macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install sssslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ssssMacPorts ports tree · security/ssss/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ssss with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix
Shamir's secret sharing scheme implementation. Version 0.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add ssssAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ssss · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ssssDebian stable package indexes · ssss · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ssssFedora Rawhide package metadata · ssss · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ssssnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ss/ssss/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Shamir's secret sharing scheme implementation
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ssss-combine
- ssss-split
history
Project history and usage
ssss is a small Unix-oriented command-line implementation of Shamir's Secret Sharing Scheme. Its package-manager identity is unusually literal: it ships two commands, ssss-split and ssss-combine, for turning a secret into threshold shares and reconstructing it from enough shares.
Project history
The official project page says ssss was written in 2006 by B. Poettering, licensed under GPL v2, linked against GNU libgmp, and designed for UNIX/Linux machines using /dev/random as an entropy source. The homepage distributes release tarballs from 0.1 through 0.5 rather than pointing to a public source-control repository.
Adoption history
The project page notes a Debian package and Freshmeat announcements, reflecting the mid-2000s Unix packaging path for small security tools. The supplied package facts show it later remained available across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/DNF, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix, which is the sort of long-tail packaging that keeps old but useful CLI cryptography tools reachable.
How it is used
Typical usage is interactive: ssss-split prompts for a secret and emits numbered shares for a threshold scheme, while ssss-combine reads enough shares to reconstruct the secret. The manpage also documents hex mode for binary material, quiet modes for scripts, and a hybrid pattern where large data is encrypted with tools such as OpenSSL or GPG and only the key is shared.
Why package nerds care
Package maintainers care about ssss because it is a compact, classic Unix security utility with stable command names and few moving parts. Its continued presence in multiple package managers makes it a reference point for threshold-secret workflows even when newer tools wrap Shamir sharing with additional authentication or modern cryptographic framing.
Timeline
- 2006: Official project page says ssss was written by B. Poettering.
- 2006: ssss 0.1 through 0.5 tarballs were published on the project homepage.
- 2018: Official homepage copyright and last-modified metadata show the page was still maintained.
Related projects
- The homepage links ssss to the broader Shamir secret sharing tradition and mentions seccure as another cryptography project by the same author. Its usage notes also point to OpenSSL and GPG for encrypting larger payloads before splitting only the symmetric key.
Sources
- http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
- http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/ssss.1.html
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ssss-combine | cli | global executable | |
ssss-split | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.5
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ssss |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.5 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ssss |
| Homepage | http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/ |
| Upstream docs | http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/ssss/ssss_0.5.orig.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | gmp, xmltoman |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ssss |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
ssss 0.5-5
Shamir's secret sharing scheme implementation
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
sudo apt install ssss- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
Nix95%
ssss
nix profile install nixpkgs#ssss- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
Ubuntu apt95%
ssss 0.5-5
Shamir's secret sharing scheme implementation
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
sudo apt install ssss- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
apk95%
ssss 0.5.7-r0
ssss is an implementation of Shamir's secret sharing scheme for UNIX systems
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
sudo apk add ssss- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ssss
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
apk95%
ssss-doc 0.5.7-r0
ssss is an implementation of Shamir's secret sharing scheme for UNIX systems (documentation)
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/
sudo apk add ssss-doc- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ssss
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
dnf95%
ssss 0.5-36.fc44.2
Shamir's secret sharing scheme
http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss
sudo dnf install ssss- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ssss
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
MacPorts95%
ssss
sudo port install ssss- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ssss
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment