Fixing SSH "Warning: Remote Host Identification Has Changed" Error

Linux Troubleshooting
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1

Hi,

How to resolve below error.

WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED! is reported when connecting via ssh to a known host
Warning: the RSA host key for '<hostname>' differs from the key for the IP address '<IP address>'

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@    WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!     @
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IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING NASTY!
Someone could be eavesdropping on you right now (man-in-the-middle attack)!
It is also possible that the RSA host key has just been changed.
The fingerprint for the RSA key sent by the remote host is

Please contact your system administrator.
Add correct host key in /home/testuser/.ssh/known_hosts to get rid of this message.
Offending key in /home/testuser/.ssh/known_hosts:7
RSA host key for 192.168.1.1 has changed and you have requested strict checking.
Host key verification failed.

How to fix it.

Sohail.

2

Hi,

When attempting to connect via SSH to a familiar host, you receive the warning: “WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!” or “Warning: the RSA host key for ‘’ differs from the key for the IP address ‘’”.

This error occurs on all Linux distributions because the stored host key in your ~/.ssh/known_hosts file no longer matches the current key presented by the server, often due to server reinstallation, key regeneration, or IP changes.

To fix this securely, first verify the new host key fingerprint directly from the server’s console to rule out man-in-the-middle attacks, then remove the outdated entry from your local known_hosts file using:

ssh-keygen -R <hostname-or-IP>

Reconnect, review the new fingerprint, and accept it if it matches.

Cheers. :waving_hand: