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User Guide for CiscoWorks Common Services
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Appendix A Understanding CiscoWorks Security
Server Security
Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is an application-level protocol that enables secure
transactions of data through privacy, authentication, and data integrity. It relies
upon certificates, public keys, and private keys.
Public Key, Private Key
Public and private keys are the ciphers used to encrypt and decrypt information.
While the public key is shared quite freely, the private key is never given out. Each
public-private key pair works together. Data encrypted with the public key can
only be decrypted with the private key.
Secure Shell (SSH)
Secure Shell (SSH) is an application and a protocol that provide a secure
replacement to the Berkeley r-tools. The protocol secures the sessions using
standard cryptographic mechanisms, and the application can be used similarly to
the Berkeley rexec and rsh tools.
Two versions of SSH are currently available: SSH Version 1 and SSH Version 2.
Common Services 3.0 supports SSH Version 1.
PKCS#8
Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) are a set of standards for public-key
cryptography, developed by RSA Laboratories in cooperation with an informal
consortium, originally including Apple, Microsoft, DEC, Lotus, Sun and MIT.
The PKCS have been cited by the OIW (OSI Implementers' Workshop) as a
method for implementation of OSI standards.
The PKCS are designed for binary and ASCII data; PKCS are also compatible
with the ITU-T X.509 standard. The published standards are PKCS #1, #3, #5, #7,
#8, #9, #10, #11, #12, and #15; PKCS #13 and #14 are currently being developed.
PKCS #8 describes a format for private key information. This information
includes a private key for some public-key algorithm, and optionally a set of
attributes.
