Resolve SSH permissions too open error
David Y.
—The Problem
When attempting to SSH into a remote machine, I receive the following error:
Permissions 0777 for '/Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa' are too open. It is recommended that your private key files are NOT accessible by others. This private key will be ignored.
How do I fix this? What permissions should id_rsa have?
The Solution
id_rsa is a private key file, used in combination with a public key file (id_rsa.pub) to authenticate over SSH. Per the tenets of public-private key cryptography, the public key is distributed widely while the private key must be kept secret. For this reason, SSH requires private keys to be accessible only to the current user. The current permissions on the key, 0777, mean that it is readable, writeable, and executable by the current user, members of that user’s group, and members outside that user’s group. This is far too permissive.
To fix this, we should set the key’s permissions to 600, i.e. readable and writeable for the current user and inaccessible to all others. The private key file does not need to be executable. We can do this using chmod, as below:
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
After running this command, SSH should function as expected.
- Syntax.fmListen to the Syntax Podcast
- ResourcesWhat is Distributed Tracing
- Listen to the Syntax Podcast
![Syntax.fm logo]()
Tasty treats for web developers brought to you by Sentry. Get tips and tricks from Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski.
SEE EPISODES
Considered “not bad” by 4 million developers and more than 100,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.
A peek at your privacy
Here’s a quick look at how Sentry handles your personal information (PII).
×Who we collect PII from
We collect PII about people browsing our website, users of the Sentry service, prospective customers, and people who otherwise interact with us.
What if my PII is included in data sent to Sentry by a Sentry customer (e.g., someone using Sentry to monitor their app)? In this case you have to contact the Sentry customer (e.g., the maker of the app). We do not control the data that is sent to us through the Sentry service for the purposes of application monitoring.
Am I included?PII we may collect about you
- PII provided by you and related to your
- Account, profile, and login
- Requests and inquiries
- Purchases
- PII collected from your device and usage
- PII collected from third parties (e.g., social media)
How we use your PII
- To operate our site and service
- To protect and improve our site and service
- To provide customer care and support
- To communicate with you
- For other purposes (that we inform you of at collection)
Third parties who receive your PII
We may disclose your PII to the following type of recipients:
- Subsidiaries and other affiliates
- Service providers
- Partners (go-to-market, analytics)
- Third-party platforms (when you connect them to our service)
- Governmental authorities (where necessary)
- An actual or potential buyer
We use cookies (but not for advertising)
- We do not use advertising or targeting cookies
- We use necessary cookies to run and improve our site and service
- You can disable cookies but this can impact your use or access to certain parts of our site and service
Know your rights
You may have the following rights related to your PII:
- Access, correct, and update
- Object to or restrict processing
- Port over
- Opt-out of marketing
- Be forgotten by Sentry
- Withdraw your consent
- Complain about us
If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy at Sentry, please email us at compliance@sentry.io.
If you are a California resident, see our Supplemental notice.