How do I log into my EC2 Linux Instance via Telnet Client?

Question

I am able to telnet INTO my instance, and it is prompting me for a username and password.

However, now I am at a loss on ho to create said username and password to actually log in, or find the existing one. (if there is one assigned)

Accepted Answer

There are no users with a pre-set password when an EC2 is initially stood up with an AMI.

To set one up, access your instance using SSH (or Instance Connect, or Systems Manager) as the default user - on Amazon Linux this is **ec2-user**

Elevate yourself to the root user `sudo su -`

Add a new user and set its password https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/6/html/deployment_guide/s2-users-cl-tools

Enter this new user's credentials and password when you telnet to the EC2.

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