diff --git a/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization/ssh.py b/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization/ssh.py
index 230e14799a08..0b2526d30bc1 100644
--- a/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization/ssh.py
+++ b/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization/ssh.py
@@ -81,9 +81,6 @@ def _bcrypt_kdf(
 _DEFAULT_CIPHER = b"aes256-ctr"
 _DEFAULT_ROUNDS = 16
 
-# re is only way to work on bytes-like data
-_PEM_RC = re.compile(_SK_START + b"(.*?)" + _SK_END, re.DOTALL)
-
 # padding for max blocksize
 _PADDING = memoryview(bytearray(range(1, 1 + 16)))
 
@@ -684,11 +681,19 @@ def load_ssh_private_key(
     if password is not None:
         utils._check_bytes("password", password)
 
-    m = _PEM_RC.search(data)
-    if not m:
+    # The base64 body lies between the first opening marker and the first
+    # closing marker after it. Two linear scans find them; anchoring the
+    # second scan past the opening marker keeps the total work linear in the
+    # length of the input even when there is no closing marker to find.
+    # bytes.find does not accept a memoryview, which _check_byteslike permits.
+    buf = data if isinstance(data, (bytes, bytearray)) else bytes(data)
+    p1 = buf.find(_SK_START)
+    if p1 == -1:
+        raise ValueError("Not OpenSSH private key format")
+    p1 += len(_SK_START)
+    p2 = buf.find(_SK_END, p1)
+    if p2 == -1:
         raise ValueError("Not OpenSSH private key format")
-    p1 = m.start(1)
-    p2 = m.end(1)
     data = binascii.a2b_base64(memoryview(data)[p1:p2])
     if not data.startswith(_SK_MAGIC):
         raise ValueError("Not OpenSSH private key format")
diff --git a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_ssh.py b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_ssh.py
index 2a319185b2bc..bf316759a3cb 100644
--- a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_ssh.py
+++ b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_ssh.py
@@ -485,6 +485,31 @@ def test_load_ssh_private_key_errors(self):
         with pytest.raises(ValueError):
             load_ssh_private_key(data, None)
 
+    def test_load_ssh_private_key_missing_footer(self):
+        # An opening marker with no closing marker is rejected, in linear
+        # time.
+        data = self.make_file(footer=b"")
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+            load_ssh_private_key(data, password=None)
+
+        # Many opening markers with no closing marker: the worst case for
+        # locating the markers.
+        data = b"-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----" * 100000
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+            load_ssh_private_key(data, password=None)
+
+    def test_load_ssh_private_key_surrounding_data(self):
+        # Data before the opening marker and after the closing marker is
+        # ignored.
+        body = self.make_file()
+        for wrapped in [
+            b"leading junk\n" + body,
+            body + b"trailing junk\n",
+            b"leading\n" + body + b"trailing\n",
+        ]:
+            key = load_ssh_private_key(wrapped, password=None)
+            assert isinstance(key, ec.EllipticCurvePrivateKey)
+
     def test_ssh_errors_bad_values(self):
         # bad curve
         data = self.make_file(pub_type=b"ecdsa-sha2-nistp444")