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Access to remote server via SSH via pem key requests 2 set of password (key and user)

in flag

On a remote server, I would like to access via ssh only with a pem key, which is password protected, but I'm being asked for the user account password as well

I created the account which I want to use when log in from my host with the following command:

sudo useradd -d /home/admin -m -G sudo admin

Since my pem key is protected by a password, I don't want to set a second one (the key password and the user password), but only the key file password to be prompted, instead of both.

I generated my pem key with PuttyGen, saved the public and private key, exported in OpenSSH key (pem). I then added the publick key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file.

I can access to the remote server, but I must type in 2 passwords (for the key, and the user) which is kinda annoying. I just want to type in one password, preferably the one for pem key.

$ ssh -i admin.pem admin@dcimtest.cloud

Enter passphrase for key 'admin.pem':
admin@dcimtest.cloud's password:

this is the result of ssh -vvv -i admin.pem admin@dcimtest.cloud

OpenSSH_8.4p1 Debian-5+deb11u1, OpenSSL 1.1.1n  15 Mar 2022
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config
debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 19: include /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/*.conf matched no files
debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 21: Applying options for *
debug3: expanded UserKnownHostsFile '~/.ssh/known_hosts' -> '/home/host/.ssh/known_hosts'
debug3: expanded UserKnownHostsFile '~/.ssh/known_hosts2' -> '/home/host/.ssh/known_hosts2'
debug2: resolving "dcimtest.cloud" port 22
debug2: ssh_connect_direct
debug1: Connecting to dcimtest.cloud [12.12.123.123] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: identity file admin.pem type -1
debug1: identity file admin.pem-cert type -1
debug1: Local version string SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_8.4p1 Debian-5+deb11u1
debug1: Remote protocol version 2.0, remote software version OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.7
debug1: match: OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.7 pat OpenSSH_7.0*,OpenSSH_7.1*,OpenSSH_7.2*,OpenSSH_7.3*,OpenSSH_7.4*,OpenSSH_7.5*,OpenSSH_7.6*,OpenSSH_7.7* compat 0x04000002
debug2: fd 3 setting O_NONBLOCK
debug1: Authenticating to dcimtest.cloud:22 as 'admin'
debug3: hostkeys_foreach: reading file "/home/host/.ssh/known_hosts"
debug3: record_hostkey: found key type ECDSA in file /home/host/.ssh/known_hosts:5
debug3: load_hostkeys: loaded 1 keys from dcimtest.cloud
debug3: order_hostkeyalgs: have matching best-preference key type ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com, using HostkeyAlgorithms verbatim
debug3: send packet: type 20
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT sent
debug3: receive packet: type 20
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT received
debug2: local client KEXINIT proposal
debug2: KEX algorithms: curve25519-sha256,curve25519-sha256@libssh.org,ecdh-sha2-nistp256,ecdh-sha2-nistp384,ecdh-sha2-nistp521,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256,diffie-hellman-group16-sha512,diffie-hellman-group18-sha512,diffie-hellman-group14-sha256,ext-info-c
debug2: host key algorithms: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-cert-v01@openssh.com,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-cert-v01@openssh.com,sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com,ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com,sk-ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com,rsa-sha2-512-cert-v01@openssh.com,rsa-sha2-256-cert-v01@openssh.com,ssh-rsa-cert-v01@openssh.com,ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521,sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com,ssh-ed25519,sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com,rsa-sha2-512,rsa-sha2-256,ssh-rsa
debug2: ciphers ctos: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com
debug2: ciphers stoc: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com
debug2: MACs ctos: umac-64-etm@openssh.com,umac-128-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com,umac-64@openssh.com,umac-128@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256,hmac-sha2-512,hmac-sha1
debug2: MACs stoc: umac-64-etm@openssh.com,umac-128-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com,umac-64@openssh.com,umac-128@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256,hmac-sha2-512,hmac-sha1
debug2: compression ctos: none,zlib@openssh.com,zlib
debug2: compression stoc: none,zlib@openssh.com,zlib
debug2: languages ctos:
debug2: languages stoc:
debug2: first_kex_follows 0
debug2: reserved 0
debug2: peer server KEXINIT proposal
debug2: KEX algorithms: curve25519-sha256,curve25519-sha256@libssh.org,ecdh-sha2-nistp256,ecdh-sha2-nistp384,ecdh-sha2-nistp521,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256,diffie-hellman-group16-sha512,diffie-hellman-group18-sha512,diffie-hellman-group14-sha256,diffie-hellman-group14-sha1
debug2: host key algorithms: ssh-rsa,rsa-sha2-512,rsa-sha2-256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ssh-ed25519
debug2: ciphers ctos: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com
debug2: ciphers stoc: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr,aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com
debug2: MACs ctos: umac-64-etm@openssh.com,umac-128-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com,umac-64@openssh.com,umac-128@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256,hmac-sha2-512,hmac-sha1
debug2: MACs stoc: umac-64-etm@openssh.com,umac-128-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com,umac-64@openssh.com,umac-128@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-256,hmac-sha2-512,hmac-sha1
debug2: compression ctos: none,zlib@openssh.com
debug2: compression stoc: none,zlib@openssh.com
debug2: languages ctos:
debug2: languages stoc:
debug2: first_kex_follows 0
debug2: reserved 0
debug1: kex: algorithm: curve25519-sha256
debug1: kex: host key algorithm: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256
debug1: kex: server->client cipher: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug1: kex: client->server cipher: chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug3: send packet: type 30
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEX_ECDH_REPLY
debug3: receive packet: type 31
debug1: Server host key: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 SHA256:tXow8uxHUporGIyc1suFxLAT92JRXRHO0FHUxgnpwAQ
debug3: hostkeys_foreach: reading file "/home/host/.ssh/known_hosts"
debug3: record_hostkey: found key type ECDSA in file /home/host/.ssh/known_hosts:5
debug3: load_hostkeys: loaded 1 keys from dcimtest.cloud
debug3: hostkeys_foreach: reading file "/home/host/.ssh/known_hosts"
debug3: record_hostkey: found key type ECDSA in file /home/host/.ssh/known_hosts:6
debug3: load_hostkeys: loaded 1 keys from 12.12.123.123
debug1: Host 'dcimtest.cloud' is known and matches the ECDSA host key.
debug1: Found key in /home/host/.ssh/known_hosts:5
debug3: send packet: type 21
debug2: set_newkeys: mode 1
debug1: rekey out after 134217728 blocks
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug3: receive packet: type 21
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug2: set_newkeys: mode 0
debug1: rekey in after 134217728 blocks
debug1: Will attempt key: admin.pem  explicit
debug2: pubkey_prepare: done
debug3: send packet: type 5
debug3: receive packet: type 7
debug1: SSH2_MSG_EXT_INFO received
debug1: kex_input_ext_info: server-sig-algs=<ssh-ed25519,ssh-rsa,rsa-sha2-256,rsa-sha2-512,ssh-dss,ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521>
debug3: receive packet: type 6
debug2: service_accept: ssh-userauth
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug3: send packet: type 50
debug3: receive packet: type 51
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,password
debug3: start over, passed a different list publickey,password
debug3: preferred gssapi-with-mic,publickey,keyboard-interactive,password
debug3: authmethod_lookup publickey
debug3: remaining preferred: keyboard-interactive,password
debug3: authmethod_is_enabled publickey
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Trying private key: admin.pem
Enter passphrase for key 'admin.pem':
debug3: sign_and_send_pubkey: RSA SHA256:svjGE6KxfPWZ3wosEHHgyO6I2hVxxxxxxxxx/NLYBtM
debug3: sign_and_send_pubkey: signing using rsa-sha2-512 SHA256:svjGE6KxfPWZ3wosEHHgyO6I2hVxxxxxxxxx/NLYBtM
debug3: send packet: type 50
debug2: we sent a publickey packet, wait for reply
debug3: receive packet: type 51
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,password
debug2: we did not send a packet, disable method
debug3: authmethod_lookup password
debug3: remaining preferred: ,password
debug3: authmethod_is_enabled password
debug1: Next authentication method: password
admin@dcimtest.cloud's password:
debug3: send packet: type 50
debug2: we sent a password packet, wait for reply
debug3: receive packet: type 52
debug1: Authentication succeeded (password).
Authenticated to dcimtest.cloud ([12.12.123.123]:22).
debug1: channel 0: new [client-session]
debug3: ssh_session2_open: channel_new: 0
debug2: channel 0: send open
debug3: send packet: type 90
debug1: Requesting no-more-sessions@openssh.com
debug3: send packet: type 80
debug1: Entering interactive session.
debug1: pledge: network
debug3: receive packet: type 80
debug1: client_input_global_request: rtype hostkeys-00@openssh.com want_reply 0
debug3: receive packet: type 91
debug2: channel_input_open_confirmation: channel 0: callback start
debug2: fd 3 setting TCP_NODELAY
debug3: ssh_packet_set_tos: set IP_TOS 0x10
debug2: client_session2_setup: id 0
debug2: channel 0: request pty-req confirm 1
debug3: send packet: type 98
debug1: Sending environment.
debug3: Ignored env SHELL
debug3: Ignored env WSL_DISTRO_NAME
debug3: Ignored env WT_SESSION
debug3: Ignored env NAME
debug3: Ignored env PWD
debug3: Ignored env LOGNAME
debug3: Ignored env HOME
debug1: Sending env LANG = en_US.UTF-8
debug2: channel 0: request env confirm 0
debug3: send packet: type 98
debug3: Ignored env LS_COLORS
debug3: Ignored env TERM
debug3: Ignored env USER
debug3: Ignored env SHLVL
debug3: Ignored env WSLENV
debug3: Ignored env PATH
debug3: Ignored env HOSTTYPE
debug3: Ignored env WT_PROFILE_ID
debug3: Ignored env OLDPWD
debug3: Ignored env _
debug2: channel 0: request shell confirm 1
debug3: send packet: type 98
debug2: channel_input_open_confirmation: channel 0: callback done
debug2: channel 0: open confirm rwindow 0 rmax 32768
debug3: receive packet: type 99
debug2: channel_input_status_confirm: type 99 id 0
debug2: PTY allocation request accepted on channel 0
debug2: channel 0: rcvd adjust 2097152
debug3: receive packet: type 99
debug2: channel_input_status_confirm: type 99 id 0
debug2: shell request accepted on channel 0

Welcome to Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (GNU/Linux 5.4.0-1098-azure x86_64)
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in flag

I resolved adding my public key in the public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys using VI instead Nano, perhaps Nano add some kind of formatting to the text that won't let the public key to be recognized.

mangohost

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