ssh as root with and without private key

Dave Yost Dave at Yost.com
Mon Jun 1 17:01:39 EST 2009


Hi.

I have a client machine using ssh as root via key authorization to a 
server. The client uses rsync to send backup data to the server. I 
use ForceCommand to allow only this activity when using key 
authorization.

But I also want to be able to ssh as root with a required password to 
do whatever I like.

So I thought that in addition to root, I'd make a rootback account:

   root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
   rootback:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

(Entries in /etc/shadow are required for both, turns out.)

In sshd_conf I have this

   Match User rootback
           PermitRootLogin yes
           ForceCommand /root/bin/dobackup
   Match User root
           PermitRootLogin yes
   Match

When I
   ssh -l rootback host whatever
it runs the dobackup script.

However, when I run
   ssh -l root host date
it logs me in without asking for a password and runs date.

So close. But not right.

Is there a way to get what I want?

I'm running
   openssh.x86_64 5.2p1-2.fc11
on Fedora 11

Thanks

Dave


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