diff --git a/include/PgSQL_Data_Stream.h b/include/PgSQL_Data_Stream.h
index d830fbfda..5b7dbc454 100644
--- a/include/PgSQL_Data_Stream.h
+++ b/include/PgSQL_Data_Stream.h
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class PgSQL_Data_Stream
 	AUTHENTICATION_METHOD auth_method = AUTHENTICATION_METHOD::NO_PASSWORD;
 	uint32_t auth_next_pkt_type = 0;
 	bool auth_received_startup = false;
-	
+	unsigned char tmp_login_salt[4];
 	ScramState* scram_state;
 
 	unsigned int connect_tries;
diff --git a/lib/PgSQL_Protocol.cpp b/lib/PgSQL_Protocol.cpp
index 40ff303e9..513f0b1f9 100644
--- a/lib/PgSQL_Protocol.cpp
+++ b/lib/PgSQL_Protocol.cpp
@@ -1,16 +1,7 @@
-//#include "openssl/rand.h"
+
+#include <openssl/rand.h>
 #include "proxysql.h"
 #include "cpp.h"
-/*
-#include "re2/re2.h"
-#include "re2/regexp.h"
-#include "MySQL_PreparedStatement.h"
-
-
-#include "MySQL_LDAP_Authentication.hpp"
-#include "MySQL_Variables.h"
-#include <sstream>
-*/
 #include "PgSQL_Authentication.h"
 #include "PgSQL_Data_Stream.h"
 #include "PgSQL_Protocol.h"
@@ -408,7 +399,15 @@ bool PgSQL_Protocol::generate_pkt_initial_handshake(bool send, void** _ptr, unsi
 		pgpkt.write_generic(type, "i", PG_PKT_AUTH_PLAIN);
 		break;
 	case AUTHENTICATION_METHOD::MD5_PASSWORD:
-		pgpkt.write_generic(type, "i", PG_PKT_AUTH_MD5);
+		memset((*myds)->tmp_login_salt, 0, sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt));
+		if (RAND_bytes((*myds)->tmp_login_salt, sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt)) != 1) {
+			// Fallback method: using a basic pseudo-random generator
+			srand((unsigned int)time(NULL));  
+			for (int i = 0; i < sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt); i++) {
+				(*myds)->tmp_login_salt[i] = rand() % 256;  
+			}
+		}
+		pgpkt.write_generic(type, "ib", PG_PKT_AUTH_MD5, (*myds)->tmp_login_salt, sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt));
 		break;
 	case AUTHENTICATION_METHOD::SASL_SCRAM_SHA_256:
 		pgpkt.write_generic(type, "iss", PG_PKT_AUTH_SASL, "SCRAM-SHA-256", "");
@@ -781,8 +780,55 @@ EXECUTION_STATE PgSQL_Protocol::process_handshake_response_packet(unsigned char*
 
 
 	if (password) {
-		proxy_debug(PROXY_DEBUG_MYSQL_AUTH, 5, "Session=%p , DS=%p , user='%s' , auth_method=%d\n", (*myds), (*myds)->sess, user, (int)(*myds)->auth_method);
+		proxy_debug(PROXY_DEBUG_MYSQL_AUTH, 5, "Session=%p , DS=%p , user='%s' , auth_method=%s\n", (*myds), (*myds)->sess, user, AUTHENTICATION_METHOD_STR[(int)(*myds)->auth_method]);
 		switch ((*myds)->auth_method) {
+		case AUTHENTICATION_METHOD::MD5_PASSWORD:
+		{
+			uint32_t pass_len = hdr.data.size;
+			pass = (char*)malloc(pass_len + 1);
+			memcpy(pass, hdr.data.ptr, pass_len);
+			pass[pass_len] = 0;
+
+			using_password = (pass_len > 0);
+
+			if (pass_len) {
+				if (pass[pass_len - 1] == 0) {
+					pass_len--; // remove the extra 0 if present
+				}
+			}
+
+			if (!pass || *pass == '\0') {
+				proxy_debug(PROXY_DEBUG_MYSQL_AUTH, 5, "Session=%p , DS=%p , user='%s'. Empty password returned by client.\n", (*myds), (*myds)->sess, user);
+				generate_error_packet(true, false, "empty password returned by client", PGSQL_ERROR_CODES::ERRCODE_PROTOCOL_VIOLATION, true);
+				break;
+			}
+
+			unsigned char md5_digest[MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH];
+			char md5_string[MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH * 2 + sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt)];
+			MD5_CTX md5_context;
+			// needs to be precalculated and stored in DB
+			MD5_Init(&md5_context);
+			MD5_Update(&md5_context, password, strlen(password));
+			MD5_Update(&md5_context, user, strlen(user));
+			MD5_Final(md5_digest, &md5_context);
+			for (int i = 0; i < MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH; i++) {
+				sprintf(&md5_string[i * 2], "%02x", (unsigned int)md5_digest[i]);
+			}
+			//
+			memcpy(md5_string+(MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH*2), (*myds)->tmp_login_salt, sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt));
+			MD5_Init(&md5_context);
+			MD5_Update(&md5_context, md5_string, (MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH*2)+sizeof((*myds)->tmp_login_salt));
+			MD5_Final(md5_digest, &md5_context);
+			memcpy(md5_string, "md5", 3);
+			for (int i = 0, j = 3;  i < MD5_DIGEST_LENGTH; i++, j+=2) {
+				sprintf(&md5_string[j], "%02x", (unsigned int)md5_digest[i]);
+			}
+
+			if (strlen(md5_string) == pass_len && strcmp(md5_string, pass) == 0) {
+				ret = EXECUTION_STATE::SUCCESSFUL;
+			}
+		}
+		break;
 		case AUTHENTICATION_METHOD::CLEAR_TEXT_PASSWORD:
 		{
 			uint32_t pass_len = hdr.data.size;
@@ -804,7 +850,7 @@ EXECUTION_STATE PgSQL_Protocol::process_handshake_response_packet(unsigned char*
 				break;
 			}
 
-			if (strcmp(password, pass) == 0) {
+			if (strlen(password) == pass_len && strcmp(password, pass) == 0) {
 				ret = EXECUTION_STATE::SUCCESSFUL;
 			}
 		}
@@ -903,6 +949,7 @@ EXECUTION_STATE PgSQL_Protocol::process_handshake_response_packet(unsigned char*
 		break;
 		default:
 			proxy_debug(PROXY_DEBUG_MYSQL_AUTH, 5, "Session=%p , DS=%p , user='%s' . goto __exit_process_pkt_handshake_response . Unknown auth method\n", (*myds), (*myds)->sess, user);
+			//generate_error_packet(true, false, "authentication method not supported", PGSQL_ERROR_CODES::ERRCODE_PROTOCOL_VIOLATION, true);
 			break;
 		}
 	} else {
diff --git a/lib/PgSQL_Session.cpp b/lib/PgSQL_Session.cpp
index b0ce1c90e..dff8a1079 100644
--- a/lib/PgSQL_Session.cpp
+++ b/lib/PgSQL_Session.cpp
@@ -2845,7 +2845,7 @@ int PgSQL_Session::get_pkts_from_client(bool& wrong_pass, PtrSize_t& pkt) {
 							return handler_ret;
 						}
 						else {
-							proxy_error("Not implemented yet");
+							proxy_error("Not implemented yet\n");
 							assert(0);
 						}
 					}
@@ -3036,7 +3036,7 @@ int PgSQL_Session::get_pkts_from_client(bool& wrong_pass, PtrSize_t& pkt) {
 							return handler_ret;
 							break;
 						default:
-							proxy_error("Not implemented yet");
+							proxy_error("Not implemented yet\n");
 							assert(0);
 						}
 					}
@@ -4344,9 +4344,8 @@ void PgSQL_Session::handler___status_CONNECTING_CLIENT___STATE_SERVER_HANDSHAKE(
 		}
 		l_free(pkt->size, pkt->ptr);
 		//if (client_myds->encrypted==false) {
-		if (client_myds->myconn->userinfo->dbname == NULL) {
-			client_myds->myconn->userinfo->set_dbname(default_schema);
-		}
+		assert(client_myds->myconn->userinfo->dbname);
+
 		int free_users = 0;
 		int used_users = 0;
 		if (
diff --git a/lib/PgSQL_Thread.cpp b/lib/PgSQL_Thread.cpp
index ebfeb6ff0..a199d1dc3 100644
--- a/lib/PgSQL_Thread.cpp
+++ b/lib/PgSQL_Thread.cpp
@@ -2057,7 +2057,7 @@ char** PgSQL_Threads_Handler::get_variables_list() {
 	// initialize VariablesPointers_int
 	// it is safe to do it here because get_variables_list() is the first function called during start time
 	if (VariablesPointers_int.size() == 0) {
-		VariablesPointers_int["authentication_method"] = make_tuple(&variables.authentication_method, 0, 4, false);
+		VariablesPointers_int["authentication_method"] = make_tuple(&variables.authentication_method, 1, 3, false);
 		// Monitor variables
 		VariablesPointers_int["monitor_history"] = make_tuple(&variables.monitor_history, 1000, 7 * 24 * 3600 * 1000, false);