[X-Unix] How secure is OS X storage of Unix passwords

[Kuestner, Bjoern]

<http://images.apple.com/macosx/pdf/Security_in_Mac_OS_X.pdf>
> 
> All of the password data in the keychain is protected using the Triple
> Digital Encryption Standard (3DES).

Thanks Eugene. 

Even when hitting me on the nose with that PDF it still wasn't obvious for
me. I think the problem is that I have an incorrect understanding of the
Keychain application.

I thought that 
- you have the login process that logs you on 
- and then starts the keychain process. 

But from that document I understand that the login process is already
handled by the keychain, the two processes cooperate or might even be the
same:

> Local single sign-on. Mac OS X enables you to sign on only once, obtaining
your
> single sign-on credentials from the keychain for local authentication

So although the password encryption is nowhere noted in that document, my
question actually doesn't make much sense for OS X, because the encryption
technology of the Keychain application (TripleDES) is the encryption method
for the login password.

What can I say ... learn something new every day.

Thanks,

Bjorn






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