diff --git a/.kitchen.chef.yml b/.kitchen.chef.yml
index 619fab5a9..9f6d223f2 100644
--- a/.kitchen.chef.yml
+++ b/.kitchen.chef.yml
@@ -70,5 +70,4 @@ platforms:
 suites:
   - name: default
     run_list:
-      - recipe[ssh-hardening]
       - recipe[os_prepare]
diff --git a/.kitchen.ec2.yml b/.kitchen.ec2.yml
index 5b3700e35..5f47cdc5c 100644
--- a/.kitchen.ec2.yml
+++ b/.kitchen.ec2.yml
@@ -86,6 +86,5 @@ suites:
     run_list:
       - recipe[apt]
       - recipe[yum]
-      - recipe[ssh-hardening]
       - recipe[os_prepare]
     attributes:
diff --git a/.kitchen.vagrant.yml b/.kitchen.vagrant.yml
index e3c3f6edf..ea0667a86 100644
--- a/.kitchen.vagrant.yml
+++ b/.kitchen.vagrant.yml
@@ -33,6 +33,5 @@ suites:
     run_list:
       - recipe[apt]
       - recipe[yum]
-      - recipe[ssh-hardening]
       - recipe[os_prepare]
     attributes:
diff --git a/.kitchen.yml b/.kitchen.yml
index 2d82b841e..a953cdc8a 100644
--- a/.kitchen.yml
+++ b/.kitchen.yml
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ suites:
   run_list:
   - recipe[apt]
   - recipe[yum]
-  - recipe[ssh-hardening]
   - recipe[os_prepare]
   attributes:
     osprepare:
diff --git a/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/metadata.rb b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/metadata.rb
index 60c748463..4f1b8a3cb 100644
--- a/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/metadata.rb
+++ b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/metadata.rb
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@ depends 'runit'
 depends 'postgresql'
 depends 'httpd', '~> 0.2'
 depends 'windows'
+depends 'ssh-hardening'
diff --git a/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/default.rb b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/default.rb
index 04096947e..1d85a33a4 100644
--- a/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/default.rb
+++ b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/default.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 # container preparation
 include_recipe('os_prepare::prep_container')
 
+# confgure ssh
+include_recipe('os_prepare::ssh')
+
 # basic tests
 include_recipe('os_prepare::file')
 include_recipe('os_prepare::mount') unless node['osprepare']['docker']
diff --git a/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/ssh.rb b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/ssh.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3146ed4d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cookbooks/os_prepare/recipes/ssh.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# encoding: utf-8
+# author: Christoph Hartmann
+#
+# installs ssh
+return if node['platform_family'] == 'windows'
+
+include_recipe 'ssh-hardening::default'