Split PEM SSH Keys

Splitting PEM SSH Keys

Services such as Amazon AWS provide SSH keys as PEM (.pem) files. While this can be consumed by the ssh command they do not always work well with ssh-add and ssh-agents.

User OpenSSL to reformat and split a PEM key

1. Convert the PEM file

    openssl pkey < *pem_file*.pem > *exported_key*
   

   Example

    openssl pkey < demo.pem > demo
   

2. Export public key

    openssl rsa -in *exported_key* -pubout > *public_key*.pub
   

   Example

    openssl rsa -in demo -pubout > demo.pub
   

3. Permissions

   Remember to set permissions on private key to 400

    chmod 600 *exported_key*
   

   Example

    chmod 600 demo
   

4. Apply a passphrase

   Secure the key with a passphrase

    ssh-keygen -p -f *exported_key*
   

   Example

    ssh-keygen -p -f demo
    Enter new passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
    Enter same passphrase again:
    Your identification has been saved with the new passphrase.
   

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