MAKEKEY(1) (Security Administration 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 (i.e., 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.
Page 1 May 1989
MAKEKEY(1) (Security Administration Utilities) MAKEKEY(1)
CAVEATS
makekey can produce different results depending upon whether
the input is typed at the terminal or redirected from a
file.
WARNING
This command is provided with the Security Administration
Utilities, which is only available in the United States.
Page 2 May 1989