How to Troubleshoot SSH Key Permission Issues September 10, 2025

This article explains how to troubleshoot SSH key permission issues. If configurations or permissions are incorrect, SSH key-based authentication may fail. Use this knowledge base article to identify and resolve the most common problems.

Let us follow the guide:

1. Firstly, let us know some common causes.
   1. Incorrect permissions on the .ssh directory or the authorized_keys file.
   2. Wrong ownership of SSH files.
   3. Public key not placed correctly.
   4. SSH configuration is not allowing key authentication.
2. Follow the steps to fix it:
   1. To check .ssh directory permissions, execute the following:

      chmod 700 ~/.ssh

   2. To check ‘authorized_keys’ file permissions, run:

      chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

   3. To ensure the .ssh folder and its files are owned by the correct user to avoid permission issues.

      chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.ssh

   4. To confirm proper key placement, the public key must be added to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file, with each key entered on a separate line.
   5. Check SSH Configuration:
      1. Edit the SSH config file:

         sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

      2. Make sure the following options are enabled:

         PubkeyAuthentication yes
         AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys

      3. Restart SSH:

         sudo systemctl restart ssh

   6. Debug with verbose mode (optional):

      ssh -v user@hostname

Summary:

• .ssh ? 700 permissions
• authorized_keys ? 600 permissions
• Correct user ownership
• Public key added correctly
• sshd_config allows key authentication

The majority of SSH key permission problems are typically fixed by following these procedures. Please get in touch with support personnel if you need further help.

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