---
title: "HOST-SSH-002 SSH Password Authentication Enabled"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-002.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-002.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-SSH-002 SSH Password Authentication Enabled

Checks whether SSH accepts passwords instead of only keys.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Medium
- Control category: Identity and Authentication
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-307, CWE-521
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: IA-2(1), IA-5
- Benchmark topic: SSH server configuration: authentication methods (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

Internet-facing SSH receives constant automated password guessing. Public-key authentication cannot be guessed, phished as easily, or reused from another breached site.

## How It Detects

Reads PasswordAuthentication and KbdInteractiveAuthentication (ChallengeResponseAuthentication on older versions) from the effective sshd configuration. Either set to 'yes' fails. A risky value set inside a Match block in the config files fails as a conditional finding, with the Match condition in the evidence.

## How to Fix

Install your public key for each admin user (ssh-copy-id), confirm key login works in a second session, then set  PasswordAuthentication no  and  KbdInteractiveAuthentication no  in /etc/ssh/sshd_config and reload sshd.

## How to Verify

```
sshd -T | grep -Ei 'passwordauthentication|kbdinteractive'  should show 'no' for both.
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P2 SSH Security](https://openvapt.com/academy/p2.md)
- [P15 Access Control: Accounts, Sudo and Logins](https://openvapt.com/academy/p15.md)

## References

- [OpenBSD, sshd_config(5) manual page](https://man.openbsd.org/sshd_config)
- [NIST SP 800-63B-4, Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Authenticator Management](https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/sp800-63b.html)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/ssh_password_auth.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-SSH-002`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-SSH-002`.

---

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