The SSH host key of my server has changed

Issue Encountered

The SSH host key of your VPS server has changed.

Cause

The SSH key of the host can change for several reasons:

The key was regenerated by your VPS OS during your own manipulation
Cloud-Init was re-executed from the client OS during your own manipulation
The VPS has been reinstalled
In very rare cases, this can happen when upgrading the VPS from one offer to another.

Solution

If the VPS has undergone one of the operations described above, there's no need to worry. However, if you are not the origin of this change, we encourage you to get in touch with our support so we can check if there has been any action on our part.

If we can't find the origin of this change and you can't either, we strongly recommend following the guide at the following link: https://docs.pulseheberg.com/en/article/your-server-has-been-compromised-9d0uki/ to ensure the VPS is not compromised.

PulseHeberg never deliberately changes the SSH host key. We strive to keep it in place, but certain operations can result in a reset of this key for purely technical reasons related to the operation of our provisioning and management system.

Updated on: 22/05/2023