The IgnoreRhostsparameter specifies that .rhostsand .shostsfiles will not be used in RhostsRSAAuthenticationor HostbasedAuthentication. Rationale: Setting this parameter forces users to enter a password when authenticating with ssh.
Solution
Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to set the parameter as follows: IgnoreRhosts yes Default Value: IgnoreRhosts yes