I am trying to use wireshark to verify that my outgoing rsync is encrypted. I can easily see that the SSH protocol packets are reported as “Encrypted packet.” The other packets being exchanged are TCP packets, I am not sure how to actually verify if these are encrypted, and if not, if they contain anything sensitive.

Should TCP be encrypted? Can they leak anything when facilitating the ssh connection? How can I tell?

  • yggdar@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 month ago

    If the timestamps line up, maybe Wireshark just doesn’t manage to understand the entire exchange. What could happen is that Wireshark sees the SSH handshake, and after that it might become just encrypted gibberish due to the encryption. In that case the SSH traffic could just show up as “some kind of TCP”.

    Do you see an SSH handshake, followed by random crap on the same ports?

    (I’m not a Wireshark expert, just an IT guy trying to help!)

    • Ponziani@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      1 month ago

      Im a little knowledgeable with this stuff but i do not know how to see the “handshake” itself, but maybe this is synonymous with what i am doing:

      Right click any of the packets (TCP or SSH) > Follow > TCP stream

      From there i can see some info about the ssh protocol and connection, as well as the 2 devices communicating (Operating systems used) followed by random gibberish which is the encrypted data.

      When I analyze the TCP packet “frames”, they contain data including the motherboard manufacturer, but packets themselves look like its just gibberish.

      Thanks by the way for trying to help me :)

      • yggdar@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 month ago

        Well, if

        1. Wireshark identifies it as a single stream
        2. Wireshark sees gibberish “TCP” and not an SSH connection
        3. The gibberish comes after the SSH stuff that you could see (the stuff in there is going to be the handshake, my bad, that is a bit of a technical term)

        Then we can be quite confident that your connection is indeed encrypted!

        And of course, you’re welcome!