diff --git a/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshConfiguration.java b/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshConfiguration.java
index 7c53df1..e7f6b08 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshConfiguration.java
@@ -96,13 +96,24 @@ public SshProxyConfig getProxyConfiguration(String host) {
 	}
 
 	void addIdentity(String host) throws JSchException {
+		String identityFile = getIdentityFileForHost(host);
+		log.debug("using SSH key file {}", identityFile);
+		jsch.addIdentity(identityFile);
+	}
+
+	void addIdentity(String host, String passphrase) throws JSchException {
+		String identityFile = getIdentityFileForHost(host);
+		log.debug("using SSH key file {}", identityFile);
+		jsch.addIdentity(identityFile, passphrase);
+	}
+
+	private String getIdentityFileForHost(String host) {
 		Config hostConfig = getHostConfig(host);
 		String identityFile = hostConfig.getValue(SSH_CONFIG_KEY_IDENTITY_FILE);
 		if (identityFile == null) {
 			identityFile = getDefaultSshKeyPath().toString();
 		}
-		log.debug("using SSH key file {}", identityFile);
-		jsch.addIdentity(identityFile);
+		return identityFile;
 	}
 
 	public String getHostUser(String host) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxy.java b/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxy.java
index 7213707..f95344a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxy.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxy.java
@@ -30,11 +30,22 @@ public class SshProxy implements Closeable {
 	private final SshConfiguration sshConfiguration;
 	private int timeoutMillis;
 
+	private final String passphrase;
+
 	public SshProxy() {
-		this(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MILLIS);
+		this(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MILLIS, null);
+	}
+
+	public SshProxy(String passphrase) {
+		this(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MILLIS, passphrase);
 	}
 
 	public SshProxy(int timeoutMillis) {
+		this(timeoutMillis, null);
+	}
+
+	public SshProxy(int timeoutMillis, String passphrase) {
+		this.passphrase = passphrase;
 		try {
 			sshConfiguration = SshConfiguration.getConfiguration();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
@@ -56,7 +67,11 @@ public int connect(String sshTunnelHost, String host, int port, int localPort) {
 		log.debug("tunneling to {}:{} via {}", host, port, sshTunnelHost);
 
 		try {
-			sshConfiguration.addIdentity(sshTunnelHost);
+			if (passphrase != null && !passphrase.isEmpty()) {
+				sshConfiguration.addIdentity(sshTunnelHost, passphrase);
+			} else {
+				sshConfiguration.addIdentity(sshTunnelHost);
+			}
 
 			SshProxyConfig proxyConfig = sshConfiguration.getProxyConfiguration(sshTunnelHost);
 			if (proxyConfig == null) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxyTest.java b/src/test/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxyTest.java
index fa0a5f9..86a5b08 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxyTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/cronn/proxy/ssh/SshProxyTest.java
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.nio.file.Paths;
+import java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption;
 import java.nio.file.StandardOpenOption;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
@@ -104,6 +105,52 @@ public void testSingleHop() throws Exception {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test(timeout = TEST_TIMEOUT_MILLIS)
+	public void testSingleHopWithPassphraseAuthentication() throws Exception {
+		setupNewSshKeys("id_rsa_passphrase", "id_rsa_passphrase.pub");
+		SshServer sshServer = setUpSshServer();
+		int sshServerPort = sshServer.getPort();
+
+		String hostConfigName = "localhost-" + sshServerPort;
+		appendToSshFile(CONFIG_FILENAME, "Host " + hostConfigName + "\n\tHostName localhost\n\tPort " + sshServerPort + "\n\n");
+
+		String testPassword = "password";
+
+		try (DummyServerSocketThread dummyServerSocketThread = new DummyServerSocketThread(TRANSFER_CHARSET, TEST_TEXT);
+			 SshProxy sshProxy = new SshProxy(testPassword)) {
+			int port = sshProxy.connect(hostConfigName, "localhost", dummyServerSocketThread.getPort());
+
+			final String receivedText;
+			try (Socket s = new Socket(SshProxy.LOCALHOST, port);
+				 InputStream is = s.getInputStream()) {
+				log.info("connected to port: {}", port);
+				receivedText = readLine(is);
+			}
+			assertEquals(TEST_TEXT, receivedText);
+		} finally {
+			tryStop(sshServer);
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test(timeout = TEST_TIMEOUT_MILLIS)
+	public void testSingleHopWithPassphraseAuthentication_IncorrectPassphrase() throws Exception {
+		setupNewSshKeys("id_rsa_passphrase", "id_rsa_passphrase.pub");
+		SshServer sshServer = setUpSshServer();
+		int sshServerPort = sshServer.getPort();
+
+		String hostConfigName = "localhost-" + sshServerPort;
+		appendToSshFile(CONFIG_FILENAME, "Host " + hostConfigName + "\n\tHostName localhost\n\tPort " + sshServerPort + "\n\n");
+
+		String testPassword = "incorrectPassword";
+
+		assertThrows(de.cronn.proxy.ssh.SshProxyRuntimeException.class, () -> {
+			try (DummyServerSocketThread dummyServerSocketThread = new DummyServerSocketThread(TRANSFER_CHARSET, TEST_TEXT);
+				 SshProxy sshProxy = new SshProxy(testPassword)) {
+				sshProxy.connect(hostConfigName, "localhost", dummyServerSocketThread.getPort());
+			}
+		});
+	}
+
 	@Test(timeout = TEST_TIMEOUT_MILLIS)
 	public void testSingleHop_EcDsaServer() throws Exception {
 		SshServer sshServer = setUpSshServer(KeyUtils.EC_ALGORITHM);
@@ -308,4 +355,11 @@ private void appendToSshFile(String filename, String text) throws IOException {
 		Files.write(config, text.getBytes(CONFIG_CHARSET), StandardOpenOption.APPEND, StandardOpenOption.CREATE);
 	}
 
+	private void setupNewSshKeys(String privateKeyFile, String publicKeyFile) throws IOException {
+		Path dotSsh = Paths.get(System.getProperty("user.home"), ".ssh");
+		Path TEST_RESOURCES = Paths.get("src", "test", "resources");
+		Files.copy(TEST_RESOURCES.resolve(privateKeyFile), dotSsh.resolve("id_rsa"), StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);
+		Files.copy(TEST_RESOURCES.resolve(publicKeyFile), dotSsh.resolve("id_rsa.pub"), StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase b/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac0f549
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
+Proc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED
+DEK-Info: AES-128-CBC,9601C994D8345E31A8A6A0771EFB4490
+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-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase.pub b/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase.pub
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df7270b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/id_rsa_passphrase.pub
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQCp8oAUBvW5VMHeM9F3B5xrHDOreTr2LSKBW5f178Lvt/OWcCWD01teq6L5EuND36inJIDHMOQh8+CErSi1eNkjq0zvE4cWzssRU3zUy5qnDgsEuO7Mb8l0xrew18B0rsa0gFNw2BnlQTT8CqnT+LGJiDB0U0jNdAL3f97fVQ7VOx9vdmKMz/J0PCVl6zAwnFNbmgevLRmVo6aPTnu6+uDUS2gfS/p+BRZl/2TKhbQLVZz4H/BYl6/nEflYYe9cdrnZ263/mAJ3CQplbnOGuCv/jfWJrYnO/b7yLTBwvMVUsAJM94IDKzDSnon2nn7qZhPCznKdU+CHVuJWohhhj51H krzys@krzys-21ah0082pb