Default password encryption method.

[Maxim Khitrov]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 10:10 AM, ian ivy <sidetripping at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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?

This has been discussed recently in the following thread:

http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-security/2012-June/006271.html

- Max