Remember this password, you will need it later in order to log in to Ubuntu server via SSH. Once the QR code is scanned, you should see a six-digit one-time password on your phone:īy default, it lasts for 30 seconds. Next, open Google Authenticator on your Mobile and scan the QR code. You should see a QR code in the following screen:

Once installed, run the Google Authenticator with the following command:ĭuring the execution, you will need to answer some questions as shown below:ĭo you want authentication tokens to be time-based (y/n): y Warning: pasting the following URL into your browser exposes the OTP secret to y and hit Enter to continue. You can install it by running the following command:Īpt-get install libpam-google-authenticator In order to set up SSH Server with Two-Factor AuthenticationFirst, you will need to install Google Authenticator PAM module to your system.

Install and Configure Google Authenticator Smart Phone with Google Authenticator installed.A server running Ubuntu/Debian with SSH server installed.In this tutorial, we will show you how to secure SSH with two factor authentication. This will significantly enhance your server’s security. In two factor authentication, you will need to provide your system user password and another password generated on a mobile device. It is always recommended to use Two factor authentication to add an extra layer of security. But, this is only a single factor authentication. You can also use SSH key instead of a password. By default, SSH uses a password to authenticate the system. So securing SSH is a very important part of any system administrator. You can control your whole server with SSH. SSH, also known as “ Secure Shell“, is a network protocol that can be used to login remote system securely over an unsecured network.

In this article we will show your how to set up SSH server with Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Ubuntu and Debian.

Debian 10 install ssh server