Display a Custom SSH Login Banner or ASCII Art on Linux in Minutes

OpenSSH provides a built-in Banner option that, when configured, sends the contents of a specified file to the remote user before authentication. By default this option is disabled, so no banner appears during SSH login.

System Environment

CentOS 7

Enabling the Banner

Log into the remote Linux system.

Edit the SSH daemon configuration file /etc/ssh/sshd_config. # vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config Append the following line to the end of the file: Banner /etc/ssh/my_banner Save the file and exit the editor.

Create the banner file that will be displayed: # touch /etc/ssh/my_banner Restart the SSH service to apply the changes:

# systemctl restart sshd

Adding ASCII Art to the Banner

You can either copy an ASCII‑art image you like or generate one with the figlet utility. Install figlet (requires the EPEL repository) and create the art:

# yum -y install figlet
# figlet LinuxProbe > /etc/ssh/my_banner

Alternatively, you can paste any ASCII art directly into /etc/ssh/my_banner.

Testing the Banner

Connect via SSH to see the banner in action: # ssh root@localhost The custom message or ASCII art will be displayed before the login prompt.

Conclusion

This simple feature enhances the terminal experience and can also be used with the /etc/motd file for system‑wide messages.