sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac

What is sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac?

Sshd-keygen-wrapper is a Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) secure shell key generator. Its main job involves helping Macintosh users connect to their MacBook devices remotely through SSH by managing (enabling or disabling) remote access to their computers.

Sshd-keygen-wrapper is a built-in Mac tool, which means it’s not a threat to your device or your privacy. So, if you had any concerns about its safety, you can rest assured knowing sshd-keygen-wrapper isn’t a security or privacy threat.

How sshd-keygen-wrapper works on Mac

Sshd-keygen-wrapper plays an important role on macOS. It’s activated by default when you first enable Remote Login in System Settings. If SSH keys are missing, it can also operate during system configuration related to SSH or following significant macOS updates.

Sshd-keygen-wrapper verifies whether your system already has legitimate SSH host keys when it is activated. Otherwise, it produces them. These keys are used by the SSH server to authenticate your Mac when another device attempts to connect via SSH.

Here are some samples of the files it creates:

• /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key and /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key.pub
• /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key and /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub

A note from our experts:

 

While sshd-keygen-wrapper is safe for your Mac, it’s still vulnerable to online threats. This is why MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect tool exists. It hides your real location by connecting you to a server of your choosing, allowing you to browse the internet with confidence. This reduces the chances of bad actors identifying you online and compromising your privacy.

 

Are you ready to protect your privacy? Follow the steps below to use MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect software:

1. Download the MacKeeper app on your Mac.
2. Select the VPN Private Connect > Open.
3. Choose your preferred server location by selecting a country from the list. Please note that depending on the country you pick, there may be additional steps, as some countries expand into a list of server locations, which you must choose from.

How to manage sshd-keygen-wrapper on your Mac

When it comes to managing sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac, you have two options. The one you choose will depend on whether you’re comfortable keeping sshd-keygen-wrapper on your device.

The options for managing sshd-keygen-wrapper include:

1. Check if sshd-keygen-wrapper is running on Mac.
2. Remove or disable sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac.

1. How to check if sshd-keygen-wrapper is running on Mac

The first step in managing sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac is checking if the process is running. This is easy to do in Activity Monitor (not to be confused with macOS Disk Utility).

Follow these steps to check the sshd-keygen-wrapper process in Mac’s Activity Monitor:

1. Open Finder and select Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
2. Select the CPU tab and look for sshd-keygen-wrapper. If the sshd-keygen-wrapper process is consuming a lot of resources, it’ll appear at the top of the list.

A tip from our team: 

 

The processes using the most resources are at the top of the list in Activity Monitor. These processes can slow your Mac down and cause other performance issues. If you’re experiencing this, use our expert tips to make your Mac run faster.

2. How to remove or disable sshd-keygen-wrapper on Mac

While shd-keygen-wrapper is safe, you might want to remove it if you’ve never enabled Remote Login.

Follow this approach to remove shd-keygen-wrapper from your Mac:

1. Open the Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access and unlock the setting. This step is only relevant to macOS Monterey users and earlier.
2. Now, click on sshd-keygen-wrapper and hit the minus icon (-) to remove the process.

Although full disk access has been discussed, what does it really mean to grant an application full disk control? Let's unpack it. On macOS, allowing an application full access to your disk means allowing it to access and change files in normally protected parts of your Mac. This covers your desktop, downloads, documents, and system files. Software and apps that need to interact with a variety of files in order to function properly typically need this level of access. Security apps and backup tools are great examples of this.

We can’t say whether it’s right or wrong to grant apps full disk access, as that’s a personal decision underpinned by several factors. However, to help you decide, we’ve identified some pros and cons of granting an app full access to your disk.

Pros and cons of granting an app full disk access on a Mac

Understanding the role of sshd-keygen-wrapper on a Mac

Sshd-keygen-wrapper helps you manage remote access to your Mac using SSH. As a built-in Mac process, just like macOS built-in security features, it’s not malware. In fact, it’s completely safe. However, if you’re uncomfortable keeping it on your Mac, you can check if it’s running or remove it via System Settings.

If you want peace of mind, use MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect. It helps you browse the internet safely and dodge bad actors trying to track your location by connecting you to a server in a completely different area. Next, find out what it means when your Mac notifies you that the default interactive shell is now Zsh.