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Version: Beta

Securing Your Companion Pi

SSH User Setup​

Following the change in April 2022 by Raspberry Pi, the CompanionPi images do not allow SSH access until you set up a user. If you have a screen connected you will be prompted to set up the user, or you can create the user with a config file at first boot.

Using Raspberry Pi Imager​

If using the Raspberry Pi Imager, you can configure the username and password before writing the image.

Creating a User at First Boot​

  1. At the root of your SD card, create a file named userconf.txt
  2. Run the following command to generate a hash of your password: 
    openssl passwd -6 <your-password>
  3. Add a single line to the userconf.txt file: 
    <username>:<password-hash>
    Use the output of the previous step as the password hash.

Security Best Practices​

There are other security-oriented best practices that are recommended:

  • Making sudo require a password
  • Making sure you've got the latest OS updates and security fixes
  • Improving SSH security

All of these recommended best practices can be found on the raspberrypi.org website.

For general Companion security settings, see the Security page.