# How to Inspect a Developer's SSH Session as Root

DevFeed: [How to Inspect a Developer's SSH Session as Root](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/how-to-stole-ssh-session-when-you-re-root-27653.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://gagor.pro/2016/04/how-to-stole-ssh-session-when-youre-root/>)

Author: Tom

Published: 2016-04-27T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Tomasz Gągor](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/tomasz-gagor.md>)

Topics: [ssh](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ssh.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/configuration.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>)

Tags: [agent](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agent.md>), [bash](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bash.md>), [bastion](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bastion.md>), [bastion-host](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bastion-host.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [how-to](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/how-to.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [login](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/login.md>), [ssh](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ssh.md>)

## AI overview

A tutorial explains how a root user can inspect a developer's SSH session to troubleshoot login problems, including cases involving bastion hosts and SSH agent forwarding. It notes that this should only be done on systems the operator controls and is authorized to access.

## Source excerpt

It happen to me all the time that one of developers notifies me about some kind of problem that I can't confirm from my account. Sometimes it was because of bad ssh keys configuration, other times file permissions, mostly such stuff. It's sometimes convenient to "enter into someone's shoes" to see what's going on there. If you're root on machine you may do that like this: Switch to developer user su developer - Easy one but that's not enough for all cases. When you use bastion host (or similar solutions) sometimes users have connection problems and it's harder to check. When such user have ForwardAgent ssh option enabled you may stole this session to check login problems.