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I'm trying to set up password-less login with ssh on Ubuntu Server, but I keep getting:

Agent admitted failure to sign using the key

and prompt for password.

I have generated new rsa keys. Before the system reboot it worked just fine.

All the links lead me to this bug, but nothing works. SSH Agent is still not running.

How to fix that? Maybe the files need specific permissions?

takeshin
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4 Answers4

81

just run:

ssh-add + path to key

on the client (your pc)

Jadeye
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user46329
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5

This problem involves two machines. WHich was re-booted? ssh-add will only add the key on the client. If the key isn't accepted, there isn't a client error and a server error will only show up if the -v option is used when ssh is invoked on the client, to request the connection.

I suppose its possible too that Ubuntu the package has, for some unknown reason, altered the error message shown. It isn't an error issued by openSSH-server, as it is used in Debian (or anywhere else I've seen it, e.g. RHEL, CentOS, Knoppix, others).

4

My problem was resolved by executing export SSH_AUTH_SOCK=0, as explained in ssh Agent admitted failure to sign using the key on big endian machines on the Ubuntu bug tracker.

Ben Pilbrow
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Ruhan
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  • That disables usage of the ssh-agent all together. – The problem is not in getting rid of it, but to use it! Btw: unsetting the variable has the same effect. – Robert Siemer Dec 01 '14 at 15:53
  • This is not a real solution because us disables ssh-agent. Check this instead: https://help.github.com/articles/error-agent-admitted-failure-to-sign/ – alfredocambera Oct 27 '16 at 14:59
2

According to the Ubuntu Bugtracking you mentioned, this is a known bug in gnupg-agent it self. so upgrading to a new gnupg-agent version >2.0.14-1ubuntu1.7 solve the problem.

Zskdan
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  • This [Github article](https://help.github.com/articles/error-agent-admitted-failure-to-sign/) mentions the same Ubuntu issue report and has some helpful suggestions including the same fix as @user46329: `ssh-add`. – John McFarlane Jan 15 '15 at 18:10