diff --git a/tough/src/schema/de.rs b/tough/src/schema/de.rs
index 445f9d15..4f409411 100644
--- a/tough/src/schema/de.rs
+++ b/tough/src/schema/de.rs
@@ -86,4 +86,15 @@ mod tests {
         ))
         .is_err());
     }
+
+    /// Ensure that we can deserialize a root.json file that has hex-encoded ECDSA keys. This uses
+    /// sigstore's root.json file taken from here:
+    /// https://sigstore-tuf-root.storage.googleapis.com/2.root.json
+    #[test]
+    fn ecdsa_hex_encoded_keys() {
+        assert!(serde_json::from_str::<Signed<Root>>(include_str!(
+            "../../tests/data/hex-encoded-ecdsa-sig-keys/root.json"
+        ))
+        .is_ok());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tough/src/schema/decoded.rs b/tough/src/schema/decoded.rs
index 3ab06b28..a8655640 100644
--- a/tough/src/schema/decoded.rs
+++ b/tough/src/schema/decoded.rs
@@ -126,6 +126,32 @@ impl Encode for EcdsaPem {
     }
 }
 
+/// [`Decode`]/[`Encode`] implementation for ECDSA public keys.
+/// This is a flexible implementation, it will try to decode the key assuming
+/// it is PEM encoded, if the decode fails it will then try to decode it
+/// assuming it's Hex encoded.
+/// The official TUF specification suggests ECDSA keys to be PEM encoded,
+/// however the go-tuf implementation encodes them as Hex numbers.
+/// This flexible decoder tries to cover both cases in a transparent way.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct EcdsaFlex {}
+
+impl Decode for EcdsaFlex {
+    fn decode(s: &str) -> Result<Vec<u8>, Error> {
+        if s.starts_with("-----BEGIN ") {
+            EcdsaPem::decode(s)
+        } else {
+            Hex::decode(s)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Encode for EcdsaFlex {
+    fn encode(b: &[u8]) -> String {
+        EcdsaPem::encode(b)
+    }
+}
+
 // =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=
 
 impl<'de, T: Decode> Deserialize<'de> for Decoded<T> {
diff --git a/tough/src/schema/key.rs b/tough/src/schema/key.rs
index 89c5ef5b..c7c8d2bd 100644
--- a/tough/src/schema/key.rs
+++ b/tough/src/schema/key.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 //! Handles cryptographic keys and their serialization in TUF metadata files.
 
-use crate::schema::decoded::{Decoded, EcdsaPem, Hex, RsaPem};
+use crate::schema::decoded::{Decoded, EcdsaFlex, Hex, RsaPem};
 use crate::schema::error::{self, Result};
 use olpc_cjson::CanonicalFormatter;
 use ring::digest::{digest, SHA256};
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ pub enum EcdsaScheme {
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize, PartialEq)]
 pub struct EcdsaKey {
     /// The public key.
-    pub public: Decoded<EcdsaPem>,
+    pub public: Decoded<EcdsaFlex>,
 
     /// Any additional fields read during deserialization; will not be used.
     #[serde(flatten)]
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ impl FromStr for Key {
             } else {
                 Err(KeyParseError(()))
             }
-        } else if let Ok(public) = serde_plain::from_str::<Decoded<EcdsaPem>>(s) {
+        } else if let Ok(public) = serde_plain::from_str::<Decoded<EcdsaFlex>>(s) {
             Ok(Key::Ecdsa {
                 keyval: EcdsaKey {
                     public,
diff --git a/tough/tests/data/hex-encoded-ecdsa-sig-keys/root.json b/tough/tests/data/hex-encoded-ecdsa-sig-keys/root.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..386ebe62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tough/tests/data/hex-encoded-ecdsa-sig-keys/root.json
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+{
+	"signatures": [
+		{
+			"keyid": "2f64fb5eac0cf94dd39bb45308b98920055e9a0d8e012a7220787834c60aef97",
+			"sig": "3046022100d3ea59490b253beae0926c6fa63f54336dea1ed700555be9f27ff55cd347639c0221009157d1ba012cead81948a4ab777d355451d57f5c4a2d333fc68d2e3f358093c2"
+		},
+		{
+			"keyid": "bdde902f5ec668179ff5ca0dabf7657109287d690bf97e230c21d65f99155c62",
+			"sig": "304502206eaef40564403ce572c6d062e0c9b0aab5e0223576133e081e1b495e8deb9efd02210080fd6f3464d759601b4afec596bbd5952f3a224cd06ed1cdfc3c399118752ba2"
+		},
+		{
+			"keyid": "eaf22372f417dd618a46f6c627dbc276e9fd30a004fc94f9be946e73f8bd090b",
+			"sig": "304502207baace02f56d8e6069f10b6ff098a26e7f53a7f9324ad62cffa0557bdeb9036c022100fb3032baaa090d0040c3f2fd872571c84479309b773208601d65948df87a9720"
+		},
+		{
+			"keyid": "f40f32044071a9365505da3d1e3be6561f6f22d0e60cf51df783999f6c3429cb",
+			"sig": "304402205180c01905505dd88acd7a2dad979dd75c979b3722513a7bdedac88c6ae8dbeb022056d1ddf7a192f0b1c2c90ff487de2fb3ec9f0c03f66ea937c78d3b6a493504ca"
+		},
+		{
+			"keyid": "f505595165a177a41750a8e864ed1719b1edfccd5a426fd2c0ffda33ce7ff209",
+			"sig": "3046022100c8806d4647c514d80fd8f707d3369444c4fd1d0812a2d25f828e564c99790e3f022100bb51f12e862ef17a7d3da2ac103bebc5c7e792237006c4cafacd76267b249c2f"
+		}
+	],
+	"signed": {
+		"_type": "root",
+		"consistent_snapshot": false,
+		"expires": "2022-05-11T19:09:02.663975009Z",
+		"keys": {
+			"2f64fb5eac0cf94dd39bb45308b98920055e9a0d8e012a7220787834c60aef97": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "04cbc5cab2684160323c25cd06c3307178a6b1d1c9b949328453ae473c5ba7527e35b13f298b41633382241f3fd8526c262d43b45adee5c618fa0642c82b8a9803"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"b6710623a30c010738e64c5209d367df1c0a18cf90e6ab5292fb01680f83453d": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "04fa1a3e42f2300cd3c5487a61509348feb1e936920fef2f83b7cd5dbe7ba045f538725ab8f18a666e6233edb7e0db8766c8dc336633449c5e1bbe0c182b02df0b"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"bdde902f5ec668179ff5ca0dabf7657109287d690bf97e230c21d65f99155c62": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "04a71aacd835dc170ba6db3fa33a1a33dee751d4f8b0217b805b9bd3242921ee93672fdcfd840576c5bb0dc0ed815edf394c1ee48c2b5e02485e59bfc512f3adc7"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"eaf22372f417dd618a46f6c627dbc276e9fd30a004fc94f9be946e73f8bd090b": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "04117b33dd265715bf23315e368faa499728db8d1f0a377070a1c7b1aba2cc21be6ab1628e42f2cdd7a35479f2dce07b303a8ba646c55569a8d2a504ba7e86e447"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"f40f32044071a9365505da3d1e3be6561f6f22d0e60cf51df783999f6c3429cb": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "04cc1cd53a61c23e88cc54b488dfae168a257c34fac3e88811c55962b24cffbfecb724447999c54670e365883716302e49da57c79a33cd3e16f81fbc66f0bcdf48"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"f505595165a177a41750a8e864ed1719b1edfccd5a426fd2c0ffda33ce7ff209": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "048a78a44ac01099890d787e5e62afc29c8ccb69a70ec6549a6b04033b0a8acbfb42ab1ab9c713d225cdb52b858886cf46c8e90a7f3b9e6371882f370c259e1c5b"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			},
+			"fc61191ba8a516fe386c7d6c97d918e1d241e1589729add09b122725b8c32451": {
+				"keyid_hash_algorithms": [
+					"sha256",
+					"sha512"
+				],
+				"keytype": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256",
+				"keyval": {
+					"public": "044c7793ab74b9ddd713054e587b8d9c75c5f6025633d0fef7ca855ed5b8d5a474b23598fe33eb4a63630d526f74d4bdaec8adcb51993ed65652d651d7c49203eb"
+				},
+				"scheme": "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256"
+			}
+		},
+		"roles": {
+			"root": {
+				"keyids": [
+					"2f64fb5eac0cf94dd39bb45308b98920055e9a0d8e012a7220787834c60aef97",
+					"bdde902f5ec668179ff5ca0dabf7657109287d690bf97e230c21d65f99155c62",
+					"eaf22372f417dd618a46f6c627dbc276e9fd30a004fc94f9be946e73f8bd090b",
+					"f40f32044071a9365505da3d1e3be6561f6f22d0e60cf51df783999f6c3429cb",
+					"f505595165a177a41750a8e864ed1719b1edfccd5a426fd2c0ffda33ce7ff209"
+				],
+				"threshold": 3
+			},
+			"snapshot": {
+				"keyids": [
+					"fc61191ba8a516fe386c7d6c97d918e1d241e1589729add09b122725b8c32451"
+				],
+				"threshold": 1
+			},
+			"targets": {
+				"keyids": [
+					"2f64fb5eac0cf94dd39bb45308b98920055e9a0d8e012a7220787834c60aef97",
+					"bdde902f5ec668179ff5ca0dabf7657109287d690bf97e230c21d65f99155c62",
+					"eaf22372f417dd618a46f6c627dbc276e9fd30a004fc94f9be946e73f8bd090b",
+					"f40f32044071a9365505da3d1e3be6561f6f22d0e60cf51df783999f6c3429cb",
+					"f505595165a177a41750a8e864ed1719b1edfccd5a426fd2c0ffda33ce7ff209"
+				],
+				"threshold": 3
+			},
+			"timestamp": {
+				"keyids": [
+					"b6710623a30c010738e64c5209d367df1c0a18cf90e6ab5292fb01680f83453d"
+				],
+				"threshold": 1
+			}
+		},
+		"spec_version": "1.0",
+		"version": 2
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file