[lug] generating linux passwords using openssl

[charles at lunarmedia.net]

i'm messing around with taking a plain text password and running

	openssl passwd -salt <characters> <passphrase>

to compare the outcome with entries in my /etc/shadow file. the output i
am seeing from this command is very different from the output i see in
/etc/shadow.

for example, in /etc/shadow, i see:

	test:$1$1pqC/5DL$d/xHPgKHEilQeSqcArGNP0

test is a user whose passphrase is "charles"

i think that the salt for this password is "$1$" (the first three
characters, right?)

when i run:

	openssl passwd -salt $1$ charles

i get:

	$AdaOyvpHrybM

which is considerably different. the only options i see for encryption
methods under openssl are -apr1 for md5 and -crypt which is the default
and is standard unix encryption.

why such a difference in the two hashes?