Linux: How the password is stored, salted and hashed securely?

In earlier systems, passwords were stored in the file /etc/passwd and they were not encrypted. After the user is created, an entry gets recorded in /etc/passwd with 'x' in the second column instead of the acutal password. $ useradd timmy $ cat /etc/passwd timmy:x:1002:1003::/home/timmy:/bin/sh For security reasons, passwords are now stored in the file /etc/shadow and they are encrypted. Password was not set initially, when the user was created. This is indicated by !! mark (in RedHat, ! - Debian) $ cat /etc/shadow timmy:!!:15870:0:99999:7::: (more…)