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Start with the host’s existing logging backend: follow the SSH unit with sudo journalctl -fu ssh.service on a system using systemd, or inspect /var/log/auth.log on Debian- and Ubuntu-style syslog setups. If normal records do not show enough detail, verify the effective sshd settings and raise LogLevel to VERBOSE temporarily; use PAM or audit facilities when you need persistent per-user accounting rather than connection-level events.
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What a failed SSH password attempt looks like
OpenSSH writes authentication events through the AUTH syslog facility. A typical daemon record has the form Failed password for USER from ADDRESS port PORT ssh2. The same event can produce a PAM entry such as pam_unix(sshd:auth): authentication failure. The exact wording changes with the OpenSSH, PAM, and distribution release, so search by the stable ideas—Failed password, authentication failure, Invalid user, and the source address—rather than depending on one complete line.
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First identify where this Linux host records SSH events
systemd-journald
On a system where the SSH service is visible to systemd’s journal, follow new records with:
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sudo journalctl -fu ssh.serviceUbuntu’s documentation uses the unit name ssh.service. Other distributions may register the daemon as sshd.service; use the unit name shown by that host’s service manager. The -f option follows new entries and -u limits the stream to the selected unit. Generate a deliberately unsuccessful login from a test client, then stop the follow mode with Ctrl+C.
Traditional syslog files
Ubuntu-style configurations commonly route AUTH messages to /var/log/auth.log:
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When both backends are enabled
A host can forward the same AUTH event to the journal and a text file. The two views may differ in retention, timestamps, and fields. Choose one backend for routine monitoring and use the other to investigate gaps. Avoid counting lines from both as separate attacks unless you have de-duplicated them.
Check the effective sshd configuration before changing anything
The file you edit is not necessarily the final configuration: an included drop-in can override it. Ask the running configuration parser for the effective values:
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sudo sshd -T | grep -E '^(loglevel|syslogfacility|maxauthtries|passwordauthentication|usepam)'This displays the settings that matter for failed-password logging and its surrounding authentication path:
loglevel: OpenSSH’s default isINFO. Higher levels produce more diagnostics.syslogfacility: Determines the facility that the syslog backend routes; the standard SSH setup uses AUTH.maxauthtries: Limits failures allowed on one connection. Ubuntu’s current Jammy manual lists a default of 6.passwordauthentication: Shows whether password authentication is enabled at all. A disabled value means password guesses will not reach the password-authentication stage.usepam: Indicates whether the PAM account and authentication stack participates, which matters for modules such aspam_faillock.
Run this check as the same configuration context used by the service. If the output differs from the line you planned to edit, locate the active include and change the authoritative file rather than adding a contradictory setting.
View failed attempts in real time
Using the journal
- Open an administrator shell or prefix the command with
sudo. - Start the stream:
sudo journalctl -fu ssh.service(substitute the host’s SSH unit name when necessary). - From a separate machine, make one test connection with an intentionally wrong password to a test account. Do not test against a production account you could lock out.
- Read the resulting daemon and PAM lines. Record the account name, source address, source port, and whether the username was reported as invalid.
- Stop following with
Ctrl+Cwhen the observation window ends.
Journal output is the quickest way to see an event as it arrives. It does not guarantee long-term storage: journal size limits, volatile journals, and retention settings vary by distribution.
Following a text log
For a syslog file, use a tailing command and filter the stream:
sudo tail -F /var/log/auth.log | grep -E 'Failed password|authentication failure|Invalid user'-F follows the file across log rotation. If the distribution writes AUTH events to another file, substitute that path. Keep the unfiltered stream available when diagnosing a new release, because a distribution may use different wording or add context that your filter does not match.
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Searching after an incident
Search the retained journal or rotated text logs for the same phrases and source address. Search separately for Invalid user: it identifies a username that the daemon could not resolve, while Failed password for USER generally names an account that reached password verification. A single address can appear in both categories.
Increase detail safely when INFO is insufficient
Ubuntu’s community documentation states that OpenSSH logs to AUTH at INFO by default and recommends VERBOSE when failed-attempt details are needed. Change the effective configuration in /etc/ssh/sshd_config or the active included drop-in:
LogLevel VERBOSEApply the change as a controlled operation:
- Edit the file that actually supplies the effective setting.
- Validate syntax without restarting the daemon:
sudo sshd -t- If validation succeeds, reload the SSH service through the distribution’s service manager. On a host using the Ubuntu unit name, that is commonly
sudo systemctl reload ssh.service; a host usingsshd.servicerequires that unit name instead. - Keep an existing administrative session open while reloading. Use a second session to confirm that new connections still work.
- Repeat
sudo sshd -T | grep -E '^(loglevel|syslogfacility|maxauthtries|passwordauthentication|usepam)'and watch the journal or AUTH log for the additional records.
Return to INFO after the diagnostic window if the extra detail is no longer needed. OpenSSH’s manual warns that DEBUG-level logging violates user privacy and is not recommended. If a short, exceptional troubleshooting session requires a DEBUG level, define a start and end time, restrict access to the logs, and restore the prior level immediately afterward.
Understand what MaxAuthTries does—and does not do
MaxAuthTries is a per-connection guard, not an account-history database. The Ubuntu Jammy manual gives a default of 6 and states that once failures reach half that value, additional failures are logged. Thus, a client can produce several password failures on one TCP connection, and the daemon may close the connection when the limit is reached. A new connection starts a new allowance.
| Question | What the mechanism records | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Did sshd reject a password? | Daemon and often PAM authentication messages | Individual event or connection |
| How many tries were allowed on one connection? | MaxAuthTries behavior |
Per connection; default 6 in the cited Jammy manual |
| How many failures has this account accumulated over time? | Not provided by MaxAuthTries |
Requires PAM failure accounting or another audit system |
Track persistent per-user failures with pam_faillock
When the requirement is “count failures for each local account across connections,” use the PAM stack’s pam_faillock facility rather than trying to total sshd lines. The module records account failures at PAM stages commonly labeled preauth, authfail, and authsucc. Its configuration supports options including:
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audit, to include an audit trail for the module’s activity;silent, to suppress selected user-facing messages;no_log_info, to control informational logging; andlocal_users_only, to limit accounting to local users.
The exact file locations, ordering, and required control flags are distribution-specific. PAM modules are evaluated in sequence, so placing pam_faillock in the wrong stages can produce no counter, count the wrong events, or lock accounts unexpectedly. Make a backup of the active PAM configuration, follow that distribution’s documented stack, and test with a noncritical account before enabling enforcement.
Faillock data is persistent account state, not merely a stream of sshd messages. It can therefore answer questions that journal searches cannot, such as whether one user has accumulated failures from several separate connections. Decide separately how and when counters are cleared; do not infer a reset policy from the presence of a single log line.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use audit records when you need an investigation trail
On systems configured for Linux audit, failed login investigations can use USER_LOGIN records with res=failed. Red Hat guidance describes examining these records alongside the account and source information. Audit records have a different purpose from sshd’s operational messages: they provide a structured security trail that can be correlated with other audited actions.
Audit availability, rule sets, storage, and retention are distribution and site-policy decisions. If no matching records exist, verify that the audit service and appropriate login rules were enabled before the event; enabling them after an incident cannot reconstruct earlier attempts.
Choose the right method for your question
| Need | Best source | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watch new SSH failures now | journald with journalctl -fu, or a tailed AUTH file |
Immediate, low setup effort | Retention and wording vary; not a durable per-user counter |
| Review ordinary daemon events | INFO-level sshd records | Normal operational overhead | May omit detail needed for a specific investigation |
| Capture more failed-attempt context temporarily | LogLevel VERBOSE |
More detail without DEBUG’s extreme verbosity | Requires a validated reload and a defined rollback window |
| Count failures by account across connections | PAM pam_faillock |
Persistent per-user accounting | PAM placement and policy are distribution-specific; can lock accounts |
| Build a broader forensic timeline | Linux audit records, including USER_LOGIN with res=failed |
Structured, correlatable security events | Only useful for periods and events covered by active audit rules |
Common failure modes and fixes
No output from journalctl
- Confirm the unit name: the host may use
sshd.servicerather thanssh.service. - Check
sudo sshd -Tto ensure you are examining the daemon that is actually running and that password authentication is enabled for the test path. - Look for a syslog file such as
/var/log/auth.log; the host may route AUTH events there instead of retaining them in the journal. - Verify that your test connection reached this host and that a firewall, bastion, or other SSH endpoint did not generate the event elsewhere.
The file exists but contains no failed-password lines
Check the effective syslogfacility, the distribution’s routing rules, and rotated files. Search for the alternate phrases authentication failure and Invalid user, because message wording varies. If the daemon is at INFO and the needed context is absent, use a short VERBOSE window after validating the configuration.
Reload appears to do nothing
Run sudo sshd -t first; a syntax error prevents a safe reload. Then confirm that you edited the active file or drop-in and re-run sshd -T. Keep one existing session open so a configuration mistake does not remove your only administrative access.
Counts disagree between sources
Do not add journal lines, text-log lines, PAM counters, and audit records together. They have different scopes and can describe the same attempt. Select one authoritative source for the question you are answering, then use the others for correlation.
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Users are unexpectedly locked
This usually indicates a PAM policy or stack-order issue rather than an sshd logging problem. Review the active pam_faillock stages and options, test with a noncritical account, and follow the distribution’s documented reset procedure. Avoid deleting account-state files blindly: doing so can defeat the intended security policy or create an inconsistent stack.
A practical operating checklist
- Identify whether the host uses journald, syslog text files, or both.
- Find the SSH unit name and start a live stream with
sudo journalctl -fu ssh.serviceor its equivalent. - Inspect
/var/log/auth.logon Ubuntu-style setups and search for the documented failure phrases. - Record the effective values from
sudo sshd -T | grep -E '^(loglevel|syslogfacility|maxauthtries|passwordauthentication|usepam)'. - Use
LogLevel VERBOSEonly for the period in which INFO lacks required detail; validate withsudo sshd -tbefore reloading. - Use
pam_faillockfor persistent per-user accounting and Linux audit for a structured investigative trail. - Document the retention period, access controls, and rollback time for any increased logging.
Bottom line
For a quick answer, follow the SSH service in journald or search the AUTH log for Failed password. For richer daemon detail, temporarily raise LogLevel to VERBOSE and validate before reloading. For history that survives separate connections, configure the distribution’s PAM failure accounting; for a wider forensic record, use audit events. Treat MaxAuthTries as a per-connection limit, not as a per-user incident counter.
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