View (but not change) passwords of non-admin users

Hi everyone,

First off, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this -- my apologies if it's not (in which case someone can rebuke me and transfer it).

Anyway, i am the administrative user on our iMac running Mac OS X (10.6.5 to be more specific), and i let my kids use it as well. What i want to know is this: How can i view the current passwords of non-admin users (i.e., my kids)? (And in case someone is worried about backhanded, secretive, or downright manipulative parenting, please don't worry --- this is merely an ability that i think would come in handy sometime in the future).

I know that i can reset non-admin passwords and set new ones and all that -- i'm decently proficient with macs -- but that would defy the point: i want to be able to view the password without the user knowing. I know on windoze pc's this is as easy as pie (merely finding the file that stores it and using rainbow charts or somebody's simple program to view it)... Anyway i would think this would be under parental controls --- but lo and behold it AIN'T!

Any help is appreciated; thanks in advance!

I'm not so sure you can, that would be a pretty huge security issue.

If you don't trust the kids, make them give you their passwords. You don't have to use them, but they'd know you have them.

There is a way, but it's very difficult and experience with the command line is needed.
Decrypt OS X User Account Passwords - Hack Mac

Moderators:
And if this violates M-F rules feel free to remove it.

The long and the short of it is, the password is not stored anywhere on the computer. Only the hash is. In simple terms, the computer does not know what the password is, only how to determine if it is correct.

Log in with root access (command S at start up), and navigate to the appropriate system file, and use less to read it, you can then decrypt the hash. There is also stuff like OphCrack

Thanks everyone for your prompt responses!

DarkestRitual -- I've had some experience with OphCrack awhile ago, but didn't know it had a version for macs. Thanks for the tip, i think i'll give that a shot first.

McYukon -- Thanks for the link. I'm fairly familiar with basic terminal stuff so i'll probably give it a try.

And don't worry schweb, i have the utmost trust in my kids so i simply like to respect their privacy in certain aspects. There was a PTA meeting recently, and it was mentioned that we should be able to access our kids computers (or rather accounts) in the event of safety concerns.

Thanks again.