Overriding default user to root doesn't work if ssh_pwauth is set to true

This bug was originally filed in Launchpad as [LP: #1834676](https://bugs.launchpad.net/cloud-init/+bug/1834676)

Launchpad details

affected_projects = []

assignee = None

assignee_name = None

date_closed = None

date_created = 2019-06-28T17:51:10.847370+00:00

date_fix_committed = None

date_fix_released = None

id = 1834676

importance = low

is_complete = False

lp_url = https://bugs.launchpad.net/cloud-init/+bug/1834676

milestone = None

owner = nik736

owner_name = Niklas Karoly

private = False

status = triaged

submitter = nik736

submitter_name = Niklas Karoly

tags = []

duplicates = []

_Launchpad user **Niklas Karoly(nik736)** wrote on 2019-06-28T17:51:10.847370+00:00_

We were trying to change the default user from ubuntu to root and at the same time allowing password authentication, which did not work. By adding the "user: root" declaration the user is changed but "ssh_pwauth: true" seems to be only anticipating that the user is not changed to root since:

ssh_pwauth only sets PasswordAuthentication to yes in the sshd_config but not PermitRootLogin.

I am not sure if this is done on purpose or if this is an actual bug.

Example Config:
#cloud-config
user: root
chpasswd: {expire: false}
password: metoo
disable_root: false
ssh_pwauth: true

If someone is stumbling over this via Google, here is a config with a workaround:
# override default_user from ubuntu -> root and allow ssh password logins as root

#cloud-config
user: root
chpasswd: {expire: false}
password: metoo
disable_root: false
ssh_pwauth: true
runcmd:
- echo "PermitRootLogin yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config
- systemctl restart ssh