diff --git a/sys/include/authsrv.h b/sys/include/authsrv.h
index b423992c1..5df6f0973 100644
--- a/sys/include/authsrv.h
+++ b/sys/include/authsrv.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ enum
 	NETCHLEN=	16,	/* max network challenge length (used in AS protocol) */
 	CONFIGLEN=	14,
 	SECRETLEN=	32,	/* secret max size */
+	PASSWDLEN=	28,	/* password max size */
 
 	NONCELEN=	32,
 
@@ -102,8 +103,8 @@ struct Authenticator
 struct Passwordreq
 {
 	char	num;
-	char	old[ANAMELEN];
-	char	new[ANAMELEN];
+	char	old[PASSWDLEN];
+	char	new[PASSWDLEN];
 	char	changesecret;
 	char	secret[SECRETLEN];	/* new secret */
 };
@@ -187,6 +188,7 @@ struct Nvrsafe
 
 extern	uchar	nvcsum(void*, int);
 extern	int	readnvram(Nvrsafe*, int);
+extern	char*	readcons(char*, char*, int);
 
 /*
  *  call up auth server
diff --git a/sys/src/libauthsrv/mkfile b/sys/src/libauthsrv/mkfile
index 799ed0607..80d4d8a34 100644
--- a/sys/src/libauthsrv/mkfile
+++ b/sys/src/libauthsrv/mkfile
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ OFILES=\
 	nvcsum.$O\
 	passtokey.$O\
 	readnvram.$O\
+	readcons.$O\
 
 HFILES=\
 	/sys/include/authsrv.h
diff --git a/sys/src/libauthsrv/passtokey.c b/sys/src/libauthsrv/passtokey.c
index 60742c49c..e6803427a 100644
--- a/sys/src/libauthsrv/passtokey.c
+++ b/sys/src/libauthsrv/passtokey.c
@@ -6,12 +6,12 @@
 void
 passtodeskey(char key[DESKEYLEN], char *p)
 {
-	uchar buf[ANAMELEN], *t;
+	uchar buf[PASSWDLEN], *t;
 	int i, n;
 
 	n = strlen(p);
-	if(n >= ANAMELEN)
-		n = ANAMELEN-1;
+	if(n >= PASSWDLEN)
+		n = PASSWDLEN-1;
 	memset(buf, ' ', 8);
 	t = buf;
 	strncpy((char*)t, p, n);
diff --git a/sys/src/libauthsrv/readcons.c b/sys/src/libauthsrv/readcons.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7f9b99ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sys/src/libauthsrv/readcons.c
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#include <libc.h>
+
+/*
+ *  prompt for a string with a possible default response
+ */
+char*
+readcons(char *prompt, char *def, int raw)
+{
+	int fdin, fdout, ctl, n;
+	char *s, *p;
+
+	s = p = nil;
+	fdout = ctl = -1;
+
+	if((fdin = open("/dev/cons", OREAD)) < 0)
+		goto Out;
+	if((fdout = open("/dev/cons", OWRITE)) < 0)
+		goto Out;
+
+	if(raw){
+		if((ctl = open("/dev/consctl", OWRITE)) < 0)
+			goto Out;
+		write(ctl, "rawon", 5);
+	}
+
+	if(def != nil)
+		fprint(fdout, "%s[%s]: ", prompt, def);
+	else
+		fprint(fdout, "%s: ", prompt);
+
+	for(;;){
+		n = p - s;
+		if((n % 32) == 0){
+			if((p = realloc(s, n+32)) == nil)
+				break;
+			s = p, p += n;
+		}
+
+		if(read(fdin, p, 1) <= 0 || *p == 0x7f)
+			break;
+
+		if(*p == '\n' || *p == '\r'){
+			if(p == s && def != nil){
+				free(s);
+				s = strdup(def);
+			} else
+				*p = 0;
+			if(raw)
+				write(fdout, "\n", 1);
+			goto Out;
+		} else if(*p == '\b') {
+			while(p > s && (p[-1] & 0xc0) == 0x80)
+				*p-- = 0;
+			if(p > s)
+				*p-- = 0;
+		} else if(*p == 0x15) {	/* ^U: line kill */
+			if(def != nil)
+				fprint(fdout, "\n%s[%s]: ", prompt, def);
+			else
+				fprint(fdout, "\n%s: ", prompt);
+			while(p > s)
+				*p-- = 0;
+		} else if(*p >= ' ')
+			p++;
+	}
+	free(s);
+	s = nil;
+	if(raw)
+		write(fdout, "\n", 1);
+Out:
+	if(ctl >= 0){
+		write(ctl, "rawoff", 6);
+		close(ctl);
+	}
+	if(fdin >= 0)
+		close(fdin);
+	if(fdout >= 0)
+		close(fdout);
+
+	return s;
+}
diff --git a/sys/src/libauthsrv/readnvram.c b/sys/src/libauthsrv/readnvram.c
index ae708acbc..1a00835cf 100644
--- a/sys/src/libauthsrv/readnvram.c
+++ b/sys/src/libauthsrv/readnvram.c
@@ -53,78 +53,6 @@ static struct {
 	"debug", "/tmp/nvram", 0, sizeof(Nvrsafe),
 };
 
-static char*
-readcons(char *prompt, char *def, int raw, char *buf, int nbuf)
-{
-	int fdin, fdout, ctl, n, m;
-	char line[10];
-
-	fdin = open("/dev/cons", OREAD);
-	if(fdin < 0)
-		fdin = 0;
-	fdout = open("/dev/cons", OWRITE);
-	if(fdout < 0)
-		fdout = 1;
-	if(def != nil)
-		fprint(fdout, "%s[%s]: ", prompt, def);
-	else
-		fprint(fdout, "%s: ", prompt);
-	if(raw){
-		ctl = open("/dev/consctl", OWRITE);
-		if(ctl >= 0)
-			write(ctl, "rawon", 5);
-	} else
-		ctl = -1;
-
-	m = 0;
-	for(;;){
-		n = read(fdin, line, 1);
-		if(n == 0){
-			close(ctl);
-			werrstr("readcons: EOF");
-			return nil;
-		}
-		if(n < 0){
-			close(ctl);
-			werrstr("can't read cons");
-			return nil;
-		}
-		if(line[0] == 0x7f)
-			exits(0);
-		if(n == 0 || line[0] == '\n' || line[0] == '\r'){
-			if(raw){
-				write(ctl, "rawoff", 6);
-				write(fdout, "\n", 1);
-				close(ctl);
-			}
-			buf[m] = '\0';
-			if(buf[0]=='\0' && def)
-				strcpy(buf, def);
-			return buf;
-		}
-		if(line[0] == '\b'){
-			if(m > 0)
-				m--;
-		}else if(line[0] == 0x15){	/* ^U: line kill */
-			m = 0;
-			if(def != nil)
-				fprint(fdout, "%s[%s]: ", prompt, def);
-			else
-				fprint(fdout, "%s: ", prompt);
-		}else{
-			if(m >= nbuf-1){
-				fprint(fdout, "line too long\n");
-				m = 0;
-				if(def != nil)
-					fprint(fdout, "%s[%s]: ", prompt, def);
-				else
-					fprint(fdout, "%s: ", prompt);
-			}else
-				buf[m++] = line[0];
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 typedef struct {
 	int	fd;
 	int	safelen;
@@ -211,6 +139,29 @@ findnvram(Nvrwhere *locp)
 	locp->safeoff = safeoff;
 }
 
+static int
+ask(char *prompt, char *buf, int len, int raw)
+{
+	char *s;
+	int n;
+
+	memset(buf, 0, len);
+	for(;;){
+		if((s = readcons(prompt, nil, raw)) == nil)
+			return -1;
+		if((n = strlen(s)) >= len)
+			fprint(2, "%s longer than %d characters; try again\n", prompt, len-1);
+		else {
+			memmove(buf, s, n);
+			memset(s, 0, n);
+			free(s);
+			return 0;
+		}
+		memset(s, 0, n);
+		free(s);
+	}
+}
+
 /*
  *  get key info out of nvram.  since there isn't room in the PC's nvram use
  *  a disk partition there.
@@ -219,7 +170,7 @@ int
 readnvram(Nvrsafe *safep, int flag)
 {
 	int err;
-	char buf[512], in[128];		/* 512 for floppy i/o */
+	char buf[512];		/* 512 for floppy i/o */
 	Nvrsafe *safe;
 	Nvrwhere loc;
 
@@ -294,22 +245,22 @@ readnvram(Nvrsafe *safep, int flag)
 
 	if((flag&(NVwrite|NVwritemem)) || (err && (flag&NVwriteonerr))){
 		if (!(flag&NVwritemem)) {
-			readcons("authid", nil, 0, safe->authid,
-					sizeof safe->authid);
-			readcons("authdom", nil, 0, safe->authdom,
-					sizeof safe->authdom);
-			readcons("secstore key", nil, 1, safe->config,
-					sizeof safe->config);
-			for(;;){
-				Authkey k;
+			char pass[PASSWDLEN];
+			Authkey k;
 
-				if(readcons("password", nil, 1, in, sizeof in) == nil)
-					goto Out;
-				passtokey(&k, in);
-				memmove(safe->machkey, k.des, DESKEYLEN);
-				memmove(safe->aesmachkey, k.aes, AESKEYLEN);
-				break;
-			}
+			if(ask("authid", safe->authid, sizeof safe->authid, 0))
+				goto Out;
+			if(ask("authdom", safe->authdom, sizeof safe->authdom, 0))
+				goto Out;
+			if(ask("secstore key", safe->config, sizeof safe->config, 1))
+				goto Out;
+			if(ask("password", pass, sizeof pass, 1))
+				goto Out;
+			passtokey(&k, pass);
+			memset(pass, 0, sizeof pass);
+			memmove(safe->machkey, k.des, DESKEYLEN);
+			memmove(safe->aesmachkey, k.aes, AESKEYLEN);
+			memset(&k, 0, sizeof k);
 		}
 
 		safe->machsum = nvcsum(safe->machkey, DESKEYLEN);