Fix "Permission Denied" SSH Error

Prerequisites

Before troubleshooting, ensure you have:

• Your server IP address
• SSH client (terminal, PuTTY)
• Valid username and password or SSH key

Common Causes

The "Permission denied" error typically means:

• Incorrect username or password
• Wrong SSH key permissions
• User not allowed to SSH into the server
• Root login disabled

Fix 1: Verify Credentials

Double-check your username and password. The default root user for Hostxpeed is:

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

Then enter your root password exactly as provided.

Fix 2: Check SSH Key Permissions

If using SSH keys, ensure correct permissions on your local machine:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Fix 3: Verify User Exists on Server

As root, check if the user account exists:

cat /etc/passwd | grep username

If not found, create the user:

adduser username

Fix 4: Check SSH Configuration

On the server, verify SSH settings:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Ensure these lines exist:

PasswordAuthentication yes
ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes
PermitRootLogin yes

Restart SSH after changes:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Fix 5: Check Account Lockout

The user account might be locked:

sudo passwd -S username

If locked (shows "L"), unlock with:

sudo passwd -u username

Fix 6: Check /etc/ssh/sshd_config for DenyUsers

Look for lines that might block specific users:

grep -i "denyusers" /etc/ssh/sshd_config

If present, remove or comment them out.

Quick Diagnostic Commands

On the server (via console access), check SSH logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/auth.log | grep sshd

For CentOS/RHEL:

sudo journalctl -u sshd -f