LFCS · Question #395
An administrator can prevent dictionary based attacks against an OpenSSH server by forcing keybased authentication with which TWO parameters in sshd_config?
The correct answer is A. PasswordAuthentication D. PubkeyAuthentication. To prevent dictionary attacks on an OpenSSH server, an administrator should disable password authentication and enable public key authentication.
Question
Options
- APasswordAuthentication
- BHostKey
- CPrivatekeyAuthentication
- DPubkeyAuthentication
- EServerKey
How the community answered
(49 responses)- A92% (45)
- B2% (1)
- C2% (1)
- E4% (2)
Why each option
To prevent dictionary attacks on an OpenSSH server, an administrator should disable password authentication and enable public key authentication.
Setting `PasswordAuthentication no` disables password-based logins, eliminating the possibility of dictionary attacks against user passwords.
`HostKey` specifies the path to the server's host private key files and does not control authentication methods.
`PrivatekeyAuthentication` is not a standard `sshd_config` parameter; the correct parameter for key-based authentication is `PubkeyAuthentication`.
Setting `PubkeyAuthentication yes` enables authentication using SSH keys, which are cryptographically strong and not susceptible to dictionary attacks.
`ServerKey` is not a standard `sshd_config` parameter; host keys are specified by `HostKey`.
Concept tested: SSHD authentication methods
Source: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sshd_config.5.html
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