Re: "useradd" create password on command line?

[Ibrahim Khalifa <maillist_(_at_)_val-axs_(_dot_)_net>]

On Mon, Aug 27, 2001 at 05:49:30PM -0000, Brian J. Kifiak wrote:

>> Why not have useradd encrypt a plain text password?
> I'd wager it's done as a preventitive measure to keep plaintext
> passwords out of the process table.

That was the reason when I made the patch for adduser around -98 (a long
time before useradd existed) which made it possible to use encrypted
passwords in batchmode. (yeah, yeah, it probably existed in other OS')

> Whether it's worth the inconvenience when you really want to
> do this is a matter of opinion.  (Realizing that the plaintext
> password will end up in the process table anyway when using
> encrypt(1).)

Only if you use encrypt in the wrong way. I believe it will read from
stdin, so that would be a much better way to use it.

//Ibo