Configure SSH for HashiCorp Vault Authentication

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Configure SSH for HashiCorp Vault Authentication

In this hands-on lab, you will be required to configure a HashiCorp Vault to generate SSH one-time passwords for a client on request. In order to achieve this, we will need to configure both the SSH Client, and the HashiCorp Vault servers.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Sep 16, 2025

Duration

2h 0m

Challenge

Unseal the Vault and Log in with the Root Token
1. Retrieve the vault keys.
2. Unseal the vault.
3. Log in with the Initial Root Token.
Challenge

Enable SSH Secrets Engine and Provide Access to `ssh/creds/otp_role`
1. Enable SSH Secrets engine.
2. Create an otp_role with key type otp.
3. Create a policy file to provide access to ssh/creds/otp_role.
4. Write a policy based on the otp-policy.hcl file.
Challenge

Enable the `userpass` Authentication Method
1. Enable userpass.
2. Create a user and assign the otp-policy.
Challenge

Install `vault-ssh-helper` and Configure SSH
1. On the SSH Client server, download vault-ssh-helper.
2. Add the ubuntu user.
3. Unzip the vault-ssh-helper_0.1.6_linux_amd64.zip file and move it to /usr/local/bin.
4. Update the permissions on the vault-ssh-helper binary.
5. Change ownership of the binary from the cloud_user, to the root user, and root group.
6. Create a new directory named vault-ssh-helper.
7. Create a configuration file for vault-ssh-helper.
8. Modify the pam.d/sshd configuration file.
9. Modify the sshd configuration file.
10. Restart sshd to apply the changes.
11. Run vault-ssh-helper verification.
Challenge

Log in with the `userpass` Credentials, and Generate the One-Time Password
1. On the Vault server, log in with the userpass credentials.
2. Create a one-time password and copy the key for later use.
3. From the Client server, use the one-time password to connect to the SSH Client server.

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