Inquiry Regarding Automatic Log Folder Permission Handling in OpenSSH v9.4 and Later

[OH-KM]

Prerequisites

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• Make sure you are able to repro it on the latest version
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Steps to reproduce

We are currently using OpenSSH version 9.4.0.0p1 and later on Windows Server 2019/2022 systems.

Recently, we encountered issues related to log folder permissions (C:\ProgramData\ssh\logs) following Windows security updates. We have come across unofficial information stating that, starting from OpenSSH v9.4, permissions for the log folder are applied automatically to prevent service crashes.

Could you please confirm whether this is accurate? Additionally, is this behavior officially documented in any release notes or Microsoft documentation?

Thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,

Expected behavior

OpenSSH service should be able to start without manual permission adjustments on recent versions.

Actual behavior

Behavior seems stable in 9.4, but the lack of official documentation makes validation difficult.

Error details

-

Environment data

- OpenSSH version: 9.4.0.0p1
- OS: Windows Server 2019 / 2022
- Install method: Built-in or manually installed from GitHub releases

Version

9.4.0.0p1

Visuals

No response

[tgauth]

Win32-OpenSSH 9.4 does not automatically update the folder permissions.

The March Windows Update to Server 2019 and Server 2022 to Win32-OpenSSH version 9.5.3.1 modifies the check so the startup failure does not occur, see the release notes: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-11-2025-kb5053603-os-build-20348-3328-1f927b68-5c90-45d7-abd3-3c973873b8f8