Your SSH key is made inside the Secure Enclave
New Key makes your SSH key inside the Secure Enclave, the security chip in your device, by default. The private key is never a file and can never be copied off your iPhone, iPad or Mac. You can ask for Face ID or Touch ID each time it's used.
On a Mac without a Secure Enclave (an Intel Mac without a T2 chip), if you choose Ed25519 or another ECDSA size, or for a key you import, the key is kept in the Keychain on that device only.
Your passwords are kept on this device
Saved passwords and keys are kept in your device's Keychain, set to this device only: never synced, and never restored onto another device from a backup. Saved SSH passwords and a Mac's password ask for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode each time Conn uses them, and Conn has no way to show a saved password.
A keyboard from another app can see what you type, so use the system keyboard when you type a password into a terminal or a screen.
Conn checks each server's SSH key
The first time you connect, Conn remembers the server's SSH key. If it ever changes, Conn stops and shows you the old and new fingerprints, so a machine pretending to be yours can't quietly take its place.
Connections stay encrypted
Terminal and Files always travel inside SSH, which is encrypted. A screen does too wherever its machine has SSH, unless it's on Tailscale or you chose Connect Directly. On a machine without SSH, a screen that encrypts itself, as a Raspberry Pi's usually does, goes straight to it.
A screen that would travel without encryption is marked with an open padlock, and Conn asks before it first connects that way. Conn keeps that choice for that address only, and you can forget it in Edit Host.
No account, no analytics, no Conn servers
There is nothing to sign up for, and nothing of yours passes through us. Conn has no analytics, no tracking, no ads and no servers of its own, and it sends nothing to any AI service. See the privacy policy for exactly what stays on your device and what syncs.
Keeping connections safe
- Never open a screen's port on your router. Use Tailscale, or let Conn carry the screen over SSH.
- Away from your network, reach your machines through Tailscale or another VPN, or over SSH.
- An open padlock by a screen's name means it travels without encryption, so others on the network could see it.
- Use keys rather than passwords where you can, and a Secure Enclave key where your device has one.
- Keep your machines up to date, along with their SSH and screen servers.
How it's tested
Conn is tested against real SSH, SFTP and VNC servers, and its sensitive code had seven security reviews in October 2026. What was tested, what was found and fixed, and what hasn't been done yet are on How Conn is tested.
Reporting a security problem
If you think you've found a security problem in Conn, please email admin@bottletopstudios.co.uk with "Security" in the subject. Include the Conn version, your device and its system version, and the steps that show the problem.
- We reply within 3 working days, and keep you told how the fix is going.
- Please give us a reasonable time to ship a fix before you tell anyone else. We'll agree a date with you.
- Test only against your own machines and your own devices. Don't access other people's data or disrupt anyone's service.
- If you act in good faith within these lines, we won't take action against you.
- We don't run a paid bug bounty. With your agreement, we'll thank you by name on this page once the fix is out.
Machine-readable contact details: security.txt.