[db-wg] Deprecation of CRYPT-PW authentication method from the RIPE Database

[Apologies for duplicate mails]

Dear Colleagues,

The CRYPT-PW deprecation project ends today, Wednesday, 21 February 2007. From today, the following changes will apply:

   * CRYPT-PW passwords will be disabled in the syntax
   * CRYPT-PW passwords will be disabled in authorisation
   * CRYPT-PW passwords will be removed from existing maintainer objects


If a maintainer object contained CRYPT-PW passwords only, the passwords were replaced with a randomly generated MD5-PW password. 
If a maintainer object used an authentication method that was not CRYPT-PW, the CRYPT-PW auth: lines have been removed. To retrieve the removed CRYPT-PW passwords, please visit:
https://www.ripe.net/cgi-bin/crypt2md5.cgi

The RIPE NCC has recently upgraded its mail servers to support TLS/SSL. If you are updating the RIPE Database by email, please use an SMTP server that supports TLS/SSL. This will protect your data where possible. 

The use of an SMTP server that supports TLS/SSL is particularly important if you use cleartext password (MD5-PW) for authentication instead of PGP or X509. More information is available at:
http://ripe.net/news/tls.html

Notification e-mails will be sent today to over 5100 e-mail addresses. A total of 2337 objects had CRYPT-PW authentication only. Another 179 objects had other authentication methods in addition to CRYPT-PW.

More information about the project is available at:
http://www.ripe.net/db/support/security/crypt-pw_deprecation/

If you have any questions, contact: ripe-dbm at ripe.net.

Regards,
Agoston Horvath
Database Group
RIPE NCC