Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!yorkohm!pete
From: pete@ohm.york.ac.uk (-Pete French.)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: password encoding
Message-ID: <1991Jun6.100828.6724@ohm.york.ac.uk>
Date: 6 Jun 91 10:08:28 GMT
References: <1991Jun5.183525.3907@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Organization: Electronics Department, University of York, UK
Lines: 21

in article <1991Jun5.183525.3907@nntp-server.caltech.edu>, gwoho@nntp-server.caltech.edu (g liu) says:
> 
> looking at the minix source, it appears to me that the passwords
> are encoded into the password file. not encrypted. that is, inverting
> the crypt function looks trivial.
> is this so? does unix use the same method of encoding the password?

yes - someone posted an inversion program about a year ago.

MINIX used to have a unit compatible crypt - I dont know why it was changed. I
have never bothered making the hange - I strill use the oild crypt funtion
to maintain compatibility with UNIX boxes.

why did it dissappear ? (anything to do with DES/USA retrictions ?)

-bat.
-- 
-Pete French. (the -bat. )         /  "Two wrongs don't make a right,
Adaptive Systems Engineering      /    - but three lefts do !"

"Look here, a Brit who has obviously been driving in California!"