Ssh – rkhunter warning about ssh root access when that access is not allowed on the system

rkhunterrootSecurityssh

I just ran rkhunter --check and all was good except this:

Checking if SSH root access is allowed                   [ Warning]

What does this warning mean? SSH root access is not allowed on this system.

EDIT #1

Here is how my /etc/ssh/sshd_config is set:

PermitRootLogin no

and rkhunter.conf

root ~ # cat /etc/rkhunter.conf | grep  ALLOW_SSH_ROOT_USER
#ALLOW_SSH_ROOT_USER=no
ALLOW_SSH_ROOT_USER=unset

Best Answer

The following values need to match:

  1. In rkhunter configuration:

    cat /etc/rkhunter.conf | grep ALLOW_SSH_ROOT_USER

    ALLOW_SSH_ROOT_USER=no

  2. In sshd configuration:

    cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config | grep PermitRootLogin

    PermitRootLogin no

Once they do match, you should not be warned by rkhunter any longer.

Related Question