XK0-005 Question #364: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

An administrator wants to be able to access a remote server. After creating an SSH key pair, which of the following describes where the public key should be placed to allow for key-based authentication?

Options

• A-/, ssh/authorized_keys
• B-/ssh/id_ras.pub
• C-/.ssh/known_hosts
• D-/.ssh/config

Explanation

To enable SSH key-based authentication, the public key generated on the client machine must be placed in the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the remote server.

Common mistakes.

• B. ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub is the default location for the client's own public key on the client machine, not where public keys are placed on the remote server for authentication.
• C. ~/.ssh/known_hosts stores the public keys of remote servers the client has connected to, which is used to verify the server's identity, not for client authentication to the server.
• D. ~/.ssh/config is a client-side configuration file used to define custom SSH connection settings for different hosts, not for storing public keys on the remote server for authentication.

Concept tested. SSH key-based authentication; authorized_keys file

Reference. https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/authorized_keys

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