Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix: strange permission error involving ssh, Cygwin, Windows 7, and .sh files

Cygwin and SSH permission error on Windows 7.

Quick Answer: The issue is likely due to the Cygwin installation not properly setting up the file permissions for the .sh file. Try running the sshd with the --no-user-priv option to see if it resolves the issue.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. 🎯 Final Words

The error described involves a permission issue when attempting to run a .sh file on a Windows 7 system using Cygwin and public key RSA authentication. The error occurs when trying to execute a script from a network drive, resulting in a 'Permission denied' message.

This frustrating issue can be particularly challenging due to its complexity and the fact that it involves multiple systems (Cygwin, OpenSSH, Windows 7) and file permissions.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The primary reason for this error is the incorrect ownership of the .sh file on WORKER1. The 'rwxrwxrwx+' permission set indicates that the Administrators group has full control over the file, but this does not necessarily translate to the correct permissions in a Unix-like environment like Cygwin. Additionally, the fact that Cygwin is using Windows 7's file system and OpenSSH as its SSH daemon can lead to confusion about what constitutes 'full control' in this context.
  • An alternative reason for this error could be related to the way the .sh file is being executed within the Cygwin environment. The 'Permission denied' message may indicate that the script requires specific permissions or access rights that are not being granted due to the Windows 7 system's security settings or the way OpenSSH is configured.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Resolving Ownership and Permissions

  1. Step 1: Change the ownership of the .sh file from Administrators to a user who has explicit permissions to execute scripts within Cygwin. This can be done using the 'chown' command in the Cygwin terminal.
  2. Step 2: Update the file permissions to ensure that the correct group and owner have read, write, and execute access rights. The 'chmod' command can be used for this purpose. Note that the default permissions set by Cygwin may not match those expected on a Unix-like system.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the script's execution path is correctly specified within the .sh file to ensure it is being executed from the correct location.

Configuring OpenSSH and Cygwin

  1. Step 1: Check if the 'no' option for privilege separation was used during installation, which might lead to issues with file permissions. If so, consider reconfiguring OpenSSH to use a different setting.
  2. Step 2: Verify that the public key RSA authentication method is correctly configured within Cygwin and OpenSSH. Ensure that the private key is accessible by the user attempting to execute the script.

🎯 Final Words

To resolve this issue, it's recommended to first adjust the ownership and permissions of the .sh file to ensure they align with what is expected in a Unix-like environment like Cygwin. Additionally, configuring OpenSSH and Cygwin correctly can help prevent similar permission errors in the future.

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