> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/appsec-rules/iac-security/iam/appsec-azure-178.md).

# Linux VM Without SSH Key misconfiguration detected in code

## Linux VM Without SSH Key misconfiguration detected in code

### Rule Details

|                        |                                            |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Cortex AppSec Rule ID  | APPSEC\_AZURE\_178                         |
| Category - Subcategory | Public Exposure - Encryption And Protocols |
| Provider               | AZURE                                      |
| Severity               | HIGH                                       |
| Framework              | ARM, Bicep, Terraform, Terraform Plan      |

### Impact

SSH (Secure Shell) provides encrypted communication sessions for Linux VMs in a potentially insecure network. Utilizing SSH keys rather than passwords enhances the security even further. SSH keys are more secure and complex than passwords and are more challenging for attackers to compromise.

This rule checks to ensure that Linux VMs and Linux VM Scale Sets in Azure are configured to use SSH keys for authentication.

### How to Fix

*Resources:*

* azurerm\_linux\_virtual\_machine
* azurerm\_linux\_virtual\_machine\_scale\_set

*Argument:*

* admin\_ssh\_key

### Note: It's recommended to enable SSH with keys on all Linux VM and VM Scale Set instances in Azure to ensure secure communication and authentication. \[source,go]

resource "azurerm\_linux\_virtual\_machine" "example" { name = "example-linux-vm" location = azurerm\_resource\_group.example.location resource\_group\_name = azurerm\_resource\_group.example.name

## ... other configurations ...

* admin\_ssh\_key {
* username = "adminuser"
* public\_key = file("\~/.ssh/id\_rsa.pub") } }

resource "azurerm\_linux\_virtual\_machine\_scale\_set" "example" { name = "example-linux-vmss" location = azurerm\_resource\_group.example.location resource\_group\_name = azurerm\_resource\_group.example.name

## ... other configurations ...

* admin\_ssh\_key {
* username = "adminuser"
* public\_key = file("\~/.ssh/id\_rsa.pub") } }

***


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