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Chilkat2-Python

SSH Tunnel Authenticate with a SecureString Password and Private Key

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Demonstrates the Chilkat SshTunnel.AuthenticateSecPwPk method, which authenticates using SecureString login and password objects together with a private key. The third argument is the SshKey private key.

Note: The private-key path is relative to the application's current working directory. Absolute paths may also be used. Supply the path to your own key file.

Background: This is the SecureString form of two-factor tunnel authentication: the password is held encrypted in memory and combined with a private key for servers that require both. It is the most protective option when a deployment mandates two-factor SSH and you also want to minimize plaintext credential exposure in a long-running process.

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Chilkat2-Python
import sys
import chilkat2

success = False

# Demonstrates the SshTunnel.AuthenticateSecPwPk method, which authenticates using SecureString
# login and password objects together with a private key.  The 1st argument is the username, the
# 2nd is the password, and the 3rd is an SshKey private key.

tunnel = chilkat2.SshTunnel()

# The tunnel forwards accepted local connections to this destination through the SSH server.
tunnel.DestHostname = "db.internal.example.com"
tunnel.DestPort = 5432

# Connect to the SSH server.  This performs the TCP/proxy connection and SSH handshake, but
# does not authenticate yet.
sshPort = 22
success = tunnel.Connect("ssh.example.com",sshPort)
if (success == False):
    print(tunnel.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

# Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
# from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
password = "mySshPassword"

# Load the SSH private key.  LoadText reads the file's text, which is then imported.
privKey = chilkat2.SshKey()
keyText = privKey.LoadText("qa_data/id_rsa")
if (privKey.LastMethodSuccess == False):
    print(privKey.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

success = privKey.FromOpenSshPrivateKey(keyText)
if (success == False):
    print(privKey.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

# Place the login and password into SecureString objects.
secureLogin = chilkat2.SecureString()
secureLogin.Append("mySshLogin")
securePassword = chilkat2.SecureString()
securePassword.Append(password)

success = tunnel.AuthenticateSecPwPk(secureLogin,securePassword,privKey)
if (success == False):
    print(tunnel.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

print("Authenticated.")

# After authenticating, call BeginAccepting to start listening for local connections to forward.

waitForThreadExit = True
success = tunnel.CloseTunnel(waitForThreadExit)
if (success == False):
    print(tunnel.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()