Re: Root password strength

From	jeremy ardley <jeremy.ardley@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	linux.debian.user
Subject	Re: Root password strength
Date	2024-03-19 21:30 +0100
Message-ID	<IjOfT-fl7-5@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References	<IjIWR-b9R-15@gated-at.bofh.it> <IjJgd-bzk-13@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization	linux.* mail to news gateway

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On 19/3/24 23:02, Greg Wooledge wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 05:42:55PM +0300, Jan Krapivin wrote:
>> The root user's password should be long (12 characters or more) and
>> impossible to guess. Indeed, any computer (and a fortiori any server)
>> connected to the Internet is regularly targeted by automated connection
>> attempts with the most obvious passwords. [...]
> For most people, this really isn't a concern, because they either don't
> run an ssh server at all, or they use the default sshd_config which does
> not allow root logins.
>
> The only time you need to worry about this is if you:
>
>   * Run an ssh server, AND
>   * Accept ssh connections from the public Internet, AND
>   * Have changed the sshd_config file to allow ssh root logins.
>

A preferred method of securing root on public access systems is to use 
client certificates. Some implementations will have no password for root 
so unless you have the certificate you will never be able to log in.

Cloud servers such as hosted by AWS typically do this.

A 'safer' implementation will not even expose an ssh port. Instead there 
will be a certificate based VPN where you first need a certificate to 
connect and then you need a separate certificate to log in as root. A 
further enhancement of security is to use 2-factor authentication - 
which is supported in sshd via pam.

For me to get remote root access to my systems I first need to connect 
to my firewall with a certificate based vpn; then I need to present a 
root client certificate; and then I need to enter a 2fa code.

Even from within my network I need a client certificate and 2fa to 
connect to an sshd server.

Thread

Root password strength Jan Krapivin <daydreamer199005@gmail.com> - 2024-03-19 15:50 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Jan Krapivin <daydreamer199005@gmail.com> - 2024-03-19 16:00 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2024-03-19 16:10 +0100
    Re: Root password strength debian-user@howorth.org.uk - 2024-03-19 16:50 +0100
      Re: Root password strength Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-03-19 21:20 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-03-19 16:10 +0100
    Re: Root password strength jeremy ardley <jeremy.ardley@gmail.com> - 2024-03-19 21:30 +0100
      Re: Root password strength <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-03-20 06:40 +0100
        Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 07:10 +0100
          Re: Root password strength tomas@tuxteam.de - 2024-03-20 08:40 +0100
        Re: Root password strength jeremy ardley <jeremy.ardley@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 08:50 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 12:10 +0100
            Re: Root password strength <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-03-20 12:20 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 13:20 +0100
            Re: Root password strength jeremy ardley <jeremy.ardley@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 12:30 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 13:10 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2024-03-20 13:40 +0100
            Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 14:30 +0100
              Re: Root password strength <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-03-20 14:50 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Marco Moock <mm@dorfdsl.de> - 2024-03-19 16:40 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-19 20:40 +0100
    Re: Root password strength debian-user@howorth.org.uk - 2024-03-19 22:00 +0100
  Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 16:00 +0100
    Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 16:20 +0100
      Re: Root password strength Jan Krapivin <daydreamer199005@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 16:30 +0100
        Re: Root password strength John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-03-20 17:10 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 17:20 +0100
            Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 18:50 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 19:10 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 19:30 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 19:50 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Lee <ler762@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 20:50 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 21:00 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Lee <ler762@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 21:30 +0100
          Re: Root password strength <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2024-03-20 18:50 +0100
            Re: Root password strength John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-03-20 19:50 +0100
        Re: Root password strength "Alexander V. Makartsev" <avbetev@gmail.com> - 2024-03-21 20:40 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Jan Krapivin <daydreamer199005@gmail.com> - 2024-03-22 11:00 +0100
            Re: Root password strength Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2024-03-22 12:00 +0100
            Re: Root password strength "Alexander V. Makartsev" <avbetev@gmail.com> - 2024-03-22 13:30 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-23 10:50 +0100
            Re: Root password strength Lee <ler762@gmail.com> - 2024-03-23 01:10 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-23 11:30 +0100
      Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 16:50 +0100
    Re: Root password strength John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-03-20 17:00 +0100
      Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 17:10 +0100
        Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 17:30 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Max Nikulin <manikulin@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 17:50 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 18:00 +0100
            Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 18:40 +0100
              Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 18:50 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 19:20 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 19:40 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> - 2024-03-20 21:20 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Curt <curty@free.fr> - 2024-03-21 17:50 +0100
                Re: Root password strength John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-03-20 19:40 +0100
                Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 19:50 +0100
        Re: Root password strength John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2024-03-20 17:30 +0100
          Re: Root password strength Pierre-Elliott Bécue <peb@debian.org> - 2024-03-20 18:00 +0100
        Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 19:20 +0100
      Re: Root password strength Michael Kjörling <2695bd53d63c@ewoof.net> - 2024-03-20 17:10 +0100

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