Troubleshooting .pem File Permissions for WSL SSH into Amazon EC2

Dec 30, 2025 · 2 min read · TL;DR: If you SSH from WSL, keep your .pem key inside the WSL filesystem (~/.ssh), not under /mnt/c. WSL maps Windows permissions in a way that can make the key look “too open,” and SSH will refuse to use it. Copy it into ~/.ssh, lock permissions (ch...