Upgrade OpenSSH Server on your Ubuntu Distro manually ( tested on 22.04 LTS )

Upgrading OpenSSH server on your Ubuntu distribution manually can be necessary when the default repositories do not provide the latest version. Follow these steps to manually upgrade OpenSSH server on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Download the Latest Version

First, download the latest version of OpenSSH:

wget https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/OpenSSH/portable/openssh-9.8p1.tar.gz

Step 2: Remove the Existing Installation

Stop the current SSH service and remove existing OpenSSH packages:

sudo systemctl stop sshd
sudo apt-get remove openssh-server openssh-client

Step 3: Install Build Tools

Update your package list and install the necessary build tools:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential zlib1g-dev libssl-dev libpam0g-dev libselinux1-dev libwrap0-dev libedit-dev libbsd-dev autoconf automake libtool pkg-config wget curl git

Step 4: Build and Install OpenSSH

Extract the downloaded tar file and build OpenSSH:

tar zxvf openssh-9.8p1.tar.gz
cd openssh-9.8p1
./configure
make
sudo make install

Step 5: Set Up the Service

Create a new systemd service file for SSH:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/sshd.service

Paste the following content into the file:

[Unit]
Description=OpenSSH server daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/sbin/sshd -D
ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
KillMode=process
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and close the file (ctrl+x y enter).

Step 6: Reload the Daemon and Start the Service

Reload the systemd daemon, start, and enable the SSH service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd

Step 7: Unmask SSH if Needed

If you encounter issues, unmask the SSH service and repeat the previous step:

sudo systemctl unmask ssh
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd

Step 8: Check the Status

Finally, check the status of the SSH service:

sudo systemctl status sshd

Conclusion

Manually upgrading OpenSSH server ensures you have the latest security updates and features. Make sure to regularly check for updates and apply them as needed to maintain the security of your system.