine, unless the packet originates from the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet. The filter is applied to the loopback interface to ensure that only traffic destined to the local device is affected. You apply the filter in the input direction. An output filter is not used. As a result all locally generated traffic is allowed.
-
To match packets originating from a specific subnet or IP prefix, you use the
source-addressIPv4 match condition applied in the input direction. -
To match packets destined for the Telnet port and SSH ports, you use the
protocol tcpmatch condition combined with aport telnetandport sshIPv4 match conditions applied in the input direction.
Example Topology
Figure 1 shows the test topology for this example. The firewall filter is applied to the R2 device, making it the device under test (DUT). The R1 and the R2 devices share a link that is assigned a subnet of 192.168.1.0/30. Both devices have loopback addresses assigned from the 192.168.255.0/30 prefix using a /32 subnet mask. Static routes provide reachability between loopback addresses because an interior gateway protocol is not configured in this basic example.
Configuration
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
By design the sample filter restricts Telnet and SSH access to R2 unless it originates from the shared subnet at R1. If you use SSH or Telnet to access the R2 device directly, you will lose connectivity when the filter is applied. We recommend that you have console access when configuring this example. If needed you can use the R1 device as a jump host to launch an SSH session to R2 after the filter is applied. Alternatively, consider modifying the sample filter to also permit the IP subnet assigned to the machine you use to access the R2 device.
Perform the following tasks to configure this example:
- CLI Quick Configuration
- Configure the R1 Device
- Verify and Commit the Configuration at the R1 Device
- Configure the R2 Device
- Verify and Commit the Configuration at Device R2
CLI Quick Configuration
Quick Configuration for the R1 Device
To quickly configure the R1
device,
edit the following commands as needed and paste them into the CLI at the
[edit] hierarchy level. Be sure to issue a
commitin
configuration mode to activate the changes.
set system host-name R1 set system services ssh root-login allow set interfaces ge-0/0/0 description "Link from R1 to R2" set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.1.1/30 set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.255.1/32 set routing-options static route 192.168.255.2/32 next-hop 192.168.1.2
Quick Configuration for the R2 Device
To quickly configure the R2
device,
edit the following commands as needed and paste them into the CLI at the
[edit] hierarchy level. Be sure to issue a
commit
in
configuration mode to activate the changes.
Consider using commit-confirmed when making changes that
might
affect
remote access to your
device.
Activating a Junos OS Configuration but Requiring
Confirmation
set system host-name R2 set system services ssh root-login allow set system services telnet set interfaces ge-0/0/0 description "Link from R2 to R1" set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.1.2/30 set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet filter input local_acl set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.255.2/32 set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access from source-address 192.168.1.0/30 set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access from protocol tcp set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access from port ssh set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access from port telnet set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access then accept set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access_denied from protocol tcp set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access_denied from port ssh set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access_denied from port telnet set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access_denied then log set firewall family inet filter local_acl term terminal_access_denied then reject set firewall family inet filter local_acl term tcp-estab from protocol tcp set firewall family inet filter local_acl term tcp-estab from tcp-established set firewall family inet filter local_acl term tcp-estab then accept set firewall family inet filter local_acl term default-term then accept set routing-options static route 192.168.255.1/32 next-hop 192.168.1.1
Configure the R1 Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
Follow these steps to configure the R1 device:
-
Configure the interfaces:
[edit] user@R1# set interfaces ge-0/0/0 description "Link from R1 to R2" user@R1# set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.1.1/30 user@R1# set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.255.1/32
-
Configure the host name and static route to the R2 device’s loopback address. You also configure Telnet and SSH access:
[edit] user@R1# set system host-name R1 user@R1# set system services ssh root-login allow user@R1# set system services telnet user@R1# set routing-options static route 192.168.255.2/32 next-hop 192.168.1.2
Verify and Commit the Configuration at the R1 Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
Complete the following steps to verify and commit your candidate configuration at the R1 device:
-
Confirm interface configuration with the
show interfacesconfiguration mode command. If the command output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.[edit] user@R1# show interfaces ge-0/0/0 { description "Link from R1 to R2"; unit 0 { family inet { address 192.168.1.1/30; } } } lo0 { unit 0 { family inet { address 192.168.255.1/32; } } } -
Verify the static route used to reach the R2 device’s loopback address and that SSH and Telnet access are enabled. Use the
show routing-optionsandshow system servicesconfiguration mode commands. If the command output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.[edit] user@R1# show routing-options static { route 192.168.255.2/32 next-hop 192.168.1.2; } user@R1# show system services ssh { root-login allow; } telnet; -
When satisfied with the configuration on the R1 device, commit your candidate configuration.
[edit] user@R1# commit
Configure the R2 Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
Complete the following steps to configure the R2 device. You begin by defining the stateless firewall filter that selectively blocks Telnet and SSH access:
-
Position yourself at the
edit firewall family inet filterlocal_acl hierarchy:[edit] user@R2# edit firewall family inet filter local_acl
-
Define the filter term terminal_access. This term permits Telnet and SSH from the specified source prefix(s):
[edit firewall family inet filter local_acl] user@R2# set term terminal_access from source-address 192.168.1.0/30 user@R2# set term terminal_access from protocol tcp user@R2# set term terminal_access from port ssh user@R2# set term terminal_access from port telnet user@R2# set term terminal_access then accept
-
Define the filter term terminal_access_denied. This term rejects SSH and Telnet from all other source addresses. This term is configured to log matches to the term and to generate an explicit Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) destination unreachable response back to the packet’s source. See Firewall Filter Logging Actions for details on filter logging options.
Tip:You can use the
discardaction to suppress generation of ICMP error messages back to the source. See Firewall Filter Terminating Actions for details.[edit firewall family inet filter local_acl] user@R2# set term terminal_access_denied from protocol tcp user@R2# set term terminal_access_denied from port ssh user@R2# set term terminal_access_denied from port telnet user@R2# set term terminal_access_denied then log user@R2# set term terminal_access_denied then reject user@R2# set term default-term then accept
- Optional.
Define the filter term tcp-estab. This term permits outbound access to the Internet to support connections to the Juniper Mist cloud (tcp-established is a bit-field match condition, tcp-flags "(ack | rst)", which indicates an established TCP session, but not the first packet of a TCP connection):
[edit firewall family inet filter local_acl] user@R2# set term tcp-estab from protocol tcp user@R2# set term tcp-estab from tcp-established user@R2# set term tcp-estab then accept
-
Define the filter term default-term. This term accepts all other traffic. Recall that Junos OS stateless filters have an implicit deny term at their end. The default-term overrides this behavior by terminating the filter with an explicit accept action. The termination of the filter results in all other traffic being accepted by the filer.
Note:For this example we are allowing all other traffic, but for your network you might want to secure the routing engine. See protecting the routing engine for more information.
[edit firewall family inet filter local_acl] user@R2# set term default-term then accept
-
Configure the loopback interface, and apply the filter in the input direction:
[edit] user@R2# set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet filter input local_acl user@R2# set interfaces lo0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.255.2/32
-
Configure the host name, the ge-0/0/0 interface, the static route to the R1 device’s loopback address, and enable remote access through SSH and Telnet:
[edit] user@R2# set system host-name R2 user@R2# set system services ssh root-login allow user@R2# set system services telnet user@R2# set interfaces ge-0/0/0 description "Link from R2 to R1" user@R2# set interfaces ge-0/0/0 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.1.2/30 user@R2# set routing-options static route 192.168.255.1/32 next-hop 192.168.1.1
Verify and Commit the Configuration at Device R2
Step-by-Step Procedure
Complete the following steps to verify and commit your candidate configuration at the R2 device:
-
Confirm the configuration of the stateless firewall filter with the
show firewallconfiguration mode command. If the command output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.[edit] user@R2# show firewall family inet { filter local_acl { term terminal_access { from { source-address { 192.168.1.0/30; } protocol tcp; port [ssh telnet]; } then accept; } term terminal_access_denied { from { protocol tcp; port [ssh telnet]; } then { log; reject; } } term default-term { then accept; } } } -
Confirm interface configuration and filter application with the
show interfacesconfiguration mode command. If the command output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.[edit] user@R2# show interfaces ge-0/0/0 { description "Link from R2 to R1"; unit 0 { family inet { address 192.168.1.2/30; } } } lo0 { unit 0 { family inet { filter { input local_acl; } address 192.168.255.2/32; } } } -
Verify the static route used to reach the loopback address of the R1 device, and verify that Telnet and SSH access are enabled. Use the
show routing-optionsandshow system servicesconfiguration mode commands. If the command output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.[edit] user@R2# show routing-options static { route 192.168.255.1/32 next-hop 192.168.1.1; } user@R2# show system services ssh { root-login allow; } telnet; -
When satisfied with the configuration on the R2 device, commit your candidate configuration.
Tip:Consider using
commit-confirmedwhen making changes that might affect remote access to your device.[edit] user@R2# commit
Verify the Stateless Firewall Filter
Confirm that the firewall filter to limit Telnet and SSH access is working properly.
Verify Accepted Packets
Purpose
Verify that the firewall filter correctly allows SSH and Telnet when the traffic is sourced from the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet.
Action
-
Clear the firewall log on your router or switch.
user@R2> clear firewall log
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From a host at an IP address within the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet, use a
ssh 192.168.255.2command to verify that you can log in to the device using SSH from an allowed source address. This packet should be accepted, but the packet header information for this packet should not be logged in the firewall filter log buffer in the Packet Forwarding Engine. You will be prompted to save the SSH host key if this is the first SSH login as user between these devices.Note:By default the R1 device will source the SSH traffic from the egress interface used to reach the destination. As a result this traffic is sourced from the 192.168.1.1 address assigned to the R1 device’s ge-0/0/0 interface.
user@R1>ssh 192.168.255.2 Password: Last login: Wed Aug 19 09:23:58 2020 from 192.168.1.1 --- JUNOS 20.2R1.10 Kernel 64-bit JNPR-11.0-20200608.0016468_buil user@R2>
-
Log out of the CLI at the R2 device to close the SSH session.
user@R2> exit logout Connection to 192.168.255.2 closed. user@R1>
-
From a host at an IP address within the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet, use the
telnet 192.168.255.2command to verify that you can log in to your router or switch using Telnet from an allowed source address. This packet should be accepted, but the packet header information for this packet should not be logged in the firewall filter log buffer in the Packet Forwarding Engine.user@host-A> telnet 192.168.255.2 Trying 192.168.255.2... Connected to 192.168.255.2. Escape character is '^]'. login: user Password: --- JUNOS 20.2R1.10 Kernel 64-bit JNPR-11.0-20200608.0016468_buil user@R2>
-
Log out of the CLI to close the Telnet session to the R2 device.
user@R2:~ # exit Connection closed by foreign host. root@R1>
-
Use the
show firewall logcommand to verify that the firewall log buffer on the R2 device’s Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) does not contain any entries with a source address in the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet.user@R2> show firewall log
Verify Logged and Rejected Packets
Purpose
Verify that the firewall filter correctly rejects SSH and Telnet traffic that does not originate from the 192.168.1.0/30 subnet.
Action
-
Clear the firewall log on your router or switch.
user@R2> clear firewall log
-
Generate SSH traffic sourced from the loopback address of the R1 device. The source address of this traffic is outside of the allowed 192.168.1.0/30 subnet. Use the
ssh 192.168.255.2 source 192.168.255.1command to verify that you cannot log in to the device using SSH from this source address. This packet should be rejected, and the packet header information should be logged in the firewall filter log buffer.user@R1 ssh 192.168.255.2 source 192.168.255.1 ssh: connect to host 192.168.255.2 port 22: Connection refused root@R1>
The output shows that the SSH connection is rejected. This output confirms that the filter is generating an ICMP error message and that it correctly blocks SSH traffic when sent from a disallowed source address.
-
Generate Telnet traffic sourced from the loopback address of the R1 device. The source address of this traffic is outside of the allowed 192.168.1.0/30 subnet. Use the
telnet 192.168.255.2 source 192.168.255.1command to verify that you cannot log in to the device using Telnet from this source address. This packet should be rejected, and the packet header information for this packet should be logged in the firewall filter log buffer in the PFE.user@R1> telnet 192.168.255.2 source 192.168.255.1 Trying 192.168.255.2... telnet: connect to address 192.168.255.2: Connection refused telnet: Unable to connect to remote host
The output shows that the Telnet connection is rejected. This output confirms that the filter is generating an ICMP error message and that it correctly blocks Telnet traffic when sent from a disallowed source address.
-
Use the
show firewall logcommand to verify that the firewall log buffer on the R2 device contains entries showing that packets with a source address of 192.168.255.1 were rejected.user@R2> show firewall log Log : Time Filter Action Interface Protocol Src Addr Dest Addr 15:17:11 pfe R ge-0/0/0.0 TCP 192.168.255.1 192.168.255.2 15:12:04 pfe R ge-0/0/0.0 TCP 192.168.255.1 192.168.255.2
The output confirms that traffic from the 192.168.255.1 source address matched the filter’s terminal_access_denied term. The
Actioncolumn displays anRto indicate that these packets were rejected. The interface, transport protocol, and source and destination addresses are also listed. These results confirm that the firewall filter is working properly for this example.
Change History Table
Feature support is determined by the platform and release you are using. Use Feature Explorer to determine if a feature is supported on your platform.
no-password-authentication and
no-challenge-response options at the [edit system
services ssh] hierarchy level.sftp-server at the [edit system services
ssh] hierarchy levelssh-dss
and ssh-dsa hostkey algorithms are deprecated— rather than
immediately removed—to provide backward compatibility and a chance to bring your
configuration into compliance with the new configuration.routing-instance statement at the [edit system
services outbound-ssh] hierarchy level: