Keys from SSH authorized_keys file must be removed.

ESXi hosts come with SSH which can be enabled to allow remote access without requiring user authentication. To enable password free access copy the remote users public key into the "/etc/ssh/keys-root/authorized_keys" file on the ESXi host. The presence of the remote user's public key in the "authorized_keys" file identifies the user as trusted, meaning the user is granted access to the host without providing a password. Note: Lockdown mode does not apply to root users who log in using authorized keys. When you use an authorized key file for root user authentication, root users are not prevented from accessing a host with SSH even when the host is in lockdown mode.