diff -urN ./plugins/check_mysql.c ../plugins/plugins/check_mysql.c
--- ./plugins/check_mysql.c	2005-01-05 21:53:16.000000000 +0100
+++ ../plugins/plugins/check_mysql.c	2005-02-17 16:08:30.000000000 +0100
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@
 int
 process_arguments (int argc, char **argv)
 {
-	int c;
+	int c, i;
 
 	int option = 0;
 	static struct option longopts[] = {
@@ -193,10 +193,19 @@
 			db = optarg;
 			break;
 		case 'u':									/* username */
-			db_user = optarg;
+			if((db_user = strdup(optarg))) {
+				for(i = 0; i < strlen(argv[optind]); i++) argv[optind][i] = 'x';
+			}
+			else
+				db_user = optarg;
 			break;
 		case 'p':									/* authentication information: password */
-			db_pass = optarg;
+			if((db_pass = strdup(optarg))) {
+				/* strdup was successful, so obscure passwd from ps view */
+				for(i = 0; i < strlen(argv[optind]); i++) argv[optind][i] = 'x';
+			}
+			else /* strdup failed, so point it to password input string */
+				db_pass = optarg;
 			break;
 		case 'P':									/* critical time threshold */
 			db_port = atoi (optarg);
@@ -219,18 +228,27 @@
 
 	while ( argc > c ) {
 
-		if (strlen(db_host) == 0)
+		if (db_host == NULL || strlen(db_host) == 0) {
 			if (is_host (argv[c])) {
 				db_host = argv[c++];
 			}
 			else {
 				usage2 (_("Invalid hostname/address"), optarg);
 			}
-		else if (strlen(db_user) == 0)
-			db_user = argv[c++];
-		else if (strlen(db_pass) == 0)
-			db_pass = argv[c++];
-		else if (strlen(db) == 0)
+		}
+		else if (db_user == NULL || strlen(db_user) == 0) {
+			if((db_user = strdup(argv[c++])))
+				for(i = 0; i < strlen(argv[c]); i++) argv[c][i] = 'x';
+			else
+				db_user = argv[c];
+		}
+		else if (db_pass == NULL || strlen(db_pass) == 0) {
+			if((db_pass = strdup(argv[c++])))
+				for(i = 0; i < strlen(argv[c]); i++) argv[c][i] = 'x';
+			else
+				db_pass = argv[c];
+		}
+		else if (db == NULL || strlen(db) == 0)
 			db = argv[c++];
 		else if (is_intnonneg (argv[c]))
 			db_port = atoi (argv[c++]);
@@ -246,16 +264,16 @@
 validate_arguments (void)
 {
 	if (db_user == NULL)
-		db_user = strdup("");
+		db_user = "";
 
 	if (db_host == NULL)
-		db_host = strdup("");
+		db_host = "";
 
 	if (db_pass == NULL)
-		db_pass == strdup("");
+		db_pass == "";
 
 	if (db == NULL)
-		db = strdup("");
+		db = "";
 
 	return OK;
 }