FreeBSD 5.x forgetting passwords.

Bill Moran wmoran at potentialtech.com
Tue May 31 14:30:22 PDT 2005


Christian Tischler <mail at myunix.net> wrote:

> Jerry McAllister wrote:
> 
> >>Eugene M. Minkovskii wrote:
> >>
> >>>On Mon, May 30, 2005 at 03:53:29PM +0200, Christian Tischler wrote:
> >>>" Eugene M. Minkovskii wrote:
> >>>" 
> >>>" >On Sun, May 29, 2005 at 10:55:41PM +0200, Christian Tischler wrote:
> >>>" >" Hi,
> >>>" >" I am running a FreeBSD 5.1 system and some time ago it startet to 
> >>>" >" "forget" some user passwords.
> >>>" >" As the system is now running for over 2 years I cannot imagine any 
> >>>" >" reason why this shound be.
> >>>" >" Any ideas.
> >>>" >
> >>>" >root# su user
> >>>" >user$ passwd
> >>>" >newpasswd
> >>>" >newpasswd
> >>>" >user$ exit
> >>>" >
> >>>" >
> >>>" >
> >>>" >" Thanks in advance
> >>>" >" 
> >>>" >" Christian
> >>>" >" _______________________________________________
> >>>" >" freebsd-questions at freebsd.org mailing list
> >>>" >" http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> >>>" >" To unsubscribe, send any mail to 
> >>>" >"freebsd-questions-unsubscribe at freebsd.org"
> >>>" >
> >>>" > 
> >>>" >
> >>>" And how do I do it from remote via ssh?
> >>>" 
> >>>
> >>>you$ sudo su user
> >>>
> >>>or, if you in group wheel, perhaps possible following
> >>>
> >>>you$ su user
> >>>
> >>>if you are not sudoer and you have not other way to take a root
> >>>privilegies, you can't be other user. And this is right. In other
> >>>case anybody can be anybody.
> >>>
> >>>" thx
> >>>" 
> >>>" Christian
> >>>" 
> >>>" PS: that was not quite an answer to my question I think, was it?
> >>>
> >>> 
> >>>
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>Sorry for the confusion. But the problem is that the server forgets the 
> >>password of the user (in wheel) I want to log in with from remote.
> >> The question was not how to become root or any other user to change the 
> >>password. The question was why the box forgets the passwords in the 
> >>first place, and how to stop this.
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >You may have to give more information.
> >I have never seen a system "forget" a password unless someone or something
> >intervened and specifically changed them.    Or, is it possible that you
> >put an expiration on the passwords?    By default, I believe FreeBSD
> >sets that at infinite, but you or someone might have changed that while
> >tinkering around.
> >
> >////jerry
> >
> >  
> >
> thx for the answer.
> I gave you all the info there is.
> The system is now running since the release of 5.1 (2 years?) and this 
> "password forgetting thing" startet about one month or so ago. I am 
> quite sure that I did not tinker around with the config.
> But I will take a look at the expiration time just to check.

If you're _sure_ that nobody authorized has changed the password, then
there are two very scare things possible:
1) Someone has cracked your system and is trying to keep you out by
   changing your password.
2) Your disk is failing and has corrupted your password file.

Considering how old 5.1 is, and how many security issues have been
discovered since 5.1, I would place a high probability on #1.

No guarantees, though.  But I would definately consider and investigate
those two possibilities if I were you.

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com


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