If you have physical access to the box you can just blank the password. (Windows OS has a Linux disk made just for this purpose) You only need to worry about the original password if you are trying to be stealthy about cracking the box, or have other issues, like backup scripts that are dependant on the password, and you cannot have them break. Lock your computer room doors people. Ciao, Dave
-----Original Message----- From: Mike Beattie [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, 15 April 2004 7:36 p.m. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Now: Why I left my password blank... RE: su not working On Thu, Apr 15, 2004 at 11:52:06AM +1200, Nick Rout wrote: > It is next to impossible to easily re-create the password from > the encrypted form saved in the password database. getent only returns > the encrypted version. I hate to nitpick, but passwords are hashed, not encrypted... apart from that, you're right. reversing an md5 hash is damned near impossible, not the same can be said for a crypt hash. Mike. -- Mike Beattie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ZL4TXK, IRLP Node 6184 Spock, the women on your planet are logical. No other planet in the galaxy can make that claim. -- Capt. James T. Kirk
