How to use SSH for secure connections on Mac 

What you need to know:

• Enable remote login to access your Mac from another computer via SSH.
• You can access the server by public IP address via SSH.
• Use SSH if you are on insecure networks.
• To set up SSH on a Mac:
  • The IP address of the remote server is required.
  • You must have a username and password of a user on the server.

SSH is typically used to log into a remote machine and execute commands. In addition, it also supports tunneling, TCP port forwarding and X11 connections. SSH works on a client-server model; it is present on your Mac but disabled by default. In this article, I’ll help you understand how you can use SSH for secure connections on a Mac running macOS Ventura or earlier.

• What is SSH for Mac?
• How to set up an SSH server on a Mac
• How to SSH to a Mac Through Another Mac
• How to Disable SSH Server on Mac

What is SSH for Mac?

SSH is short for “Secure Shell”or “Secure Socket Shell”. Essentially, it is a cryptographic network protocol used to manage the network, operating systems, and configuration. Its most notable feature is that it uses secure remote communication over insecure open networks, which is activated using SSH keys. SSH keys are generated using a security algorithm.

When you create an SSH key set for your Mac, you will create a “public”and a “private”key. This is all pretty technical, but the public and private keys are generated using prime numbers and huge random numbers. Now let’s see how we can set up SSH on Mac.

How to set up an SSH server on macOS

Let’s check the SSH activation process on your Mac.

macOS Ventura or later

1. Click the Apple logo () in the menu bar.
2. Open system settings
3. Go to General → Sharing.
4. Enable remote login.
5. Now click the information icon (i).
6. You must select the Allow full disk access for remote users check box in Remote Login and specify which users can log on.
   • All users: Anyone with access to your computer or network can log in.
   • Only these users: Only users authorized by you will be able to log in remotely.

Congratulations! An SSH server is now enabled on your macOS Ventura and you should be able to receive incoming SSH connections through your Mac.

Note. In the “Remote Login”section, you can find the IP address of your Mac.

macOS Monterey or earlier

1. Navigate to the Apple logo () in the menu bar.
2. Launch “System Preferences”→ “General”→ go to “Sharing”.
3. Check the box next to Remote Login.
4. Now check the box Allow full disk access for remote users and specify which users can log on.

Your SSH server is now up and running!

How to SSH to a Mac Through Another Mac

To access your Mac from another remote Mac or SSH client, follow the steps below.

1. Launch Terminal or another SSH client on Mac.
2. Enter your Mac’s IP address → press the return key.
3. Enter your password → press Enter.

How to Disable SSH Server on Mac

If you no longer want to remotely access your Mac via an SSH client, you can disable SSH servers on your Mac by following these steps.

macOS Ventura

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Go to General → Sharing.
3. Disable remote login.

macOS Monterey

1. Go to System Preferences → click Sharing.
2. Uncheck the box next to Remote Login.

FAQ

View a list of recently used files and data. On Mac computers, you can easily view a list of your most used files as well as recently used applications. If you see anything out of the ordinary in these listings, someone may have gained access to your Mac.

Yes, someone can remotely access your Mac without your knowledge, as Macs are vulnerable to hacking. With SSH enabled, anyone with administrator credentials could potentially execute code that could take over your Mac completely.

Completion…

I hope this article has helped you understand what SSH is and how to use it on your Mac. Hanging while using SSH on a Mac is quite common, so if you do, please leave a comment. I would be glad to help you.