KEY(1)

NAME
S/key - A procedure to use one time passwords for accessing computer systems.

DESCRIPTION
S/key is a procedure for using one time password to authenticate access to computer systems. It uses 64 bits of information transformed by the MD4 algorithm. The user supplies the 64 bits in the form of 6 English words that are generated by a secure computer. Example use of the S/key program key

  Usage example:

     >key 99 th91334

     Enter password: <your secret password is entered here>

     OMEN US HORN OMIT BACK AHOY

     >

The programs that are part of the S/Key system are keyinit, key, and keyinfo. Keyinit is used to get your ID set up, key is used to get the one time password each time, keyinfo is used to extract information from the S/Key database.

When you run "keyinit" you inform the system of your secret password. Running "key" then generates the one-time passwords, and also requires your secret password. If however, you misspell your password while running "key", you will get a list of passwords that will not work, and no indication about the problem.

Password sequence numbers count backward from 99. If you don't know this, the syntax for "key" will be confusing.

You can enter the passwords using small letters, even though the "key" program gives them in caps.

Macintosh and a general purpose PC use are available.

Under FreeBSD, you can control, with /etc/skey.access, from which hosts and/or networks the use of S/Key passwords is obligated.

SEE ALSO
keyinit(1), key(1), keyinfo(1) skey.access(5)

AUTHOR
Phil Karn, Neil M. Haller, John S. Walden, Scott Chasin