How to Block Root Password-Guessing Attacks on a Linux Server The benefit of performing the preceding steps is that it is nearly impossible for an attacker to log on to your server as root by guessing the password. In order for the attacker to masquerade as root, she or he would have to have your private key and know the pass phrase associated with it. Using Cryptographic Keys for SSH Root Login Take one look at /var/log/secure on an Internet-connected server and you'll immediately understand the need for securing your root account. The bad guys are constantly attempting root and other usernames to attempt to login to your server using SSH or some other protocol. If you use a simple password, it's only a matter of time before your server is compromised by a password-guessing attack. Best practice is to disallow SSH logins by root, thus eliminating a big part of the risk. The problem is that doing so also eliminates a lot of ...
Comments
Post a Comment