Password from Domain

[lhe]

I have a job in which I am supposely to retrieve all the users inofrmation such as userid, name and title as well as password from the LDAP query. Now I got all I want from the LDAP, but not the password. I was told that the passwords are stored in the domain. I found Changepassword, SetPassword methods and looped out all the properties of each user, but not the password.
Does anyone have an idea of how to get the passwords (MD5 encrypted hash) from the domain. Please help. I just have no idea at all.
Your help if appreciated.
Lannie

 

[CajunCenturion]

My first question is why? Why do you need to know someone else's password? If they've forgotten their password, you can change it for them.

Further, the last thing I would want to know, especially if the SysAdmin, is someone else's password. You expose yourself to liability, and you then provide everyone the easy defense - The SysAdmin has my password, and logged in as me and did it!

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[lhe]

To CajunCenturion,
You have a good point. I am software programmer here. Now we are building a component in the active directory.
My job is only a part which will play a bridge connecting other two servers. My part is to retrieve all the user's information and passwords, .. and save them to the sql database. The passwords are saved as encrypted. So far, I wrote some code retrieving the user's information from LDAP query in VBScript. Only password is missing. I simply can't not find anything (properties or methods) that can be used.
Hopefully,this explanation can answer your questions.
Lannie

 

[Yardyy]

If you could retrieve the hash from AD would that be sufficient for your requirements.

That way you dont know that password, no liability, and you have the hash.

Many Thanks
Yardyy

 

[theoxyde]

Windows (2k and beyond) is supposed to be capable of C2-level security, which mandates a non-repudiation requirement. In order to meet that requirement, passwords are not to be retrievable by anyone (including administrators). This is accomplished by storing the password only as a hash value, which is typically MD5 or SHA, and is one-way encryption -- no decryption. You verify that the user entered the correct password by hashing the input and comparing it to the stored hash.

My point is: you cannot (theoretically) retrieve user's passwords from Windows (or any other C2 or better system).