Description: An SSH private key is one of two files used in SSH public key authentication. In this authentication method, The possession of the private key is proof of identity. Only a private key that corresponds to a public key will be able to authenticate successfully. The private keys need to be stored and handled carefully, and no copies of the private key should be distributed. Rationale: If an unauthorized user obtains the private SSH host key file, the host could be impersonated Remediation: Run the following commands to set ownership and permissions on the private SSH host key files # find /etc/ssh -xdev -type f -name 'ssh_host_*_key' -exec chown root:root {} ; # find /etc/ssh -xdev -type f -name 'ssh_host_*_key' -exec chmod 0600 {} ;

[root, root, 110000000]

Run the following commands to set ownership and permissions on the private SSH host key files # find /etc/ssh -xdev -type f -name 'ssh_host_*_key' -exec chown root:root {} ; # find /etc/ssh -xdev -type f -name 'ssh_host_*_key' -exec chmod 0600 {} ;