error:key_read, hostname failed

From: Dave Lowenstein (dlowenst@mail.sdsu.edu)
Date: 08/08/02 

From: dlowenst@mail.sdsu.edu (Dave Lowenstein)
Date: 8 Aug 2002 11:37:26 -0700

I have a user trying to scp and sftp files to me. both methods were
unsuccessful but they were able to ssh. They are using openssh 2.5.2p2
on the client end, and I have openssh 3.4.1 on the server. Both
systems are running solaris 8. I want to get rsa key based
authentication working between the two systems but I will wait until
they upgrade to version 3.4.1 before I do so. In the meantime however,
this is the error we received in my /var/adm/messages file when they
tried to scp and sftp. This is accompanied by the connection "hanging"
on their end.

Aug 8 08:58:59 hostname sshd[18881]: [ID 800047 auth.error] error:
key_read: uudecode
(contents of their public key)

Aug 8 08:58:59 hostname failed

Can you think of any reason why ssh would work and sftp/scp wouldn't?
I can't...

This is the debug output from an ssh connection:

bash-2.02$ ssh -v hostname
OpenSSH_2.5.2p2, SSH protocols 1.5/2.0, OpenSSL 0x0090601f
debug1: Seeding random number generator
debug1: Rhosts Authentication disabled, originating port will not be
trusted.
debug1: ssh_connect: getuid 1007 geteuid 0 anon 1
debug1: Connecting to hostname [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: unknown identity file /home/xdata/.ssh/identity
debug1: identity file /home/xdata/.ssh/identity type -1
debug1: identity file /home/xdata/.ssh/id_rsa type 1
debug1: unknown identity file /home/xdata/.ssh/id_dsa
debug1: identity file /home/xdata/.ssh/id_dsa type -1
debug1: Remote protocol version 1.99, remote software version
OpenSSH_3.4p1
debug1: match: OpenSSH_3.4p1 pat ^OpenSSH
debug1: Local version string SSH-1.5-OpenSSH_2.5.2p2
debug1: Waiting for server public key.
debug1: Received server public key (768 bits) and host key (1024
bits).
debug1: Host ''hostname' is known and matches the RSA1 host key.
debug1: Found key in /home/xdata/.ssh/known_hosts:1
debug1: Encryption type: 3des
debug1: Sent encrypted session key.
debug1: Installing crc compensation attack detector.
debug1: Received encrypted confirmation.
debug1: Trying rhosts or /etc/hosts.equiv with RSA host
authentication.
debug1: Remote: Your host key cannot be verified: unknown or invalid
host key.
debug1: Server refused our rhosts authentication or host key.
debug1: Doing password authentication.

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