NAME key2root - authenticate with a keyfile and run a process as the root user SYNOPSIS key2root [-k key-name] [-e] command [argument] ... DESCRIPTION The key2root utility takes a keyfile from the standard input and uses it to authenticate the user, and if the keyfile is recognised, runs the specified command with sanitised and updated environment variables and with the keyfile as the standard input. OPTIONS The key2root utility conforms to the Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1-2017, Section 12.2, Utility Syntax Guidelines. The following option is supported: -e Keep the environment variables as is. Neither sanitise nor update them. -k key-name Check the input keyfile against a specific known key, rather than checking against all known keys. OPERANDS The following operands are supported: command The command that shall be run with as the root user. This will be both the process image and the process's zeroth command line argument. argument ... Command line arguments for the command to run. STDIN The key2root utility uses the standard input as the authentication key and forwards it to the command it runs upon successful authentication. RATIONALE key2root is useful for scripts that require both root access and a keyfile: it lets the user write a script that can decrypt a keyfile and the successful keyfile decryption to testify that the user has authenticated himself rather also requiring his password. SEE ALSO key2root-addkey(8), key2root-crypt(8), key2root-lskeys(8), key2root-rmkey(8), asroot(8), sudo(8), doas(1), su(1)