001
EXH-0011988Historical
The Classic Password File
An old UNIX timeshare in 1988. The password file is world-readable. This is why we have shadow.
Type
Classic
Difficulty
Beginner
Era
1980s
Time
7 min
Briefing
It is 1988. /etc/passwd holds usernames, UIDs, shells, and, until shadow files arrived, the hashed passwords too. Anyone who could read the file could carry it home and run a cracker against it offline. This exhibit reconstructs that moment, with fake users.
Your role
A curious undergraduate on a shared UNIX timeshare.
Objective
See why early UNIX kept hashed passwords in a world-readable file, and what changed.
Terminal environment
- user
- student
- host
- vax-stargazer
- cwd
- /etc
- steps
- 4
Enter the terminalAbout 7 minutesSafe simulation
Safety note. This is a safe reconstruction. All systems, files, hosts, credentials, and outputs are simulated. Do not use these techniques on systems you do not own or have explicit permission to test.