LPIC-2 System Security Practice Question
Which THREE conditions must be met for an SSH key-based login to succeed using the default settings on a OpenSSH server? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse host key verification (known_hosts) with user authentication (authorized_keys), or assume the server's host key is a condition for login success, when in fact it is always present and unrelated to the key-based login flow.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The ~/.ssh directory on the remote server has permissions 0700
OpenSSH requires the ~/.ssh directory on the remote server to have permissions 0700 (owner-only read/write/execute) to prevent other users from modifying its contents. If the directory is group- or world-writable, the server will reject key-based authentication as a security measure against unauthorized key injection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The ~/.ssh directory on the remote server has permissions 0700
Why this is correct
SSH requires strict permissions on .ssh directory.
- ✓
The remote server has the public key appended to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
Why this is correct
Public key must be in authorized_keys.
- ✗
The remote server has the host key /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
Why it's wrong here
Host key is for server identity, not user authentication.
- ✗
The client has the server's public host key stored in ~/.ssh/known_hosts
Why it's wrong here
Needed for host verification, but not requirement for authentication success (can be bypassed).
- ✓
The client has the private key in ~/.ssh/id_rsa
Why this is correct
Default private key path for RSA.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the LPIC-2 exam.