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Linux shadow/password

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5 replies

by hmechan

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Why does "passwd" sometimes replace password in
/etc/passwd file with an "x" which indicates use of shadow file. I do not even know how to instigate shadow passwords and have never set up there use to our knowledge?

5 replies

by jcmcintyre

The X means that the hashed password is actually located in /etc/shadow. Hashing creates an alphanumeric value for a plain-tect password, but it isn't the same as encryption. Shadowing passwords helps passwords from being compromised if somebody gets access to /etc/password. Support for shadowed passwords may have been enabled when the system was installed. If an X replaces the value for the hashed password, shadowed [asswords are being used.

Cheers

by abohart

Depending on the version/distro of Linux you are running, this is often the default install option. This is especially true for distros that have come out in the last 2-3 years.

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