Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

Shadow Passwords

The process of shadowing passwords is used to increase the security level of passwords on Unix systems. On most Unix systems, users' passwords are stored in a file to which every user has read/write access. It is relatively easy for a hacker to obtain a copy of this file and, by using one of a number of commonly available tools, to decode the encrypted user passwords stored within it.

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Shadow Passwords