---
title: "HOST-SSH-011 SSH Legacy Trust Options Enabled"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-011.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-011.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-011 SSH Legacy Trust Options Enabled

Checks for host-based trust and user environment options that weaken SSH authentication.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Medium
- Control category: Identity and Authentication
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-290, CWE-15
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: IA-2, CM-6
- Benchmark topic: SSH host-based authentication and user environment (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

HostbasedAuthentication and ignoring .rhosts trust other machines instead of users. PermitUserEnvironment lets users set variables such as LD_PRELOAD that can bypass restrictions.

## How It Detects

Reads hostbasedauthentication, ignorerhosts and permituserenvironment from the effective sshd configuration (all evaluated Match contexts).

## How to Fix

Set  HostbasedAuthentication no ,  IgnoreRhosts yes  and  PermitUserEnvironment no  in /etc/ssh/sshd_config, then reload sshd.

## How to Verify

```
sshd -T | grep -Ei 'hostbasedauthentication|ignorerhosts|permituserenvironment'
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P2 SSH Security](https://openvapt.com/academy/p2.md)

## References

- [OpenBSD, sshd_config(5) manual page](https://man.openbsd.org/sshd_config)

## Source Code

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

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-SSH-011`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-SSH-011`.

---

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