diff --git a/builder/alicloud/ecs/step_config_key_pair.go b/builder/alicloud/ecs/step_config_key_pair.go
index 9d502ea68..c4307378e 100644
--- a/builder/alicloud/ecs/step_config_key_pair.go
+++ b/builder/alicloud/ecs/step_config_key_pair.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package ecs
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 
@@ -28,10 +27,9 @@ func (s *stepConfigAlicloudKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.State
 
 	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
 		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := s.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go b/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
index 9b34b64af..ba72b5668 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package common
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 
@@ -26,10 +25,9 @@ func (s *StepKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep
 
 	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
 		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := s.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
diff --git a/builder/azure/arm/config.go b/builder/azure/arm/config.go
index d72d28550..77daa67c0 100644
--- a/builder/azure/arm/config.go
+++ b/builder/azure/arm/config.go
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ func setSshValues(c *Config) error {
 	}
 
 	if c.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(c.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := c.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/builder/cloudstack/step_keypair.go b/builder/cloudstack/step_keypair.go
index f08bd706d..bb40534fe 100644
--- a/builder/cloudstack/step_keypair.go
+++ b/builder/cloudstack/step_keypair.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package cloudstack
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 
@@ -23,10 +22,10 @@ func (s *stepKeypair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 
 	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
+		privateKeyBytes, err := s.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
index 889cf1b76..897e0a6a3 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
@@ -29,10 +28,9 @@ func (s *StepCreateSSHKey) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) mult
 
 	if config.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
 		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(config.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := config.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
diff --git a/builder/openstack/step_key_pair.go b/builder/openstack/step_key_pair.go
index ccf1eaecf..a850b8056 100644
--- a/builder/openstack/step_key_pair.go
+++ b/builder/openstack/step_key_pair.go
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ func (s *StepKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 
 	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
+		privateKeyBytes, err := s.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
diff --git a/builder/oracle/common/step_ssh_key_pair.go b/builder/oracle/common/step_ssh_key_pair.go
index 04e82b986..49a0fd01b 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/common/step_ssh_key_pair.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/common/step_ssh_key_pair.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 
@@ -27,9 +26,9 @@ func (s *StepKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 
 	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
+		privateKeyBytes, err := s.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("Error loading configured private key file: %s", err)
 			ui.Error(err.Error())
 			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
diff --git a/builder/profitbricks/step_create_ssh_key.go b/builder/profitbricks/step_create_ssh_key.go
index f9678c751..68c34af33 100644
--- a/builder/profitbricks/step_create_ssh_key.go
+++ b/builder/profitbricks/step_create_ssh_key.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
@@ -22,9 +21,9 @@ func (s *StepCreateSSHKey) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) mult
 	c := state.Get("config").(*Config)
 
 	if c.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		pemBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(c.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
-
+		pemBytes, err := c.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			ui.Error(err.Error())
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
diff --git a/builder/scaleway/step_create_ssh_key.go b/builder/scaleway/step_create_ssh_key.go
index c58875724..b2d211a9a 100644
--- a/builder/scaleway/step_create_ssh_key.go
+++ b/builder/scaleway/step_create_ssh_key.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"log"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
@@ -28,10 +27,9 @@ func (s *stepCreateSSHKey) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) mult
 
 	if config.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
 		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(config.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := config.Comm.ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile()
 		if err != nil {
-			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
+			state.Put("error", err)
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}