When installing Ubuntu server I saw that cloud-init created an SSH key for me. Why did it do this? Did this key get uploaded to any server or did it stay on my local machine for my personal use?
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2Does this answer your question? Why is an SSH public key being installed on my new Ubuntu 20.04.1 instance before I can log in for the first time? Am I being hacked? – muru Aug 27 '21 at 08:00
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Welcome to AskUbuntu,
Based on the documentation for cloud-init, the service configures the following items during installation:
- setting a default locale
- setting hostname
- generate ssh private keys
- adding ssh keys to user's
.ssh/authorized_keysso they can log in - setting up ephemeral mount points
Canonical does not collect any data from people during the installation of Ubuntu Server or Ubuntu Desktop. After installation of Ubuntu Desktop, people have the option to elect to send some system information to Canonical so that their development teams can ensure the hardware that people most commonly use are properly tested with each release, but that is all. None of the hundreds of Ubuntu Server installations I have made over the last decade or so have uploaded anything without my knowledge or consent.
matigo
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