---
name: "cryptodev"
section: "4"
platform: "linux"
package: "freebsd-manpages"
version: "6.0-5"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cryptodev"
---

# cryptodev(4)

hardware crypto access driver

## NAME

**crypto**, **cryptodev** – hardware crypto access driver

## SYNOPSIS

**device** **crypto** **device** **cryptodev**

## DESCRIPTION

The **crypto** driver provides a device-independent framework to support cryptographic operations in the kernel. The **cryptodev** driver provides userland applications access to this support through the */dev/crypto* device. This node primarily operates in an [ioctl(2)](/ioctl/2.md) based model, permitting a variety of applications to query device capabilities, submit transactions, and get results.

If *count* given in the specification, and is greater than 0, a maximum of one **crypto** device is created.

The following [ioctl(2)](/ioctl/2.md) calls apply only to the **crypto** devices:

- CIOCGSESSION

  Setup a new crypto session for a new type of operation.

- CIOCFSESSION

  Free a previously established session.

- CIOCCRYPT

  Perform a crypto operation against a previously setup session.

## FEATURES

Depending on hardware being present, the following symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic features are potentially available from */dev/crypto*:

- CRYPTO\_DES\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_3DES\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_BLF\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_CAST\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_SKIPJACK\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_MD5\_HMAC

  - CRYPTO\_SHA1\_HMAC

  - CRYPTO\_RIPEMD160\_HMAC

  - CRYPTO\_MD5\_KPDK

  - CRYPTO\_SHA1\_KPDK

  - CRYPTO\_AES\_CBC

  - CRYPTO\_ARC4

  - CRYPTO\_MD5

  - CRYPTO\_SHA1

  - CRK\_MOD\_EXP

  - CRK\_MOD\_EXP\_CRT

  - CRK\_DSA\_SIGN

  - CRK\_DSA\_VERIFY

  - CRK\_DH\_COMPUTE\_KEY

  ## FILES

- */dev/crypto*

  crypto access device

## SEE ALSO

[hifn(4)](/hifn/4.md), [safe(4)](/safe/4.md), [ubsec(4)](/ubsec/4.md), [crypto(9)](/crypto/9.md)

## HISTORY

The **crypto** driver first appeared in OpenBSD 3.0. The **crypto** driver was imported to FreeBSD 5.0.