Re: Encryption Functions?

gcote@bnr.ca (Gary Cote) writes: >I need to develop an encryption/decryption mechanism for password fields >that will be stored in an Informix database. >Because it will be stored in a database, the task is slightly complicated by the >fact that I've got a fixed length that I can output and that the password can >contain only a limited set of characters (must be printable, preferably non- >punctuation). I'm not looking for state-of-the-art cryptology here, just >something so that people don't have access to passwords through the database >viewer. >If any of you have done such before, please let me know and save me the effort. >I'd greatly appreciate it. >p.s. Pointers to public-domain source also desired. The solution needs to be >"exportable" so no national security export-protected algorithms, please. If you are using Informix on a unix platform, you very likely have that tool already. Check with the crypt() library call. The input is up to 8 characters of password, the output is a fixed length character string. However, this approach is as secure (or unsecure) as the /etc/passwd file. The crypt() call is slow on most unix platforms, but fast implementations (like those used with the crack programme, or with Linux) may be able to check over thousend passwords/second. But as you say, you are not looking for "state-of-the-art cryptology". -- Kai Petzke <wpp@marie.physik.tu-berlin.de> Advertisement by Microsoft in a well-known German magazine: If you don't like our programmes, then make your own ones. However, they expect you to use Microsoft products for this -:)