Why Encrypting passwords with MD5 alone doesn't help promote security as much as you think..

System security

Salting

Why MD5 can't be used in deployment descriptors

User Password choice

Alternatives to passwords

Source material:

• http://linuxintegrators.com/blog/acoliver/code/?permalink=0117.html

Related material:

• Translucent Databases has good coverage of storing passwords and other sensitive information in databases