Telnet and Secure Shell FAQ

1. I dial to the department using modem at (416)978-7448. Will I be affected?

No. Connections via our modem pool will not be affected. Our systems will still accept telnet connections from inside the department.

2. I've been using telnet for years. Why force the change now?

Telnet connection is highly insecure. The whole communication including login names and passwords is transferred in the open. Anyone smart enough to load and run a sniffing program somewhere along the way can obtain not only your password, but any other sensitive information that is being transferred during the telnet session. It is akin to reading your mail out loud in a crowded restaurant.

The insecurity of telnet has been there since the very beginning. However, Internet is not a warm and cozy place as it used to be, when only academics and scientists had an access to it. The network has been discovered by organized crime groups and other crooks and one has to apply one's street-smarts to survive and avoid possible identity theft or worse.

3. What is the difference in using the SSH connection.

The SSH connection uses encryption for the duration of the whole session. Everything including your login name and initial password is encrypted during the transfer. Even if a part of your session falls into wrong hands, it is completely useless to the eavesdropper.

4. How can I utilize the SSH on my machine in the easiest way?

The easiest way is to access our WebPage at http://www.chem.utoronto.ca and then simply click on "General", "Information Technology and Electronics" and finally on "Online Secure Shell Applet". You can use any browser under any operating system from anywhere in the world. The only condition is, that the browser has to have Java plug-ins installed and enabled. The majority of browsers has these plug-ins installed by default. Once you have clicked on the "Online Secure Shell Applet" a screen titled "AppGate MindTerm" will be displayed. Enter the full canonical name of our departmental server (alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca) in the entry field and click "Start MindTerm SSH". Allow applet to be loaded into your machine and soon enough the new window with the alchemy login appears. Just enter you login name and password and you are in the same way as you would if using telnet. The difference is, that now you are using the same security as banks do. Once you have logged on alchemy, you can telnet to any other departmental machine from there if you need to and if the machine is capable of accepting your session.

5. Can I connect to any other machine than alchemy using the "MindTerm SSH" from my local browser?

Yes, under certain conditions. You have to load the MindTerm SSH applet to your local machine first. The easiest way how to do that is to connect to alchemy first. The connection will load the applet to your local machine and once the applet is loaded you can connect to any other departmental machine that runs an SSH server directly. Of course, you can just connect to alchemy as described in 4. and telnet to your departmental machine from there.

6. Will I be affected if I just use the departmental WebMail access?

No. The WebMail access uses an encrypted connection already and therefore will not be affected in any way.

7. Can I use the encrypted connection without using any browser?

Yes. Just visit the departmental homepage, go to "Information Technologies and Electronics" and click on "Departmental Computer Network". Then read the "Important Notes" and follow instructions. You can download and install proper software on your machine and use it to connect to alchemy or any other departmental machine running an SSH server.

8. Can I transfer data files securely over the Internet now?

If you need to transfer files, pictures or any other data securely over the Internet, you can utilize encrypted versions of popular FTP and even an encrypted "copy" command, that would enable you to copy files between your local machine anywhere in the world and a departmental server the same way you copy files from one directory to another on the same machine. Go to the WebPage mentioned in 7. and download "Secure FTP", or "Secure copy". Install the software and you are ready to go.

9. Is there anyone who can help me in case of difficulties?

Of course. Just contact the personnel at the Electronics & Computing Facility by E-mail or by phone at 68422 or 85257 and we will be more than happy to help you. If you need to make your laptop SSH capable, you can just bring it to LM 436 and we will do the installation free of charge. To avoid long waits, appointments are recommended.