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keyctl:tldr:91c52
The keyctl add
command is used to add a new key to the Linux kernel's key management facility. This command allows users to create and manage keys, which can be used for various security purposes such as authentication, encryption, or secure storage.
The command syntax is as follows:
keyctl add ${type_keyring} ${key_name} ${key_value} ${target_keyring}
${type_keyring}
: Specifies the type of keyring to create. It can be "user" for a keyring owned by the user, "keyring" for a keyring owned by the kernel or another keyring, or "trusted" for a trusted keyring.${key_name}
: Specifies the name of the key to create. It can be any string that identifies the key.${key_value}
: Specifies the value for the key. It can be any binary data.${target_keyring}
: Specifies the keyring that will hold the new key. It can be the ID or name of an existing keyring where the new key will be added.
When executing this command, the kernel will create a new key object of the specified type, assign it the given name, set its value to the provided data, and add it to the target keyring. The new key will be associated with the process that created it, allowing the process to later retrieve or use the key as needed.
Note that this command requires appropriate permissions (usually root or a process with the appropriate capability) to create a new key and modify the keyring.