How to SSH into your iPhone

Sorry if this has been posted before but I keep getting asked. First off to enable SSH on your phone do this:

• SSH is a service that you can install and run on the iPhone that allows you to access the phone's files / folders from your PC or Mac
• You need to install BSD Subsystem and OpenSSH (in that order) from under the System category in Installer in order to be able to use it

Putty is downloaded here:
http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/latest/x86/putty.exe

Make sure your iPhone is connected to your network. To find your IP address, go to Settings -> Wi-Fi
Click the blue arrow on the network you are connected to. Your IP address will be in there. Use that number for the rest of this guide.

Cygwin Instructions:
ssh root@xxx.xxx.x.xxx Put your IP address here.
For me it was:
ssh root@10.4.9.40
It will prompt for a password which will be alpine.

Putty Instructions:
In the Putty configuration window under Host Name - put your ip address here
Click Open.
Click Yes if prompted.
Put root as the login and alpine as the password.

WinSCP Instructions:
After connecting to your iPhone, do the following:
Commands -> Open Terminal
Click Ok if prompted. After typing in each command click Execute.

CyberDuck
Click New Connection.
In the Protocol dropwdown menu, choose SSH.
In the Server field, input your iPhone's IP.
In the Username field, enter root.
In the Password field, enter alpine, unless you have changed it.
Click Connect.
--- Thanks John ---

Term-VT100
"Install http://www.trejan.com/irepo/ source in Installer. Then install "SUID Lib Fix" and "Term-vt100 SUID fix" from the Tweaks 1.1.3 cstegory."
Once you run this fix you will still be prompted for a password when launching term but it will now accept "alpine" and allow you in.
--- Thanks Griffinaz and Tinman---

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Nice guide; I get asked this question very frequently.

However, if I'm not mistaken, all your listed programs are Windows programs. Inlcude Cyberduck for the Mac. The instructions are as follows:

In Cyberduck, click New Connection.
In the Protocol dropwdown menu, choose SSH.
In the Server field, input your iPhone's IP.
In the Username field, input root.
In the Password field, input alpine, unless you have changed it.
Click Connect.

- John

anyone have some instructions for Term VT100?
Everytime I go into it, it asks for a password right off the bat, and alpine apparently is not it.
After it fails for the first time I enter everything like it's listed for Cygwin:
ssh root@your ip address here
It will ask for a password which will be alpine.

I have the same issue. I always get incorrect login and incorrect password.

- John

Are you specifying the user name? Maybe its trying to use some other default user name the iPhone doesn't have?

are you on 1.1.3? cause if you are, there is a few fixes you need to install to get vt100 working properly.

I don't actually know. I've been instructed to input ssh root@ipaddress and then hit enter and then enter alpine for the password. Never works.
But it does just ask for a password when I first start the app.

to ssh into the phone, make sure you have openssh installed in the iphone.

and bsdsubsystems..which is the first to get installed.

launch which ever scp client you have. I'm on a PC using winscp.

host name :root@192.168.x.xxx...what ever your ipaddress is on your iphone
user name: root
pw: alpine
file protocol :scp

as far as vt100 with 1.1.3 you need to do a few fixes before you get it to work
1. install services
2. install services.app SUID fix
3. install SUID lib fix
4.bsd sub system 2.0 termfix.

when you launch vt100 hit enter
login: root
pw: alpine, it will not type out with ***** so just keep typing.

good luck.

ps. make sure the phone and the computer you are using is on the same network or else your gonna hit a brick wall!

To get Term-VT100 to permit you to login, follow these steps (Thanks to Tinman for posting these in a different thread):

"Install http://www.trejan.com/irepo/ source in Installer. Then install "SUID Lib Fix" and "Term-vt100 SUID fix" from the Tweaks 1.1.3 cstegory."

Once you run this fix you will still be prompted for a password when launching term but it will now accept "alpine" and allow you in.

ok. This worked for me in this order:
1. install BSD
2. install openSSH
3. install VT100
4. (I'm 1.1.4 I know) install the VT100 fix (despite it saying for 1.1.3 only
5. [PC] install WinSCP
6. following the above persons login info -
host name :root@192.168.x.xxx...what ever your ipaddress is on your iphone (located in settings/wifi)
user name: root
pw: alpine
file protocol :scp
7. don't connect yet.
8. type in VT100 "ssh" (obviously without the quotes)
9. while iphone is opening that, use winSCP to connect.
10. in my case, wait 5 seconds, get a window that looks like WSftp and many other ftp programs
11. do happy dance

Hope this helps!

12. open itunes and make .m4r ring tones.
13. copy them all over to the ringtones directory and they show up under standard Not custom

How do you turn openssh off? Hit unload -w? Then hit Load -w when you want to turn it on?
What does regular load do?

Uninstall it I guess or install a Services app and do it through that.

Thanks! I actually installed bossprefs and that has an option to turn off ssh

Turning SSH off is a good idea when you aren't using it, as it eats up battery like crazy.

- John

Problem SSHing to IPhone.

Hi I am having SSHing to my Iphone. It says unable to connect. Do you have anyother steps to continue or troubleshoot the situation?

- Hemanth
:frown:

Really? I've noticed no difference in battery drain. None at all, and I've run jailbroken and jailed for extended times. No diff on my end.

Just noticed this guide. Nice work!

I am trying to ssh into my phone via terminal.

I did as you suggested above, but I keep getting the error, "RSA host key for my IP ADDR has changed and you have requested strict checking.
Host key verification failed.

Now I know my IP ADDR is correct.

Any suggestions?

Did you read Timothy's post at the bottom of the first page of this thread?