FreeSSHD for Windows

I've just found a tasty little (FREE) utility.

FreeSSHD for Windows

Running a linux server at home I'm used to connecting via SSH, but I'd never considered using it for Windows.

Why should you? What use is it?  Well, not much at first, considering Windows is mainly graphic-based and all SSH gives you is a command prompt.  Not a lot you can do with that.

However you can use it in tandem with VNC to get a remote desktop to your Windows session.  Now the thing about VNC is that it comes in two flavours.  Encrypted (and expensive) or Unencrypted (and free).  I don't fancy paying £50 just to get remote access to my Windows desktop, but I also don't like the idea of my connection being completely open.  What to do?

Well SSH is "Secure Shell".  It's an encrypted connection, or a tunnel, between two computers.  Everything going through that tunnel is encrypted so only the people on both ends (you and the PC you're connecting to) can read it.  And the thing about a secure tunnel is that you can push other things through it as well.  This is done by "port forwarding".

VNC connects to a specific port on your remote computer (say port 5900).  If you're using the free version of VNC all traffic is open and readable by anyone.  But you can "forward" the port 5900 through the SSH connection.  This means that although the VNC traffic is unencrypted, it actually travels through the encrypted SSH tunnel so suddenly becomes just as secure as if it was the expensive encrypted version of VNC.

Best to Google ""port forward SSH"" to find out exactly what I'm banging on about.  And while you're at it, download "puTTY".