diff --git a/lib/libutil/openpty.3 b/lib/libutil/openpty.3
index fa77c9e2ba80..d222efb01b35 100644
--- a/lib/libutil/openpty.3
+++ b/lib/libutil/openpty.3
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.\"	$NetBSD: openpty.3,v 1.12 2003/08/07 16:44:59 agc Exp $
+.\"	$NetBSD: openpty.3,v 1.13 2004/06/18 02:42:57 christos Exp $
 .\"
 .\" Copyright (c) 1995
 .\"	The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 .\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
 .\" SUCH DAMAGE.
 .\"
-.Dd November 4, 1996
+.Dd June 17, 2004
 .Dt OPENPTY 3
 .Os
 .Sh NAME
@@ -139,6 +139,10 @@ will fail if:
 .Bl -tag -width Er
 .It Bq Er ENOENT
 There are no available ttys.
+.It Bq Er EPERM
+The caller was not the superuser and the
+.Xr ptm 4
+device is missing or not configured.
 .El
 .Pp
 .Fn login_tty
diff --git a/lib/libutil/pty.c b/lib/libutil/pty.c
index 2a7966ad0bf2..229faf0224ee 100644
--- a/lib/libutil/pty.c
+++ b/lib/libutil/pty.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	$NetBSD: pty.c,v 1.22 2004/05/27 03:12:48 christos Exp $	*/
+/*	$NetBSD: pty.c,v 1.23 2004/06/18 02:42:57 christos Exp $	*/
 
 /*-
  * Copyright (c) 1990, 1993, 1994
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 #if 0
 static char sccsid[] = "@(#)pty.c	8.3 (Berkeley) 5/16/94";
 #else
-__RCSID("$NetBSD: pty.c,v 1.22 2004/05/27 03:12:48 christos Exp $");
+__RCSID("$NetBSD: pty.c,v 1.23 2004/06/18 02:42:57 christos Exp $");
 #endif
 #endif /* LIBC_SCCS and not lint */
 
@@ -86,10 +86,15 @@ openpty(int *amaster, int *aslave, char *name, struct termios *termp,
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (geteuid() != 0) {
+		errno = EPERM;
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	if ((gr = getgrnam("tty")) != NULL)
 		ttygid = gr->gr_gid;
 	else
-		ttygid = (gid_t) -1;
+		ttygid = _TTY_GID;
 
 	for (cp1 = TTY_LETTERS; *cp1; cp1++) {
 		line[8] = *cp1;