If any password hashes are stored in /etc/passwd (in the second field,
instead of an x or *), the cause of this misconfiguration should be
investigated. The account should have its password reset and the hash should be
properly stored, or the account should be deleted entirely.
Rationale
The hashes for all user account passwords should be stored in
the file /etc/shadow and never in /etc/passwd,
which is readable by all users.
ISA-62443-2-1-2009, Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems Part 2-1: Establishing an Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security Program