title: Obscuring network proxy password in plain text files on Linux/UNIX-likes
body: <p>Typically in a large network a computer needs to operate behind an authenticated proxy - any connections to the outside world require a username/password which is often the password a user uses to log into email, workstation etc.</p>
  
  <p>This means having to put the network password in the <code>apt.conf</code> file as well as typically the <code>http_proxy, ftp_proxy</code> and <code>https_proxy</code> environment variables defined in <code>~/.profile</code></p>
  
  <p>I realise that with <code>apt.conf</code> that you could set <code>chmod 600</code> (which it isn't by default on Ubuntu/Debian!) but on our system there are people who need root priveleges .</p>
  
  <p>I also realise that it is technically impossible to secure a password from someone who has root access, however I was wondering if there was a way of <i>obscuring</i> the password to prevent accidental discovery. Windows operates with users as admins yet somehow stores network passwords (probably stored deep in the registry obscured in some way) so that in typical use you won't stumble across it in plain text</p>
  
  <p>I only ask since the other day, I entirely by accident discovered somebody elses password in this way when comparing configuration files across systems.</p>
  
  <p>@monjardin - Public key authentication is not an alternative on this network I'm afraid. Plus I doubt it is supported amongst the majority of commandline tools.</p>
  
  <p>@Neall - I don't mind the other users having web access, they can use my credentials to access the web, I just don't want them to happen across my password in plain text.</p>