Default password encryption method.

ian ivy sidetripping at gmail.com
Tue Jun 19 14:10:07 UTC 2012


Hello,

By default FreeBSD uses MD5 to encrypt passwords. MD5 is believed to be
more secure than e.g. DES but less than e.g. SHA512. Currently several
major Linux distributions, uses a SHA512 mechanism. Suse Linux also offers
a blowfish.

Some Debian based distributions use MD5-based algorithm compatible with the
one
used by recent releases of FreeBSD - but mostly this variable (*
MD5_CRYPT_ENAB*)
is deprecated, and SHA512-based algorithm is used.

Of course, in FreeBSD we can change the MD5 for example to BLF,
but, it will be not a better solution to use SHA512 by default?


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