gnome-ssh-askpass

gnome-ssh-askpass

gnome-ssh-askpass is a small utility that provides a graphical dialog for entering SSH passphrases. It's typically used by SSH clients (like OpenSSH) when they need a passphrase to unlock a private key but don't have access to a terminal.

Instead of prompting for the passphrase directly on the command line (which is insecure), the SSH client calls gnome-ssh-askpass to display a graphical window where the user can securely enter their passphrase. The passphrase is then returned to the SSH client, allowing it to authenticate without revealing the passphrase to potential eavesdroppers.

This approach is especially useful in graphical environments, such as GNOME, where it provides a seamless and secure user experience. If gnome-ssh-askpass is unavailable, the SSH client typically falls back to prompting for the passphrase on the command line, which should be avoided.

gnome-ssh-askpass depends on having a graphical environment running. If you're using SSH in a purely command-line environment, it will not work. In such cases, the standard command-line passphrase prompt will be used instead. Ensure the DISPLAY environment variable is correctly set if running gnome-ssh-askpass remotely.

The application respects standard freedesktop.org proxy environment variables. See the following URL for details:
https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd-environment-d.html

gnome-ssh-askpass was developed as part of the GNOME desktop environment to provide a user-friendly and secure way to handle SSH passphrase prompts. It evolved to address the security concerns of prompting for passphrases directly on the command line, especially in graphical environments. It's widely used in conjunction with ssh-agent and other SSH tools to simplify key management and authentication.

ssh(1), ssh-add(1), ssh-agent(1)