diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ec61c8c7..76f2ea7f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
   In particular, a warning about adding libraries into the container has been moved to a higher verbosity level
   (i.e. it will only be displayed when using the `--verbose` or `--debug` global command-line options).
 - SSH hook: the default port used by the Dropbear server is now set through the `SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT` environment variable in the hook JSON configuration file.
-  The `SERVER_PORT` variable is still supported for backward compatibility reasons, although `SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT` takes precedence if set.
+  The `SERVER_PORT` variable is still supported for backward compatibility, although `SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT` takes precedence if set.
 
 ### Deprecated
 
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 ### Fixed
 
 - Glibc hook: fixed detection of the container's glibc version, which was causing a shell-init error on some systems
+- SSH hook: permissions on the container's authorized keys file are now set explicitly, fixing possible errors caused by applying unsuitable defaults from the process.
 
 
 ## [1.6.3]
diff --git a/src/hooks/ssh/SshHook.cpp b/src/hooks/ssh/SshHook.cpp
index f48039e3..fc65a15c 100644
--- a/src/hooks/ssh/SshHook.cpp
+++ b/src/hooks/ssh/SshHook.cpp
@@ -241,10 +241,12 @@ void SshHook::generateAuthorizedKeys(const boost::filesystem::path& userKeyFile,
     auto matches = boost::smatch{};
     auto re = boost::regex{"^(ecdsa-.*)$"};
 
+    sarus::common::createFileIfNecessary(authorizedKeysFile, uidOfUser, gidOfUser);
+
     // write public key to "authorized_keys" file
     while(std::getline(ss, line)) {
         if(boost::regex_match(line, matches, re)) {
-            auto ofs = std::ofstream{ authorizedKeysFile.c_str() };
+            auto ofs = std::ofstream{authorizedKeysFile.c_str(), std::ios::out | std::ios::app};
             ofs << matches[1] << std::endl;
             ofs.close();
             log("Successfully generated \"authorized_keys\" file", sarus::common::LogLevel::INFO);
@@ -252,6 +254,12 @@ void SshHook::generateAuthorizedKeys(const boost::filesystem::path& userKeyFile,
         }
     }
 
+    // set permissions
+    boost::filesystem::permissions(authorizedKeysFile,
+        boost::filesystem::owner_read | boost::filesystem::owner_write |
+        boost::filesystem::group_read |
+        boost::filesystem::others_read);
+
     auto message = boost::format("Failed to parse key from %s") % userKeyFile;
     SARUS_THROW_ERROR(message.str());
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks/ssh/test/test_SSHHook.cpp b/src/hooks/ssh/test/test_SSHHook.cpp
index c76b8205..37f80b17 100644
--- a/src/hooks/ssh/test/test_SSHHook.cpp
+++ b/src/hooks/ssh/test/test_SSHHook.cpp
@@ -231,10 +231,20 @@ class Helper {
     }
 
     void checkContainerHasClientKeys() const {
-        CHECK(boost::filesystem::exists(expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/id_dropbear"));
-        CHECK(sarus::common::getOwner(expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/id_dropbear") == idsOfUser);
-        CHECK(boost::filesystem::exists(expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/authorized_keys"));
-        CHECK(sarus::common::getOwner(expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/authorized_keys") == idsOfUser);
+        auto userKeyFile = expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/id_dropbear";
+        auto authorizedKeysFile = expectedHomeDirInContainer / ".ssh/authorized_keys";
+
+        CHECK(boost::filesystem::exists(userKeyFile));
+        CHECK(sarus::common::getOwner(userKeyFile) == idsOfUser);
+        CHECK(boost::filesystem::exists(authorizedKeysFile));
+        CHECK(sarus::common::getOwner(authorizedKeysFile) == idsOfUser);
+
+        auto expectedAuthKeysPermissions =
+            boost::filesystem::owner_read | boost::filesystem::owner_write |
+            boost::filesystem::group_read |
+            boost::filesystem::others_read;
+        auto status = boost::filesystem::status(authorizedKeysFile);
+        CHECK(status.permissions() == expectedAuthKeysPermissions);
     }
 
     boost::optional<pid_t> getSshDaemonPid() const {
@@ -661,7 +671,7 @@ TEST(SSHHookTestGroup, testDefaultServerPortOverridesDeprecatedVar) {
     Helper helper{};
 
     helper.setRootIds();
-    helper.setupTestEnvironment();
+    helper.setupTestEnvironment(); // "SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT" is set here
     sarus::common::setEnvironmentVariable("SERVER_PORT", std::to_string(expectedPort));
 
     // generate + check SSH keys in local repository
@@ -681,7 +691,7 @@ TEST(SSHHookTestGroup, testDeprecatedServerPort) {
     Helper helper{};
 
     helper.setRootIds();
-    helper.setupTestEnvironment();
+    helper.setupTestEnvironment(); // "SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT" is set here
     sarus::common::setEnvironmentVariable("SERVER_PORT", std::to_string(expectedPort));
     unsetenv("SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT");