Posts

Tag: server-hardening

Why PasswordAuthentication no does nothing on Ubuntu 24.04

sshd uses the FIRST value it finds, not the last — and 50-cloud-init.conf sets PasswordAuthentication yes before your file is ever read. How to check what is actually in effect, and how to fix it properly.

Sep 2, 2026 4 min read

Linux

Contabo re-enables root SSH login on every boot (Ubuntu 24.04)

Contabo ships a cloud-init bootcmd that rewrites sshd_config at every restart. Here is what it does, why a 99- hardening file loses to it, and how to make hardening survive a reboot.

Sep 2, 2026 5 min read