I would say that the best scenario would be simply good security practice -

• Restrict access to where the password is stored
• Keep the password known to as few people as possible
• Choose a strong password
• Change it very frequently
• Don't use the same password for all systems

I know this isn't the answer you want, but I don't think there is another way. No matter where you store your password, you could be bitten by someone - external or internal.
$ perldoc perldoc