MacLIVE: Host Key Verification Failed

When attempting to connect using MacLIVE, the connection may be automatically rejected with the following error:

Host key verification failed.

If you are connecting to a host who’s IP address changes frequently (for example if you use DHCP to assign IP addresses) you may experience this error.

MacLIVE uses the integrated Mac OSX ssh connection module in order to make connections. ssh StrictHostKeyChecking may be set to “yes” rejecting all hosts that do not match the hosts in the $HOME/.ssh/known_hosts file

Solution

  1. Edit your $HOME/.ssh/known_hosts file
  2. Remove the line with the host name or IP address you are trying to connect to
  3. Save the file
  4. Retry your connection

A more permanent solution is to Edit your $HOME/.ssh/ssh_config and set

StrictHostKeyChecking ask

For more information see the
Mac OSX ssh man page