Host Verification Failed?
Linode
Linode Staff
Today, all of a sudden, I can not access my Linode through ssh. What happened and how can I fix this?
Host verification failed.
ECDSA host key for yoursite.net has changed and you have requested strict checking
2 Replies
rdaniels
Linode Staff
Hello,
I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing trouble connecting to your Linode account. From the error message you shared, it appears that your Linode's fingerprint has changed for some reason. This Community site post explains the two reasons that are generally expected to cause this change. However, the post also mentions how important it is to be sure that this change was caused for a legitimate reason, and not a bad actor.
If you believe the change was caused by a safe a legitimate reason, then you can correct this connection refusal problem using one of the two ways mentioned below.
Way 1
- On your local computer's terminal application, open your .ssh/known_hosts file with a text editor
/Users/$USERNAME/.ssh/known_hosts
- Remove the key for your Linode's IP address
Way 2
- From the command line enter
ssh-keygen -R <linode's IP.
If you are not sure how this change could have occurred, I recommend connecting to your Linode using our Lish console and reviewing your system for any unusual files using the steps outlined here.
I hope this has been helpful!
