SSH Authentication Lockout and Connection refused

Problem

Empire AI uses security controls to protect SSH access. After 5 unsuccessful authentication attempts, the source IP is temporarily blocked.

Mitigation

If you encounter a Connection refused error on your first connection attempt:

• Press Ctrl+C to terminate the connection instead of repeatedly retrying.
• Verify your SSH key and configuration before attempting to reconnect.
• If you believe your IP has been locked out, stop attempting to connect and contact Empire AI Support at support@empireai.edu.

Best Practices

• Use SSH keys for authentication whenever possible.
• Verify your SSH configuration before repeatedly retrying a connection.
• Avoid scripts that continuously retry failed SSH authentication.
• For automated connections, implement exponential backoff and reasonable retry limits.
• If you use aliases or other SSH wrappers, make sure they are configured with the correct credentials and host.