diff --git a/etc/tempest.conf.sample b/etc/tempest.conf.sample
index fae24c4..175f0d9 100644
--- a/etc/tempest.conf.sample
+++ b/etc/tempest.conf.sample
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@
 #non_ssh_image_regex = ^.*[Ww]in.*$
 
 # List of user mapped to regex to matching image names. (string value)
-#ssh_user_regex = [["^.*[Cc]irros.*$", "root"]]
+#ssh_user_regex = [["^.*[Cc]irros.*$", "cirros"]]
 
 
 [messaging]
diff --git a/tempest/config.py b/tempest/config.py
index 9577f2d..bd7ffb7 100644
--- a/tempest/config.py
+++ b/tempest/config.py
@@ -995,7 +995,7 @@
                help="SSH verification in tests is skipped"
                     "for matching images"),
     cfg.StrOpt('ssh_user_regex',
-               default="[[\"^.*[Cc]irros.*$\", \"root\"]]",
+               default="[[\"^.*[Cc]irros.*$\", \"cirros\"]]",
                help="List of user mapped to regex "
                     "to matching image names."),
 ]