Ansible Configuration File ansible.cfg for OpenSSH SCP Option

A Deep Dive into Ansible’s Custom Configuration for Secure File Transfers

Introduction

Ansible is a powerful open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. It simplifies the management of complex IT infrastructure by allowing you to define tasks and configurations as code. One crucial aspect of Ansible’s functionality is its configuration file, ansible.cfg. This file serves as a central point for configuring various settings and options for Ansible. In this article, we will explore the content of a sample ansible.cfg file and explain its key sections.

OpenSSH Security Implications

It’s important to note that the following sample ansible.cfg file mentioned a change in OpenSSH since Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9 onward regarding the deprecation of the SCP protocol. This change has significant security implications:

• SCP Deprecation: In RHEL 9, the SCP protocol is deprecated. The SCP command line tool now uses the SFTP protocol for file transfers by default. This change is driven by the fact that the SCP protocol is outdated and carries multiple security risks and issues.