(mysql.info) passwords

(mysql.info) user-account-management
 
 5.9.5 Assigning Account Passwords
 ---------------------------------
 
 Passwords may be assigned from the command line by using the
 `mysqladmin' command:
 
      shell> mysqladmin -u USER_NAME -h HOST_NAME password "NEWPWD"
 
 The account for which this command resets the password is the one with
 a `user' table row that matches USER_NAME in the `User' column and the
 client host _from which you connect_ in the `Host' column.
 
 Another way to assign a password to an account is to issue a `SET
 PASSWORD' statement:
 
      mysql> SET PASSWORD FOR 'jeffrey'@'%' = PASSWORD('biscuit');
 
 Only users such as `root' that have update access to the `mysql'
 database can change the password for other users. If you are not
 connected as an anonymous user, you can change your own password by
 omitting the `FOR' clause:
 
      mysql> SET PASSWORD = PASSWORD('biscuit');
 
 You can also use a `GRANT USAGE' statement at the global level (`ON
 *.*') to assign a password to an account without affecting the
 account's current privileges:
 
      mysql> GRANT USAGE ON *.* TO 'jeffrey'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'biscuit';
 
 Although it is generally preferable to assign passwords using one of
 the preceding methods, you can also do so by modifying the `user' table
 directly:
 
    * To establish a password when creating a new account, provide a
      value for the `Password' column:
 
           shell> mysql -u root mysql
           mysql> INSERT INTO user (Host,User,Password)
               -> VALUES('%','jeffrey',PASSWORD('biscuit'));
           mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
 
    * To change the password for an existing account, use `UPDATE' to
      set the `Password' column value:
 
           shell> mysql -u root mysql
           mysql> UPDATE user SET Password = PASSWORD('bagel')
               -> WHERE Host = '%' AND User = 'francis';
           mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
 
 When you assign an account a non-empty password using `SET PASSWORD',
 `INSERT', or `UPDATE', you must use the `PASSWORD()' function to
 encrypt it.  `PASSWORD()' is necessary because the `user' table stores
 passwords in encrypted form, not as plaintext. If you forget that fact,
 you are likely to set passwords like this:
 
      shell> mysql -u root mysql
      mysql> INSERT INTO user (Host,User,Password)
          -> VALUES('%','jeffrey','biscuit');
      mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
 
 The result is that the literal value `'biscuit'' is stored as the
 password in the `user' table, not the encrypted value. When `jeffrey'
 attempts to connect to the server using this password, the value is
 encrypted and compared to the value stored in the `user' table.
 However, the stored value is the literal string `'biscuit'', so the
 comparison fails and the server rejects the connection:
 
      shell> mysql -u jeffrey -pbiscuit test
      Access denied
 
 If you assign passwords using the `GRANT ... IDENTIFIED BY' statement
 or the `mysqladmin password' command, they both take care of encrypting
 the password for you. In these cases, using `PASSWORD()' function is
 unnecessary.
 
 * `PASSWORD()' encryption is different from Unix password
 encryption. See  user-names.
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(mysql.info) user-account-management
(mysql.info) password-security
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