diff --git a/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Auth/PublicKey/RSA.php b/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Auth/PublicKey/RSA.php
index b3b53f11997b..a05286f1220e 100644
--- a/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Auth/PublicKey/RSA.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Auth/PublicKey/RSA.php
@@ -60,9 +60,11 @@ public function __construct(IL10N $l, IConfig $config) {
 	public function manipulateStorageConfig(IStorageConfig &$storage, IUser $user = null) {
 		$auth = new RSACrypt();
 		$auth->setPassword($this->config->getSystemValue('secret', ''));
-		if (!$auth->loadKey($storage->getBackendOption('private_key'))) {
+		$privateKey =  $storage->getBackendOption('private_key');
+		if (!$auth->loadKey($privateKey)) {
 			throw new \RuntimeException('unable to load private key');
 		}
+		$storage->setBackendOption('private_key', base64_encode($privateKey));
 		$storage->setBackendOption('public_key_auth', $auth);
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/External/FrontendDefinitionTrait.php b/lib/private/Files/External/FrontendDefinitionTrait.php
index d4883e57e31a..cafe9b6363e6 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/External/FrontendDefinitionTrait.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/External/FrontendDefinitionTrait.php
@@ -150,7 +150,11 @@ public function validateStorageDefinition(IStorageConfig $storage) {
 				if (!$parameter->validateValue($value)) {
 					return false;
 				}
-				$storage->setBackendOption($name, $value);
+				if (($name === 'public_key') || ($name === 'private_key')) {
+					$storage->setBackendOption($name, base64_encode($value));
+				} else {
+					$storage->setBackendOption($name, $value);
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		return true;
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/External/StorageConfig.php b/lib/private/Files/External/StorageConfig.php
index 74f991db70a6..14ac369af34b 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/External/StorageConfig.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/External/StorageConfig.php
@@ -222,6 +222,12 @@ public function setBackendOptions($backendOptions) {
 					$backendOptions[$key] = $value;
 				}
 				if(is_string($backendOptions[$key])) {
+					if (($key === 'public_key') || ($key === 'private_key')) {
+						if (base64_decode($backendOptions[$key], true) === false) {
+							$backendOptions[$key] = base64_encode($backendOptions[$key]);
+						}
+					}
+
 					$backendOptions[$key] = str_replace(["\n", "\r"], "", $backendOptions[$key]);
 				}
 			}
@@ -236,6 +242,13 @@ public function setBackendOptions($backendOptions) {
 	 */
 	public function getBackendOption($key) {
 		if (isset($this->backendOptions[$key])) {
+			if (($key === 'private_key') || ($key === 'public_key')) {
+				$decodedString = base64_decode($this->backendOptions[$key], true);
+				if ($decodedString !== false) {
+					return $decodedString;
+				}
+			}
+
 			return $this->backendOptions[$key];
 		}
 		return null;