On 1/1/08, Jordan K. Hubbard <jkh@apple.com> wrote:

I see your confusion. The documentation only mentions Crypt passwords as and old-style way of leaving passwords around if you need interoperability with 10.0 or 10.1 machines. By default, you're already using a shadow password and have been for quite a few releases now.

Jordan, appreciate the further clarity. Quick question then (just to make sure I'm ultra clear) -- even if a MacPort installs a new entry in the local directory domain with a "Crypt Password" type, what you're saying is that in reality, under Leopard Server (and the past few versions of Mac OS X Server) this password is a Shadow Password disguised to the system as a Crypt Password? I ask because using Workgroup Manager on Leopard Server, I can select the user that was installed by the MacPort (for example, take the openldap MacPort which installs a local directory domain entry with the username "ldap", UID "500" and a User Password Type of "Crypt Password" and I can select the pop-up menu with the "Crypt Password" selection and change the type to either "Shadow Password" or "OpenDirectory" because I am also running an OpenDirectory Master on the same machine).

I appreciate the insight as this is actually quite interesting!

Thanks,

T.M.

- Jordan

On Jan 1, 2008, at 3:09 PM, Tabitha McNerney wrote:

On 1/1/08, Jordan K. Hubbard <jkh@apple.com> wrote:
Let's ask a different question: What are you trying to achieve?

- Jordan

Hi Jordan,

You raise a good question, about what I am trying to achieve. My concern is that, after reading Apple's Mac OS X Server Leopard documentation, it strikes me that crypt passwords are less secure compared to other options such as Shadow Passwords, as I quote the Leopard Server OpenDirectory documentation (PDF):

User accounts not used on computers that require a crypt password should have an
Open Directory password or a shadow password. A crypt password is required only for
logging in to a computer with Mac OS X v10.1 or earlier and on computers with some
types of UNIX.

A crypt password is stored as an encrypted value, or hash, in the user account record in
the directory domain. Because the crypt password can be recovered from the directory
domain, it is subject to offline attack and is less secure than other password types.

Maybe I am misinterpreting, but it strikes me that Apple is recommending that, if possible, a crypt password should be last on the list of password type choices.

Thanks,

T.M.

On Jan 1, 2008, at 2:04 AM, Tabitha McNerney wrote:

> Hello all --
>
> I am happily running Leopard Server and installing MacPorts 1.6.0.
> Some of the ports install users in the local directory domain (with
> Leopard Apple has officially done away with NetInfo by the way).
> There is an option using Workgroup Manager -- a GUI tool only
> bundled by Apple with Mac OS X Server, to change the password type
> of local directory domain users (for example, the user "ldap"
> installed by MacPorts as part of the openldap port) from crypt to
> Shadow Password. Has anyone ever tried this and if so are there any
> reasons not to switch from crypt to Shadow Password?
>
> Thank,
>
> -T.M.
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