100 Days of DevOps: Day 3 - Strengthening SSH and Best Practices
To disable direct root login over SSH, edit the SSH daemon configuration file located at /etc/ssh/sshd_config and set the PermitRootLogin directive to no by indicating PermitRootLogin no. Then apply the changes by restarting the SSH service with the command sudo systemctl restart sshd.
Why disabling direct root access is important: by forcing administrators and users to first log in with a standard user account, an additional layer of security is added, since a brute force attack would have to guess both the username and password, not just the password of a known user like root.
Improved accountability and auditing: when each person uses their own named account, a clear audit trail is generated that makes it easier to track who made changes and when, a key aspect for compliance, monitoring, and incident resolution.
Controlled privilege escalation: users who need administrative privileges can obtain them through sudo after authenticating, allowing finer control and detailed logging of privileged actions.
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