openssh reading only SOME ssh1 hostkeys from ssh.com ssh

[Markus Friedl]

On Sat, Jun 07, 2003 at 01:39:57AM -0500, Ben Lindstrom wrote:
> 
> On Sat, 7 Jun 2003, Darren Tucker wrote:
> 
> > Phil Dibowitz wrote:
> > > However, on a few hosts, openssh has been unable to read the old rsa1
> > > key and has claimed:
> > >
> > >    debug1: Unsupported cipher 1 used in key file /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key.
> > >    Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key
> > >
> > > Does anyone know why it is that openssh has this problem only sometimes,
> > > and if there is a way to fix it?
> >
> > I think that's because those keys are encrypted with IDEA, which OpenSSH
> > does not support for patent reasons.  You can use ssh-keygen *from
> > commercial ssh* to convert the keys.
> >
> 
> That would be my first reaction also, but why would someone put a
> passphrase on the ssh_host_key?  That does not seem to be a useful
> thing to do.

perhaps it's "no encryption" vs. "encryption with empty password"

-m