makekey(1)            UNIX System V(Encryption Utilities)            makekey(1)


NAME
      makekey - generate encryption key

SYNOPSIS
      /usr/lib/makekey

DESCRIPTION
      makekey improves the usefulness of encryption schemes depending on a key
      by increasing the amount of time required to search the key space.  It
      attempts to read 8 bytes for its key (the first eight input bytes), then
      it attempts to read 2 bytes for its salt (the last two input bytes).  The
      output depends on the input in a way intended to be difficult to compute
      (that is, to require a substantial fraction of a second).

      The first eight input bytes (the input key) can be arbitrary ASCII
      characters.  The last two (the salt) are best chosen from the set of
      digits, ., /, and upper- and lower-case letters.  The salt characters are
      repeated as the first two characters of the output.  The remaining 11
      output characters are chosen from the same set as the salt and constitute
      the output key.

      The transformation performed is essentially the following:  the salt is
      used to select one of 4,096 cryptographic machines all based on the
      National Bureau of Standards DES algorithm, but broken in 4,096 different
      ways.  Using the input key as key, a constant string is fed into the
      machine and recirculated a number of times.  The 64 bits that come out
      are distributed into the 66 output key bits in the result.

      makekey is intended for programs that perform encryption.  Usually, its
      input and output will be pipes.

SEE ALSO
      ed(1), crypt(1), vi(1)
      passwd(4) in the System Administrator's Reference Manual

NOTES
      makekey can produce different results depending upon whether the input is
      typed at the terminal or redirected from a file.

      This command is provided with the Encryption Utilities, which is only
      available in the United States.













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