Encrypting string with bash

Question

I use CentOS5. I'm trying to read a username and a password in a bash script so I can create a new unix user.

useradd -p $password $login

the problem here is that the password is not encrypted later in /etc/shadow.

In useradd man pages it is meant to specify passwords encrypted with crypt which is not a bash command. How can i use this function from a Bash script? Or is there any command for encrypting strings?

pls look at this - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1020534/useradd-using-crypt-password-generation — Bill, May 17 '13 at 10:28
this is from man page of `useradd` -- `-p : "Note: This option is not recommended because the password (or encrypted password) will be visible by users listing the processes. You should make sure the password respects the system's password policy."` — Bill, May 17 '13 at 10:29
+1 to Bill's comment. When it comes to security, don't take any shortcuts. Ever. — DevSolar, May 17 '13 at 10:52

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered May 17 '13 at 10:48

0

You could use OpenSSL for this. Its passwd command uses crypt by default.

$ openssl passwd secret
xzQbh15rXTn1c

answered May 17 '13 at 10:48

Cairnarvon

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But your userdb should not be. – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams May 17 '13 at 10:50
True. I'm just answering his question; I'll leave it to someone else to explain why what he's doing is a bad idea and what he should be doing instead, because I don't feel up for it right now. – Cairnarvon May 17 '13 at 10:58

Encrypting string with bash

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