Is it reasonable to have multiple SSH keys?
Problem
So far I've created a separate SSH key for each server I need to login to (for each purpose, to be more accurate). I did it out of a sense of security, just like different passwords to different sites. Does having multiple SSH keys actually improve security? All of them are used from the same machine, are located in the same ~/.ssh, most even have the same passphrase. So... should I give up the whole system and just use one SSH key for everything? [UPDATE 2015-08-05] Github publishes your public key, and your SSH client may send all of your public keys to every server, depending on configuration, thusly, if you are concerned with a 3rd party SSH server knowing your identity when connecting, you should use multiple SSH keys, though in my opinion it is paranoid.
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1 Fix
Fix for: Is it reasonable to have multiple SSH keys?
Ultimately this is up to you. You need to evaluate your threat model. How likely is it that one of your keys is compromised? If one key is compromised, how likely is it that the other keys will be compromised? What are the consequences of your keys being compromised? What is the cost (including time) of managing multiple keys? Considering factors such as these should help you decide if you really need separate keys. On my personal machines on my local network I usually don't bother with extra o…
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