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 Programmer'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 Security Administration Utilities,
         which is only available in the United States.










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