Root Password Login Fails Post-Cloud-init

[krakenhavoc]

Issue:
After running cloud-init, root login via password does not work with the default /etc/ssh/sshd_config settings.

Details:
The SSH configuration prevents root password login due to the following lines:

#PermitRootLogin prohibit-password
KbdInteractiveAuthentication no

Resolution:
Update /etc/ssh/sshd_config as follows:

• Change #PermitRootLogin prohibit-password to PermitRootLogin yes
• Change KbdInteractiveAuthentication no to KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes

Steps to reproduce:

1. Provision system with cloud-init and default sshd_config.
2. Attempt to login as root using a password (should fail).
3. Apply above changes in sshd_config, restart SSH, and verify root password login works.

Expected outcome:
Root password login should succeed after updating these configuration values.

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Security Note:
Enabling root password login can increase risk; ensure strong passwords and consider additional security controls.