diff --git a/tests/ssh/test_ssh_ciphers.py b/tests/ssh/test_ssh_ciphers.py
index f675553cad7..30bdc4f917d 100644
--- a/tests/ssh/test_ssh_ciphers.py
+++ b/tests/ssh/test_ssh_ciphers.py
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ def connect_with_specified_ciphers(duthosts, rand_one_dut_hostname, specified_ci
     dutuser, dutpass = creds['sonicadmin_user'], creds['sonicadmin_password']
     sonic_admin_alt_password = duthost.host.options['variable_manager']._hostvars[duthost.hostname].get(
         "ansible_altpassword")
+    sonic_admin_alt_passwords = creds["ansible_altpasswords"]
+    dut_passwords = [dutpass, sonic_admin_alt_password] + sonic_admin_alt_passwords
     dutip = duthost.mgmt_ip
 
     if typename == "enc":
@@ -31,29 +33,23 @@ def connect_with_specified_ciphers(duthosts, rand_one_dut_hostname, specified_ci
     ssh_cmd = "ssh -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no {} {}@{}".format(
         ssh_cipher_option, dutuser, dutip)
 
-    try:
-        connect = pexpect.spawn(ssh_cmd)
-        connect.expect('.*[Pp]assword:')
-        connect.sendline(dutpass)
-
-        i = connect.expect(
-            '{}@{}:'.format(dutuser, duthost.hostname), timeout=10)
-        pytest_assert(i == 0, "Failed to connect")
-    except Exception:
+    for dutpass in dut_passwords:
         try:
             connect = pexpect.spawn(ssh_cmd)
             connect.expect('.*[Pp]assword:')
-            connect.sendline(sonic_admin_alt_password)
+            connect.sendline(dutpass)
 
             i = connect.expect(
                 '{}@{}:'.format(dutuser, duthost.hostname), timeout=10)
             pytest_assert(i == 0, "Failed to connect")
-        except pexpect.exceptions.EOF:
-            pytest.fail("EOF reached")
-        except pexpect.exceptions.TIMEOUT:
-            pytest.fail("Timeout reached")
+            return
         except Exception as e:
-            pytest.fail("Cannot connect to DUT host via SSH: {}".format(e))
+            output = connect.before.decode()
+            if "Permission denied" in output:
+                continue
+            else:
+                pytest.fail(e)
+    pytest.fail("Cannot connect to DUT host via SSH")
 
 
 def test_ssh_protocol_version(duthosts, rand_one_dut_hostname):