How to Fix Too Many Authentication Failures in SSH

Learn how to resolve too many authentication failures in SSH by clearing outdated keys and adjusting settings.

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To clear too many authentication failures, delete stale SSH keys by accessing the `.ssh/known_hosts` file and removing outdated entries. Restart your SSH service or system if needed. You can also adjust MaxAuthTries in `sshd_config` to allow more attempts before being blocked.

FAQs & Answers

  1. What causes too many authentication failures in SSH? Too many authentication failures can be caused by outdated or incorrect SSH keys in the known_hosts file.
  2. How can I view my SSH known_hosts file? You can view your SSH known_hosts file by navigating to the `.ssh/` directory in your home folder and opening `known_hosts` with a text editor.
  3. What is MaxAuthTries in SSH? MaxAuthTries is a configuration setting in `sshd_config` that determines the maximum number of authentication attempts allowed before the client is blocked.

Watch More

For more tips on managing SSH and improving security, check out our videos on SSH key management and network troubleshooting techniques.

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