Enable SSH root login on Ubuntu 16.

04 Xenial Xerus
Linux Server/Desktop
admin
Ubuntu
19 May 2016
The following config will guide you through the process of enabling SSH root login on Ubuntu
16.04 Xenial Xerus Linux Server or Desktop. This guide assumes that you are in possession of root
password and are able to login directly on your system as root user. Use the following guide, if you
do not have a root's user password.

By default the root's ssh remote shell access is denied by default. Any attempt to remote login as
root will result in Permission denied message:

$ ssh root@10.0.0.55

root@10.0.0.55's password:

Permission denied, please try again.

root@10.0.0.55's password:

In order to enable root ssh login on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus Linux run the following command:

$ sudo sed -i 's/prohibit-password/yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

or manually open sshd configuration file /etc/ssh/sshd_config and change line:

FROM:

PermitRootLogin prohibit-password

TO:

PermitRootLogin yes

Once you have made the above configuration change restart ssh daemon:

$ sudo systemctl restart sshd

After you restart sshd daemon you will be able to remotely login as a root user:
$ ssh root@10.0.0.55

root@10.0.0.55's password:

Welcome to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.4.0-22-generic x86_64)

* Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/

22 packages can be updated.

20 updates are security updates.

The programs included with the Ubuntu system are free software;

the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the

individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.

Ubuntu comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by

applicable law.