{
	"id": "c9604aca-aef7-4714-ad36-8bc951bb1533",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T01:32:04.01019Z",
	"updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:22:10.279664Z",
	"deleted_at": null,
	"sha1_hash": "54b76cdaf42bb8d20f4dce90799d45f8027d4e21",
	"title": "What is the Authorized Keys File in SSH?",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_size": 1891479,
	"plain_text": "What is the Authorized Keys File in SSH?\r\nBy Admin\r\nPublished: 2019-08-27 · Archived: 2026-04-06 00:59:49 UTC\r\nThe authorized_keys file in SSH specifies the SSH keys that can be used for logging into the user account for\r\nwhich the file is configured. It is a highly important configuration file, as it configures permanent access using\r\nSSH keys and needs proper management.\r\nThe default configuration in most SSH implementations allows users to deploy new authorized keys for\r\nthemselves and anyone they like. Such access is permanent, and may bypass privileged access management\r\nsystems.\r\nSelf-provisioning is anathema to identity and access management and having a controlled access provisioning and\r\ntermination process, as required by most cybersecurity laws and regulations.\r\nWhen organizations deploy a formal process for managing access using SSH keys, one of the first steps is usually\r\nlock-down, basically moving the authorized_keys files to root-owned locations, which prevents self-provisioning for normal users.\r\nConfiguring Authorized_keys\r\nHow to configure authorized keys depends on the SSH implementation.\r\nHow to configure authorized keys for Tectia SSH (Windows, Unix, Linux, z/OS)\r\nHow to configure authorized keys for OpenSSH (Unix, Linux)\r\nTectia SSH comes with support service that frequently helps customers in SSH key management. OpenSSH offers\r\nno support services.\r\nhttps://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/\r\nPage 1 of 4\n\nAutomating Management of Authorized Keys\r\nManaging authorized_keys files manually is costly and error-prone. We had a customer with a 15-person\r\ndedicated team for manually installing SSH keys. Another customer estimated having 200 system administrators\r\nwho spend 10% of their time setting up SSH keys. Automating the process can save a lot of money and eliminate\r\noutages due to human errors.\r\nFurthermore, SSH keys grant access and having that access under control is required by laws and regulations such\r\nas HIPAA for the health care industry, Sarbanes-Oxley for all US public companies, PCI DSS for credit card\r\nprocessing, and FISMA/NIST SP 800-53 for US federal government agencies. It is also included in the US\r\nCybersecurity Framework for critical infrastructure companies.\r\nThe leading solution is PrivX SSH Key Manager.\r\nGeneral information on managing SSH keys can be found on the SSH key management page.\r\nhttps://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/\r\nPage 2 of 4\n\nTectia SSH Authorizations File\r\nTectia SSH authorized_keys File\r\nhttps://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/\r\nPage 3 of 4\n\nSource: https://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/\r\nhttps://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/\r\nPage 4 of 4",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"MITRE"
	],
	"references": [
		"https://www.ssh.com/ssh/authorized_keys/"
	],
	"report_names": [
		"authorized_keys"
	],
	"threat_actors": [],
	"ts_created_at": 1775439124,
	"ts_updated_at": 1775791330,
	"ts_creation_date": 0,
	"ts_modification_date": 0,
	"files": {
		"pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/54b76cdaf42bb8d20f4dce90799d45f8027d4e21.pdf",
		"text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/54b76cdaf42bb8d20f4dce90799d45f8027d4e21.txt",
		"img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/54b76cdaf42bb8d20f4dce90799d45f8027d4e21.jpg"
	}
}