Disable Root SSH Login on Red Hat / Oracle Linux 7

Any Linux server should be configured to disable root login via SSH. This is one of many security best practices.

To do so:

1. Login as root to the server.

2. Edit the SSH config file:

[root@soahost1 ~]# vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config

3. Make the following change to the file:

OLD: #PermitRootLogin yes 

NEW: PermitRootLogin no

4. (Linux 5/6) Restart the SSH service:

[root@soahost1 ~]# /etc/init.d/sshd restart

5. (Linux 7) Restart the SSH service:

[root@soahost1 ~]# systemctl restart sshd.service

Applicable Versions:

• Red Hat / Oracle Linux 5+, 6+
• Red Hat / Oracle Linux 7+