LinuxQuestions.org - CUPS + smb: Cleartext passwords: Can they be hidden?

I currently have CUPS setup to print using smb. Works like a champ. However, login and password details are required. These are stored in cleartext in /etc/cups/printers.conf (at least on a Debian system this is where they are). This is not so bad, as the average user cannot read this file.

However, the average user CAN go to http://localhost:631/printers and see the login and password clear as day right there in the DeviceURI line.

Is there some alternate way to configure this so these sensitive details are not out in the open?

The printer was configured from the command line thusly:

Code:

lpadmin -p printername -v smb://login: password@host_name/share_name -P /usr/share/cups/model/XYZ.ppd

/usr/bin/enable printername

/usr/sbin/accept printername

lpadmin -d printername

Note: No actual space between the "login:" and "password" in the lpadmin command above, but without that space ": p" comes out as a smiley! :p