> I consider it as a bad move too and performance degradation.
> Why only DB? Why you don't automatically clear stack too? :-)
> 
> Passwords can be stored anywhere in the application,
> and it is per-application task to clear sensetive data anywhere.
> 
> Please, back out this change.

I agree.  This change should definitely be backed out.
--
   John Polstra                                       jdp@polstra.com
   John D. Polstra & Co., Inc.                Seattle, Washington USA
   "Self-knowledge is always bad news."                 -- John Barth