# Vulnerability Discovery

> Guides on finding weak SSH configs and version-based CVEs

- **URL:** https://hackindex.io/services/ssh/vulnerability-discovery
- **Service:** [SSH](https://hackindex.io/services/ssh.md)
- **Tags:** vulns, misconfig, risk
- **Published:** 2026-03-16
- **Updated:** 2026-03-29

SSH vulnerability discovery identifies the configuration weaknesses and version-specific flaws that enable exploitation. Weak key exchange algorithms (diffie-hellman-group1-sha1, diffie-hellman-group14-sha1) and deprecated ciphers (3des-cbc, arcfour) indicate a server that has not been hardened, and they may allow downgrade attacks or passive decryption of captured traffic.

User enumeration bugs in specific OpenSSH versions (CVE-2018-15473, CVE-2016-6210) let you confirm valid accounts before brute-forcing. Reused host keys across multiple servers suggest cloned images or poor key management, and they weaken host verification. Check for password authentication enabled alongside publickey, which unnecessarily expands the attack surface.

Run ssh-audit to flag all of these in one pass. Compare the exact version string against CVE databases for known RCE, auth bypass, or information disclosure vulnerabilities. Weak SSH configurations rarely exist in isolation: they typically signal broader infrastructure neglect that you will exploit in later phases.

## Guides

- [SSH Version-Based Vulnerability Check](https://hackindex.io/services/ssh/vulnerability-discovery/ssh-version-vulnerability-check.md)
- [SSH Weak Authentication Configuration](https://hackindex.io/services/ssh/vulnerability-discovery/ssh-weak-authentication-configuration.md)