How to SSH your iDevice

What is SSH?

SSH stands for Secure SHell.

It is just a protocol that allows you to access your iPhone or iPod Touch from your desktop PC or MAC and execute commands on it (thus allowing you to copy any kind of data to and from the iPhone or iPod Touch without iTunes). It’s also used for a lot of customization things if you know what you’re doing.

You can use a program like Cyberduck on MAC or WinSCP on Windows and you can browse your iPhone or iPod Touch like any other hard drive and explore it’s content (which can be very interesting).

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to SSH into iPhone using WinSCP.

NOTE: This guide requires your iPhone/ iPod Touch to be connected to a wireless network. And also, all the images instruction are from top left to right then bottom left to right. Thanks. 

In order to SSH into your iPhone you need to Jailbreak iPhone first. Use one of the guide to jailbreak iPhone:

http://www.jailbreakmatrix.com/chart

How to SSH into iPhone using WinSCP

Step 1 – Install OpenSSH

a. Go to Cydia from your Springboard
b. Go to Sections tab at the bottom of the screen.
c. Under the Sections list, choose Networking.
d. Locate and Select OpenSSH from the list.
e. Hit the Install button at the top right of the screen.
f. Then hit the Confirm button
After the installation is completed successfully, Press the big Return to Cydia button.

WARNING: Now that you’ve installed OpenSSH now you’re vulnerable to external intruders with the default root password for SSH. Attacks on jailbroken iPhone with SSH installed with default password are increasing. So, we strongly recommend you to change your default root password used to SSH into iPhone before proceeding further. Follow the link below to change your SSH root password to Protect your iPhone/iPod Touch from intruders:

http://www.iphoneheat.com/2009/11/ho…e-your-iphone/

Step 2 – Obtaining IP Address

Now you need to obtain the IP Address of your iPhone or iPod Touch.
a. To obtain the IP address go to Settings.
b. Under the Settings Menu, go to Wi-Fi.
c. Make sure you’re connected to a wireless network. Press the Blue circled arrow button.
Voila! There you will find your IP address. Please note that IP address.

Step 3 – SSH with WinSCP

Make sure your PC is on the same wireless network that of your iPhone.

Download WINSCP here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/winscp/

Once WinSCP is opened, enter the following detailes:
a. Host Name: IP Address of your iPhone/iPod
Username: root
Password: alpine
Now hit the Login button.

ATTENTION: On an iPhone 3GS, you will need to change the File Protocol to SCP. The default is most likely SFTP. Just select the arrow next to the option and select SCP.

b. WinSCP will start connecting to your iPhone.
c. If a Warning dialogue box appears, click Yes
d. Finally, after a few second you’ll be logged into your iPhone using WinSCP.
e. You can access all your iPhone or iPod Touch folders from the right navigation pane. or use the drop down menu on the right side.

If you want to transfer a file from your PC to your iPhone, simply locate the file you want to copy from your PC using the left pane. Then navigate to the desired location on you iPhone using the right pane. Now to copy the file to your iPhone, just drag it from the left pane to the right pane. Presto!