How to encrypt a password to the /etc/shadow file?

Milosevic · 12-12-2005, 09:26 PM

Does anybody know how to encrypt a password in order to fill the password field in the /etc/shadow file?

Cheers, Milosevic.

liamoboyle · 12-12-2005, 09:30 PM

Run "mkpasswd -H md5"
Enter password
An md5 hash that will work in /etc/shadow will be output

Generally just use passwd to change your password and (as root) passwd -u username to change the password for username.

sundialsvcs · 12-13-2005, 02:14 PM

You should not have to touch the shadow file!

If you have shadowing enabled, the ordinary passwd command will update the password-value into the shadow-file, putting a dummy placeholder in the visible file.

And I hope that you have Tripwire and so-forth, so that any sneaky hacker's attempt to diddle with the file manually, to change a password without the knowledge of system administrators, will be instantly detected. . . .