Can I add an SSH key to an existing droplet using my DigitalOcean credentials?

July 20, 2015 9.7k views
Security Configuration Management DigitalOcean Debian
anfedorov
By:
anfedorov

Is it possible to add an SSH key to a droplet without using the existing keys to log in?

I think this is possible by booting the recovery kernel, mounting the filesystem, and modifying /root/.ssh/authorized_keys, but that would involve manually typing in the SSH key, as the console access doesn't appear to support copy-pasting.

Do I understand correctly that access to my DO account can be used to gain root access to an instance how I described above, and is there any simpler way of doing so?

Log In to Comment
2 Answers
5car1z July 22, 2015

These Digital Ocean guides linked below should help:

How To Connect To Your Droplet with SSH

How To Set Up SSH Keys

How To Set Up SSH Keys
by Etel Sverdlov
SSH keys provide a more secure way of logging into a virtual private server with SSH than using a password alone. With SSH keys, users can log into a server without a password. This tutorial explains how to generate, use, and upload an SSH Key Pair.
Reply
anfedorov July 22, 2015

I'm afraid not - I'm talking about recovering access to a droplet without using the SSH keys already on it.

Reply
  • 5car1z July 24, 2015

    Oh I think I see what you mean now. Don't think there is.

    Can only suggest opening a support ticket.

Have another answer? Share your knowledge.

Related Questions