Creating SSH2 Key Pairs

To create your own Private and Public key for SSH2 connections

On the main menu, click Tools > Global Options, or press ALT+F7.
Expand the Securitynode, then clickSSH2 security.
Click Create identity file. The Create public/private key pair wizard appears.
In the Key type box, click RSA or DSA. CuteFTP only supports two algorithms for SSH2 keys: ssh-dss (DSA) and ssh-rsa (RSA). A DSA key is required for SSH2, an RSA key is recommended.
Click Next. The password page appears.
In the Passphrase and Confirm Passphrase boxes, type any combination of characters and spaces, then click Next. The output locations page appears.
In the Private key filename box, type or click the folder icon to specify the location at which to store the private key, then type a name for the key at the end of the path.
In the Public key filename box, type or click the folder icon to specify the location at which to store the public key. Make sure the filename extension is .pub and the file name matches.
In the Key length box, specify a key length between 1024 and 4096 bits. Shorter keys are faster but less secure; longer keys are more secure but slow connections.
Click Finish. CuteFTP generates the keys. Longer keys take more time to generate.
A confirmation message appears with the path and name of the keys. If you want CuteFTP to use the keys just generated, select Yes.
Click OK to close the Global Options dialog box.

For added security, before closing the Global Options dialog box, clear the Passphrase and Confirm passphrase fields in the SSH2 Security page. CuteFTP then prompts for the identity file's secret key passphrase when required for connection to a SFTP Site.