SKEY(1)

NAME
skey - interface to the S/Key one time password system

SYNOPSIS
skey [-n count] [-p password] sequence# [/] key

DESCRIPTION
S/key is a procedure for using one time passwords 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:

% skey 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:

skeyinit(1)
    used to setup your S/Key.

skey
    used to get the one time password each time.

skeyinfo(1)
    used to extract information from the S/Key database. It tells you what your next challenge will be.

When you run skeyinit(1) you inform the system of your secret password. Running skey then generates the one-time passwords, and also requires your secret password. If however, you misspell your password while running skey(1), you will get a list of passwords that will not work, and no indication about the problem.

Password sequence numbers count backward from 99. You can enter the passwords using small letters, even though skey(1) prints them capitalized.

The -n count argument asks for count password sequences to be printed out ending with the requested sequence number.

The -p password allows the user to specify the S/key password on the command line.

SEE ALSO
skeyaudit(1), skeyinfo(1), skeyinit(1)

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