## SYNOPSIS

           mcookie [-v] [-f filename ]

## DESCRIPTION

           mcookie  generates a 128-bit random hexadecimal number for
           use with the X authority system.  Typical usage:
                  xauth add :0 . `mcookie`

           The "random" number generated is actually  the  output  of
           the  MD5  message  digest fed with various piece of random
           information: the current time, the process id, the  parent
           process id, the contents of an input file (if -f is speci
           fied), and several bytes of information from the first  of
           the  following  devices  which  is  present:  /dev/random,
           /dev/urandom, files in /proc, /dev/audio.

## BUGS

           The entropy in the generated  128-bit  is  probably  quite
           small (and, therefore, vulnerable to attack) unless a non-
           pseudorandom number generator is used  (e.g.,  /dev/random
           under Linux).

           It  is assumed that none of the devices opened will block.

## FILES

           /dev/random
           /dev/urandom
           /dev/audio
           /proc/stat
           /proc/loadavg

## SEE ALSO

           X(1), xauth(1), md5sum(1)

                            25 September 1995              MCOOKIE(1)