If SSH refuses an ssh-dss key, first identify whether the failure occurs while the server presents its host key or while your user key is being authenticated. Use HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dss for a legacy DSA host key, and use PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms +ssh-dss (called PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes on older OpenSSH releases) for a DSA user key. Both are compatibility exceptions for a weak algorithm, not permanent fixes.
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What ssh-dss means and why OpenSSH rejects it
ssh-dss is the SSH name for the DSA public-key algorithm. OpenSSH 7.0 and later disable DSA by default because its cryptographic design is no longer considered strong enough. OpenSSH describes DSA as using a 160-bit private key with SHA-1 and an estimated security level of approximately 80-bit symmetric equivalent.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThat default affects policy, not necessarily the key file itself. A DSA public key may still be present in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the remote account, yet authentication can fail because the server refuses to accept that key type. The same algorithm can also be rejected earlier when a server offers only a DSA host key. Those are different negotiations and require different options.
Use a temporary +ssh-dss exception only for the one legacy endpoint you must reach. The durable answer is to upgrade or reconfigure the remote software and replace DSA keys with Ed25519, ECDSA or a current RSA key using SHA-2 signatures.
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Identify which SSH stage is failing
| What is being negotiated | Typical symptom | Option involved | Where the exception is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server host key | Unable to negotiate ... no matching host key type found. Their offer: ssh-dss |
HostKeyAlgorithms |
SSH client command line or client configuration |
| User public-key authentication | The connection reaches authentication, but a DSA key in authorized_keys is not accepted |
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms; older releases use PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes |
Client policy, server policy, or both, depending on which side excludes DSA |
The names are easy to mix up. HostKeyAlgorithms concerns the server proving its identity to the client. PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms and its older spelling concern a user proving identity with a public key. Changing one does not automatically change the other.
Read the error literally
If the error says that the other side offered only ssh-dss, the server is presenting an old DSA host key. The client has not yet reached user authentication, so changing PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes will not solve that message.
If host-key negotiation succeeds but the login is refused after your key is tried, the problem is the user-key policy. In that case, the relevant setting is the accepted public-key algorithm list, not the host-key list.
Fix a legacy DSA host key negotiation failure
Use this path when the client reports that the server offered ssh-dss as a host-key type and no common host-key algorithm exists.
- Try the exception once from a shell so it applies only to this connection:
ssh -o HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-dss user@legacyhostThe
+appends DSA to the normal host-key algorithms instead of replacing the defaults. - If the one-time connection works, create a narrowly scoped client entry in
~/.ssh/config:Host legacyhost HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dssUse the exact host alias you type with SSH. Do not put this directive under
Host *. - Connect through the alias and confirm that the failure has moved past host-key negotiation. A successful host-key exchange does not prove that a DSA user key will be accepted; user authentication is a separate policy check.
- Record that the exception exists and schedule a host-key migration. Once the server offers a modern host key, remove the
HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dssline.
This setting changes what the client is willing to accept from that server. It does not upgrade the server’s key, and it should not be used as a global default.
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Fix a DSA user-key authentication failure
Use this path when the remote account has your DSA public key in authorized_keys, host-key negotiation succeeds, and authentication still fails because DSA is excluded from the accepted public-key algorithms.
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Current OpenSSH spelling
On current OpenSSH releases, add the algorithm to the accepted list for the affected connection:
ssh -o PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms=+ssh-dss user@legacyhostTo make the exception host-specific in the client configuration:
Host legacyhost
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms +ssh-dssThe client will retain its normal accepted algorithms and append DSA for this host.
Older OpenSSH spelling
Older releases name the same setting PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes. Use the spelling that the installed client understands:
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ssh -o PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes=+ssh-dss user@legacyhostOr in ~/.ssh/config:
Host legacyhost
PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes +ssh-dssPubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes is the older name; PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms is the current name. They refer to the same policy area, so do not assume that a configuration copied from an old system will be recognized unchanged by a newer one.
When the server policy is the blocker
The server also has a policy controlling which public-key algorithms it accepts for user authentication. If the client offers DSA but the server excludes it, a client-side setting alone cannot override the server. The administrator must make a temporary, host-specific server configuration exception using the spelling supported by that server release, then reload the SSH service according to that system’s normal procedure.
Keep the DSA public key in the intended account’s authorized_keys and treat acceptance of that key type as a temporary bridge. The presence of the key file does not bypass the algorithm policy.
Use both exceptions only when both stages require them
An especially old appliance may offer only a DSA host key and require a DSA user key. In that case, both negotiations can fail independently. A host-specific client block can contain both directives:
Host legacyhost
HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dss
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms +ssh-dssOn an older client, replace the second line with PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes +ssh-dss. If only one stage fails, add only the corresponding line. Keeping the exception minimal reduces exposure and makes later removal unambiguous.
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Check what your installed client actually supports
Do not guess the option spelling or assume that a setting in a file is effective. OpenSSH includes queries for both the supported key types and the final configuration after host matching.
- List key types known by the client:
ssh -Q keyThis reports the key types supported by the installed SSH client. It helps distinguish a policy refusal from a client that was built without a particular type.
- Print the effective configuration for the destination:
ssh -G user@legacyhost | grep -Ei 'hostkeyalgorithms|pubkeyaccepted(algorithms|keytypes)'The
ssh -Goutput reflects host matching, included files and option precedence. Check whether the expected directive appears under the spelling your client recognizes. - Compare the result with the host alias you actually use. A block for
legacyhostwill not match a different name unless the configuration includes that name or an alias. - After the connection works, remove unrelated wildcard entries. A broad rule can silently make every SSH destination accept DSA.
Why the plus sign is safer than replacing the algorithm list
OpenSSH’s algorithm-list syntax treats a leading + as an append operation. For example:
HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dssThis keeps the client’s normal algorithms and adds DSA as an extra choice. Without the plus sign, assigning a list can replace the defaults, potentially removing modern host-key algorithms and causing other connections to fail or fall back to weaker choices.
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A one-time -o command is preferable while diagnosing. If repeated access is unavoidable, use a single named Host block. Avoid a global wildcard exception, because it allows DSA wherever that configuration file is used.
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Client-side versus server-side configuration
| Question | Host-key negotiation | User-key authentication |
|---|---|---|
| Who is proving identity? | The server proves its identity to the client with a host key | The user proves identity to the server with a private/public key pair |
| Primary option | HostKeyAlgorithms |
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms or older PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes |
| Common failure wording | No matching host-key type; server offers ssh-dss |
Authentication fails even though the DSA public key is in authorized_keys |
| Typical temporary action | Append ssh-dss on the client for one host |
Append ssh-dss on the client and, if necessary, permit it in the server’s accepted-algorithm policy |
| Permanent answer | Configure the server with a modern host key | Generate and deploy a modern user key, then remove DSA acceptance |
Keeping these roles separate prevents a common troubleshooting loop: changing a user-authentication setting when the connection never got past the server’s host key, or changing host-key settings when the server is rejecting the user’s DSA signature.
Security implications of re-enabling DSA
DSA’s limitation is structural rather than a cosmetic naming issue. OpenSSH documents a 160-bit private key and SHA-1, with approximately 80-bit symmetric-equivalent security. Modern OpenSSH therefore disables ssh-dss by default.
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- Prefer a per-host configuration block over
Host *. - Use a one-time
ssh -ooption while confirming the diagnosis. - Do not replace the complete modern algorithm list with
ssh-dss. - Restrict access to the legacy system through the surrounding network and account controls available in your environment.
- Remove both DSA exceptions after migration and verify the effective configuration again with
ssh -G.
Migration: replace the weak key instead of keeping the exception
OpenSSH’s recommended resolution is to upgrade or reconfigure the software at the other end and replace weak key types with safer modern types. Treat the compatibility setting as a bridge to that work.
For a server host key
- Identify the SSH server or appliance software that offers only
ssh-dss. - Upgrade or reconfigure it so that it presents a modern host key.
- Test a normal connection without
HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dss. - Remove the DSA host-key exception from the matching
Hostblock.
For a user key
- Generate a modern user key supported by both endpoints, such as Ed25519, ECDSA or a current RSA key using SHA-2 signatures.
- Install the new public key for the intended account on the remote system.
- Open a separate test session with the modern key before deleting or disabling the old DSA key.
- Remove
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms +ssh-dssorPubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes +ssh-dssfrom the client and any temporary server policy exception. - Retest from a clean shell and confirm that the connection no longer depends on DSA.
Keep the old key available only long enough to avoid locking out a required legacy account. Once the modern path is confirmed, retire the DSA key and its policy exception together.
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Likely stage | Next action |
|---|---|---|
no matching host key type found. Their offer: ssh-dss |
Server host-key negotiation | Try ssh -o HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-dss user@legacyhost, then scope the setting to that host |
| Host-key negotiation succeeds, but the DSA user key is refused | User authentication | Try the current PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms=+ssh-dss spelling or the older PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes=+ssh-dss spelling supported by the client |
| The client accepts DSA but the server still rejects login | Server-side user-key policy | Have the server administrator permit DSA temporarily, then plan migration |
| The option appears to do nothing | Configuration mismatch or wrong host block | Run ssh -G user@legacyhost, check the recognized spelling and verify that the host pattern matches |
| Adding one exception breaks other connections | Algorithm list was replaced or rule was global | Use the + prefix and move the directive into a specific Host block |
Practical command and configuration checklist
- Capture the exact error before changing policy.
- Decide whether the failure names a host-key type or occurs during user authentication.
- Check supported key types with
ssh -Q key. - Inspect effective settings with
ssh -G user@legacyhost. - Use
HostKeyAlgorithms +ssh-dssonly for a DSA host key. - Use
PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms +ssh-dss, or the olderPubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes +ssh-dss, only for DSA user authentication. - Keep every exception under a named host rather than a wildcard.
- Replace DSA with a modern host key or user key as soon as the endpoint permits it.
- Remove the exception and verify the clean configuration after migration.
Bottom line
HostKeyAlgorithms and PubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes/PubkeyAcceptedAlgorithms solve different SSH failures. Use the first when an old server offers only an ssh-dss host key; use the second when a DSA user key is being excluded by authentication policy. Prefix the exception with +, scope it to one legacy host, and regard it as temporary. Because DSA is weak and disabled by default in modern OpenSSH, upgrading the endpoint and deploying a modern key is the correct permanent fix.
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