diff --git a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries.go b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries.go
index 02de29929..8c65323de 100644
--- a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries.go
+++ b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries.go
@@ -122,6 +122,14 @@ func (bin *binaries) Install() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error changing owner of files in directory %s, err: %w", installationPathBinDir, err)
 	}
 
+	// in most cases this should not be needed, as the permissions should be copied from the build artifacts,
+	// but the permissions can end up being wrong when Finch is built on a shell that has a restrictive umask.
+	chmodBinCmd := bin.cmdCreator.Create("sudo", "chmod", "755", bin.installationPathSocketVmnetExe())
+	_, err = chmodBinCmd.Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error setting correct permissions for socket_vmnet binary, err: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries_test.go b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries_test.go
index 5d386f1f4..af5066455 100644
--- a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries_test.go
+++ b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/binaries_test.go
@@ -176,12 +176,13 @@ func TestBinaries_Install(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "happy path",
 			mockSvc: func(cmd *mocks.Command, creator *mocks.CommandCreator) {
-				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Times(4)
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Times(5)
 
 				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "mkdir", "-p", "/opt/finch").Return(cmd)
 				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "cp", "-rp", "mock_prefix/dependencies/lima-socket_vmnet/opt/finch", "/opt").Return(cmd)
 				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chown", "root:wheel", "/opt/finch").Return(cmd)
 				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chown", "-R", "root:wheel", "/opt/finch/bin").Return(cmd)
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chmod", "755", "/opt/finch/bin/socket_vmnet").Return(cmd)
 			},
 			want: nil,
 		},
@@ -230,6 +231,20 @@ func TestBinaries_Install(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			want: fmt.Errorf("error changing owner of files in directory %s, err: %w", "/opt/finch/bin", errors.New("chown -R error")),
 		},
+		{
+			name: "sudo chmod of the binary throws an error",
+			mockSvc: func(cmd *mocks.Command, creator *mocks.CommandCreator) {
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Times(4)
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return([]byte{}, errors.New("sudo chmod error"))
+
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "mkdir", "-p", "/opt/finch").Return(cmd)
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "cp", "-rp", "mock_prefix/dependencies/lima-socket_vmnet/opt/finch", "/opt").Return(cmd)
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chown", "root:wheel", "/opt/finch").Return(cmd)
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chown", "-R", "root:wheel", "/opt/finch/bin").Return(cmd)
+				creator.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chmod", "755", "/opt/finch/bin/socket_vmnet").Return(cmd)
+			},
+			want: fmt.Errorf("error setting correct permissions for socket_vmnet binary, err: %w", errors.New("sudo chmod error")),
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range testCases {
diff --git a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file.go b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file.go
index 61636b1a6..e5f73208e 100644
--- a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file.go
+++ b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file.go
@@ -75,6 +75,12 @@ func (s *sudoersFile) Install() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write to the sudoers file: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// explicitly set permissions to ensure that the file is readable by the user
+	_, err = s.execCmdCreator.Create("sudo", "chmod", "644", s.path()).Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to set correct permissions for sudoers file: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file_test.go b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file_test.go
index 9f580a674..da3068822 100644
--- a/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file_test.go
+++ b/pkg/dependency/vmnet/sudoers_file_test.go
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ func TestSudoers_Install(t *testing.T) {
 				ec.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "tee", "/etc/sudoers.d/finch-lima").Return(cmd)
 				cmd.EXPECT().SetStdin(bytes.NewReader(mockSudoersOut))
 				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return(mockSudoersOut, nil)
+				ec.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chmod", "644", "/etc/sudoers.d/finch-lima").Return(cmd)
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return([]byte{}, nil)
 			},
 			want: nil,
 		},
@@ -166,6 +168,25 @@ func TestSudoers_Install(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			want: fmt.Errorf("failed to write to the sudoers file: %w", errors.New("sudo tee command error")),
 		},
+		{
+			name: "sudo chmod command throws err",
+			mockSvc: func(t *testing.T, cmd *mocks.Command, mFs afero.Fs, ec *mocks.CommandCreator, lc *mocks.LimaCmdCreator) {
+				sudoersData := []byte("test data")
+				mockSudoersOut := []byte("mock_sudoers_out")
+
+				err := afero.WriteFile(mFs, "/etc/sudoers.d/finch-lima", sudoersData, 0o666)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+
+				lc.EXPECT().CreateWithoutStdio("sudoers").Return(cmd)
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return(mockSudoersOut, nil)
+				ec.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "tee", "/etc/sudoers.d/finch-lima").Return(cmd)
+				cmd.EXPECT().SetStdin(bytes.NewReader(mockSudoersOut))
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return(mockSudoersOut, nil)
+				ec.EXPECT().Create("sudo", "chmod", "644", "/etc/sudoers.d/finch-lima").Return(cmd)
+				cmd.EXPECT().Output().Return([]byte{}, errors.New("sudo chmod command error"))
+			},
+			want: fmt.Errorf("failed to set correct permissions for sudoers file: %w", errors.New("sudo chmod command error")),
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range testCases {