diff --git a/cmake_targets/autotests/run_exec_lte-softmodem_tests.py b/cmake_targets/autotests/run_exec_lte-softmodem_tests.py
index 791ceb97bb3bdb0ca154f4be9d76bd9b9ceb8008..b2fb5ab10d53a501c1232f0dfe0d2cf6f04d34d7 100755
--- a/cmake_targets/autotests/run_exec_lte-softmodem_tests.py
+++ b/cmake_targets/autotests/run_exec_lte-softmodem_tests.py
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ def SSHSessionWrapper(machine, username, key_file, password, logdir_remote, logd
 # \param CleanUpAluLteBox program to terminate AlU Bell Labs LTE Box
 # \param ExmimoRfStop String to stop EXMIMO card (specified in test_case_list.xml)
 def cleanOldPrograms(oai, programList, CleanUpAluLteBox, ExmimoRfStop, logdir, logdirOAI5GRepo):
-  cmd = 'killall -9 -q -r ' + programList
+  cmd = 'sudo -E killall -9 -q -r ' + programList
   result = oai.send(cmd, True)
   print "Killing old programs..." + result
   programArray = programList.split()
@@ -1268,7 +1268,8 @@ except KeyError:
    sys.exit(1)
 
 print "Killing zombie ssh sessions from earlier sessions..."
-cmd='ps aux |grep \"/usr/bin/ssh -q -l guptar\"|tr -s \" \" :|cut -f 2 -d :|xargs kill -9 '
+cmd='ps aux |grep \"/usr/bin/ssh -q -l guptar\"| awk \'{print $2}\' | sudo xargs kill -9  '
+
 os.system(cmd)
 
 if flag_start_testcase == False:
diff --git a/cmake_targets/autotests/test_case_list.xml b/cmake_targets/autotests/test_case_list.xml
index e1643f9c4c3e6a25dbdc54b61190ab363a6bf74e..8dd6c1f2cc0445c08aad7fed2365ccf078cc99d9 100644
--- a/cmake_targets/autotests/test_case_list.xml
+++ b/cmake_targets/autotests/test_case_list.xml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  <GitOpenair-cnRepo>https://gitlab.eurecom.fr/oai/openair-cn.git</GitOpenair-cnRepo>
  <GitOAI5GRepoBranch>develop</GitOAI5GRepoBranch>
  <GitOpenair-cnRepoBranch>develop</GitOpenair-cnRepoBranch>
- <CleanUpOldProgs>oaisim oaisim_nos1 lte-softmodem lte-softmodem-nos1 mme_gw run_epc auth_request run_hss oai_hss mme spgw hss hss_sim configure_cots* wvdial  iperf iperf_script iperf_script_phone ping tshark rrh_gw iperf3 iperf3_script iperf3_script_phone pppd</CleanUpOldProgs>	
+ <CleanUpOldProgs>oaisim oaisim_nos1 lte-softmodem lte-softmodem-nos1 mme_gw run_epc auth_request run_hss oai_hss mme spgw hss hss_sim configure_cots* wvdial  iperf iperf_script iperf_script_phone ping tshark rrh_gw iperf3 iperf3_script iperf3_script_phone pppd starthss start_ltebox stop_ltebox</CleanUpOldProgs>	
  <CleanUpAluLteBox>sudo -S -E /opt/ltebox/tools/stop_ltebox</CleanUpAluLteBox>
 <ExmimoRfStop>exmimo_pci=`lspci -m | grep Xilinx`; if [ -n "$exmimo_pci" ] ; then $OPENAIR_DIR/cmake_targets/build_oai -w EXMIMO -c; sudo -S -E $OPENAIR_DIR/cmake_targets/tools/stop_exmimo2; fi; sudo -E $OPENAIR_DIR/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/configure_cots_bandrich_ue.py --reset-ue; sudo -E $OPENAIR_DIR/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/configure_cots_huaweiE398_ue.py --reset-ue;  sudo -E $OPENAIR_DIR/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/configure_cots_sony_experia_m4_ue.py --stop-ue; uname -a; sudo -E dmesg</ExmimoRfStop>
  <Timeout_execution>36000</Timeout_execution>
@@ -7896,4 +7896,4 @@ c
 
 
 
-  </testCaseList>
\ No newline at end of file
+  </testCaseList>
diff --git a/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/remove_old_programs.bash b/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/remove_old_programs.bash
index 772ba11f58342d542aba7ff980fa39996b82943f..f3c09ffd619f13dc40ac9b5dfb673a08f923cef6 100755
--- a/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/remove_old_programs.bash
+++ b/cmake_targets/autotests/tools/remove_old_programs.bash
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 #$1 programs to be killed and checked
-var=`ps -A |grep -E -i $1`
+ps -aux |grep -E -i $1| awk \'{print $2}\' | sudo xargs kill -9 
+
+var=`ps -aux |grep -E -i $1`
 echo $var
 if [ -n "$var" ]; then echo 'Match found'; else echo 'Match not found' ;fi