diff --git a/src/hostkey.c b/src/hostkey.c
index 98a88d5..2214010 100644
--- a/src/hostkey.c
+++ b/src/hostkey.c
@@ -114,7 +114,6 @@ hostkey_method_ssh_rsa_initPEM(LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
                                void **abstract)
 {
     libssh2_rsa_ctx *rsactx;
-    FILE *fp;
     int ret;
 
     if (*abstract) {
@@ -122,13 +121,7 @@ hostkey_method_ssh_rsa_initPEM(LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
         *abstract = NULL;
     }
 
-    fp = fopen(privkeyfile, "r");
-    if (!fp) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    ret = _libssh2_rsa_new_private(&rsactx, session, fp, passphrase);
-    fclose(fp);
+    ret = _libssh2_rsa_new_private(&rsactx, session, privkeyfile, passphrase);
     if (ret) {
         return -1;
     }
@@ -296,7 +289,6 @@ hostkey_method_ssh_dss_initPEM(LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
                                void **abstract)
 {
     libssh2_dsa_ctx *dsactx;
-    FILE *fp;
     int ret;
 
     if (*abstract) {
@@ -304,13 +296,7 @@ hostkey_method_ssh_dss_initPEM(LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
         *abstract = NULL;
     }
 
-    fp = fopen(privkeyfile, "r");
-    if (!fp) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    ret = _libssh2_dsa_new_private(&dsactx, session, fp, passphrase);
-    fclose(fp);
+    ret = _libssh2_dsa_new_private(&dsactx, session, privkeyfile, passphrase);
     if (ret) {
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/src/libgcrypt.c b/src/libgcrypt.c
index 29e9c38..805dca6 100644
--- a/src/libgcrypt.c
+++ b/src/libgcrypt.c
@@ -149,8 +149,9 @@ _libssh2_dsa_new(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsactx,
 int
 _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                          LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                         FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase)
+                         const char *filename, unsigned const char *passphrase)
 {
+    FILE *fp;
     unsigned char *data, *save_data;
     unsigned int datalen;
     int ret;
@@ -159,10 +160,16 @@ _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
 
     (void) passphrase;
 
+    fp = fopen(filename, "r");
+    if (!fp) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     ret = _libssh2_pem_parse(session,
                              "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----",
                              "-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----",
                              fp, &data, &datalen);
+    fclose(fp)
     if (ret) {
         return -1;
     }
@@ -244,8 +251,9 @@ _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
 int
 _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                          LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                         FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase)
+                         const char *filename, unsigned const char *passphrase)
 {
+    FILE *fp;
     unsigned char *data, *save_data;
     unsigned int datalen;
     int ret;
@@ -254,10 +262,16 @@ _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
 
     (void) passphrase;
 
+    fp = fopen(filename);
+    if (!fp) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     ret = _libssh2_pem_parse(session,
                              "-----BEGIN DSA PRIVATE KEY-----",
                              "-----END DSA PRIVATE KEY-----",
                              fp, &data, &datalen);
+    fclose(fp);
     if (ret) {
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/src/libgcrypt.h b/src/libgcrypt.h
index c789603..52c4ca0 100644
--- a/src/libgcrypt.h
+++ b/src/libgcrypt.h
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ int _libssh2_rsa_new(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                      const unsigned char *coeffdata, unsigned long coefflen);
 int _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                              LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                             FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase);
+                             const char *filename,
+                             unsigned const char *passphrase);
 int _libssh2_rsa_sha1_verify(libssh2_rsa_ctx * rsa,
                              const unsigned char *sig,
                              unsigned long sig_len,
@@ -140,7 +141,8 @@ int _libssh2_dsa_new(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                      const unsigned char *x, unsigned long x_len);
 int _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                              LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                             FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase);
+                             const char *filename,
+                             unsigned const char *passphrase);
 int _libssh2_dsa_sha1_verify(libssh2_dsa_ctx * dsa,
                              const unsigned char *sig,
                              const unsigned char *m, unsigned long m_len);
diff --git a/src/openssl.c b/src/openssl.c
index f226db2..1fc00ca 100644
--- a/src/openssl.c
+++ b/src/openssl.c
@@ -43,9 +43,6 @@
 #define EVP_MAX_BLOCK_LENGTH 32
 #endif
 
-/* Ridiculously large key-file size cap (512KB) */
-#define MAX_KEY_FILE_LENGTH 524288
-
 int
 _libssh2_rsa_new(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                  const unsigned char *edata,
@@ -215,61 +212,21 @@ passphrase_cb(char *buf, int size, int rwflag, char *passphrase)
     return passphrase_len;
 }
 
-static int
-read_file_into_string(char ** key, LIBSSH2_SESSION * session, FILE * fp)
-{
-    long size;
-    size_t read;
-
-    *key = NULL;
-
-    fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
-    size = ftell(fp);
-    if (size < 0) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-    fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_SET);
-
-    size *= sizeof(char);
-    if (size > MAX_KEY_FILE_LENGTH) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    *key = LIBSSH2_ALLOC(session, size + 1);
-    if (!*key) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    read = fread(*key, 1, size, fp);
-    if (read != (size_t) size) {
-        LIBSSH2_FREE(session, *key);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    (*key)[size] = '\0';
-    return 0;
-}
-
 typedef void * (*pem_read_bio_func)(BIO *, void **, pem_password_cb *,
                                     void * u);
 
 static int
 read_private_key_from_file(void ** key_ctx, LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
                            pem_read_bio_func read_private_key,
-                           FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase)
+                           const char * filename,
+                           unsigned const char *passphrase)
 {
-    char * key;
     BIO * bp;
 
     *key_ctx = NULL;
 
-    if(read_file_into_string(&key, session, fp)) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    bp = BIO_new_mem_buf(key, -1);
+    bp = BIO_new_file(filename, "r");
     if (!bp) {
-        LIBSSH2_FREE(session, key);
         return -1;
     }
 
@@ -277,14 +234,13 @@ read_private_key_from_file(void ** key_ctx, LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
                                 (void *) passphrase);
 
     BIO_free(bp);
-    LIBSSH2_FREE(session, key);
     return (*key_ctx) ? 0 : -1;
 }
 
 int
 _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                          LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                         FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase)
+                         const char *filename, unsigned const char *passphrase)
 {
     pem_read_bio_func read_rsa =
         (pem_read_bio_func) &PEM_read_bio_RSAPrivateKey;
@@ -297,14 +253,14 @@ _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
         OpenSSL_add_all_ciphers();
     }
 
-    return read_private_key_from_file((void **) rsa, session, read_rsa, fp,
-                                      passphrase);
+    return read_private_key_from_file((void **) rsa, session, read_rsa,
+                                      filename, passphrase);
 }
 
 int
 _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                          LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                         FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase)
+                         const char *filename, unsigned const char *passphrase)
 {
     pem_read_bio_func read_dsa =
         (pem_read_bio_func) &PEM_read_bio_DSAPrivateKey;
@@ -317,8 +273,8 @@ _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
         OpenSSL_add_all_ciphers();
     }
 
-    return read_private_key_from_file((void **) dsa, session, read_dsa, fp,
-                                      passphrase);
+    return read_private_key_from_file((void **) dsa, session, read_dsa,
+                                      filename, passphrase);
 }
 
 int
diff --git a/src/openssl.h b/src/openssl.h
index 85d70c0..75a6058 100644
--- a/src/openssl.h
+++ b/src/openssl.h
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ int _libssh2_rsa_new(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                      const unsigned char *coeffdata, unsigned long coefflen);
 int _libssh2_rsa_new_private(libssh2_rsa_ctx ** rsa,
                              LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                             FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase);
+                             const char *filename,
+                             unsigned const char *passphrase);
 int _libssh2_rsa_sha1_verify(libssh2_rsa_ctx * rsa,
                              const unsigned char *sig,
                              unsigned long sig_len,
@@ -176,7 +177,8 @@ int _libssh2_dsa_new(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                      const unsigned char *x, unsigned long x_len);
 int _libssh2_dsa_new_private(libssh2_dsa_ctx ** dsa,
                              LIBSSH2_SESSION * session,
-                             FILE * fp, unsigned const char *passphrase);
+                             const char *filename,
+                             unsigned const char *passphrase);
 int _libssh2_dsa_sha1_verify(libssh2_dsa_ctx * dsactx,
                              const unsigned char *sig,
                              const unsigned char *m, unsigned long m_len);