Deploy to remote server using SSH fails on "Host key verification failed" #26564

felixmosh · 2020-03-01T06:04:48Z

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020

I’ve Generated new SSH keys (private & public), stored the private SSH key as a secret and added the public one to .ssh/authorized_keys on my server.

In my github action I’ve writing the private key as a file.

-name: Create SSH key
run: echo "$GITHUB_PRIVATE_KEY" > ../github_do.key
shell: bash
env:
GITHUB\_PRIVATE\_KEY: ${{secrets.GITHUB_PRIVATE_KEY}}

Then using this file

ssh -i path-to-file  ***@***"mkdir -p /home/ ***/*** /releases/2020-02-29-v***.244.0"

It fails on Host key verification failed.

Answered by felixmosh

Mar 1, 2020

I solved it!!!
Apparently keys were protected with passphrase 🤯.

Once I’ve generated a new ones without it, it worked.

So that is the whole process:

Genereate new keys

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C “user@host” -q -N “”
Update your host’s authorized_keys

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub user@host
Enter the server & run

ssh-keyscan host
Copy the output to github secret (let call it SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS)
Copy the private key to a github secret (lets call it SSH_PRIVATE_KEY)

In your workflow.yml file

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Create SSH key
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
          echo "$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY" > ../private.key
          sud…

View full answer

airtower-luna · 2020-03-01T08:36:45Z

airtower-luna
Mar 1, 2020

That message means that the connection failed because your server could not be authenticated. You should write the host key (from /etc/ssh/ssh_host_KEYTYPE_key.pub) to the ~/.ssh/known_hosts file on the runner together with the host name, e.g.:

server.example.net ssh-ed25519 AAAAC...

0 replies

felixmosh · 2020-03-01T08:51:26Z

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020
Author

Thank you!

I’ve used this in order to add my server to known_hosts fille

ssh-keyscan -H ${{secrets.DEPLOY_SERVER}} > ~/.ssh/known_hosts

And it solved the previous error, but, now I get this:

@ ***-err*** @***: Permission denied (publickey,gssapi-keyex,gssapi-with-mic).

Any pointers?

0 replies

airtower-luna · 2020-03-01T17:56:32Z

airtower-luna
Mar 1, 2020

That error probably means that your server doesn’t accept the configured private key for the target user. Check that the matching public key is included in the authorized_keys file of that user.

Also, if you use the result of ssh-keyscan without verification you’re effectively disabling host key checking. Consider if that really is an acceptable risk according to your security model.

0 replies

felixmosh · 2020-03-01T18:13:56Z

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020
Author

Ok, i will try to with your approach.

0 replies

felixmosh · 2020-03-01T19:55:07Z

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020
Author

Ok, so I’ve changed my approach,

I’ve entered to my server, ssh-keyscan server.ip, copied the first part to a secret, DO_GITHUB_PUBLIC_KEY.
I’ve added this part to prepare known_hosts.

echo "$DO_GITHUB_PUBLIC_KEY" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts

And I still get the same thing :\

@ ***-err*** @***: Permission denied (publickey,gssapi-keyex,gssapi-with-mic).

0 replies

felixmosh · 2020-03-01T21:09:32Z

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020
Author

I solved it!!!
Apparently keys were protected with passphrase 🤯.

Once I’ve generated a new ones without it, it worked.

So that is the whole process:

Genereate new keys

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C “user@host” -q -N “”
Update your host’s authorized_keys

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub user@host
Enter the server & run

ssh-keyscan host
Copy the output to github secret (let call it SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS)
Copy the private key to a github secret (lets call it SSH_PRIVATE_KEY)

In your workflow.yml file

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Create SSH key
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
          echo "$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY" > ../private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key
          echo "$SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
        shell: bash
        env:
          SSH_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY}}
          SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{secrets.SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS}}

Then you can use ssh with

ssh -i path-to/private.key user@host

2 replies

ngohuytrieu Jul 29, 2022

I run into this issue today
Here is my action

- name: Create SSH key
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
          echo "$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY" > ~/.ssh/private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ~/.ssh/private.key
          echo "$SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
          sudo chmod 600 ~/.ssh/known_hosts
        shell: bash
        env:
          SSH_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{secrets.SSH_KEY}}
          SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{secrets.SSH_HOSTNAME}}
      - name: SSH into DO and run
        run: >
          ssh -i ~/.ssh/private.key -tt username@hostname
          "
            echo 'Welcome to ec2'
          "

Any idea @felixmosh ?

felixmosh Jul 29, 2022
Author

Did you read what I've written above?
Make sure that you don't have passphrase on the keys

virtuallabdev · 2021-05-03T18:52:55Z

virtuallabdev
May 3, 2021

Could you please provide an example with rsync? thanks in advance

0 replies

airtower-luna · 2021-05-04T06:56:13Z

airtower-luna
May 4, 2021

What are you trying to do with rsync? There shouldn’t be any difference, if SSH works you can use rsync over SSH without any additional steps.

0 replies

felixmosh · 2021-05-04T07:44:58Z

felixmosh
May 4, 2021
Author

rsync works with ssh, like @airtower-luna said, all you need is a working ssh…

0 replies

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Deploy to remote server using SSH fails on "Host key verification failed" #26564

felixmosh Mar 1, 2020

Replies: 9 comments · 2 replies

airtower-luna Mar 1, 2020

felixmosh Mar 1, 2020 Author

airtower-luna Mar 1, 2020

felixmosh Mar 1, 2020 Author

felixmosh Mar 1, 2020 Author

felixmosh Mar 1, 2020 Author

ngohuytrieu Jul 29, 2022

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virtuallabdev May 3, 2021

airtower-luna May 4, 2021

felixmosh May 4, 2021 Author

felixmosh
Mar 1, 2020

Replies: 9 comments 2 replies

airtower-luna
Mar 1, 2020

felixmosh
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airtower-luna
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felixmosh
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felixmosh
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felixmosh
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felixmosh Jul 29, 2022
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virtuallabdev
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airtower-luna
May 4, 2021

felixmosh
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