Local User unable to change password

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 10:54 AM

I'm new to SUSE Linux 10 and I am having a problem with a local user account. Here is the scenario,

Logged in successfully to a putty session as the "user" and try to change the password :

passwd "user"
(current) UNIX password:
passwd: Authentication failure

I am unable to change the password as the user but i am able to log into the server with the same user. Thank you for any help.

D

savona · 03-22-2011, 11:22 AM

Try just passwd without the user.

On red hat only root can specify a username with the passwd command. normal users should just type passwd to change their passwords.

example:

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 11:29 AM

I'm trying this now, but I am receiving the same error.

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 11:32 AM

I deleted the local account and recreated it. I set the password and then log into the server through a putty session without a problem, but when i get to the point where i enter the current UNIX password i get the same authentication failure?

savona · 03-22-2011, 11:37 AM

And your sure you are typing the correct password (case sensitive).

"passwd: Authentication failure" usually means you are typing bad credentials.

savona · 03-22-2011, 11:42 AM

Also are you using a simple password like "password" or "changeme" ? I never used SUSE so I do not know if it is the same but red hat would reject that, although the error message would be "Password too simple".

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 11:55 AM

I logged out and back in ok, so im pretty sure im using the correct password. Yeah it isn't a simple password, 15 character, alpha numeric...P@ssworD#!23456

Max # of days for same password = 365
Days for warning = 7
Days after password expires with usable login = -1
minium # of days for the same password = 1

Not sure what else to check?

AwesomeMachine · 03-22-2011, 12:45 PM

You probably can't change the password while remote logged in, because that changes the credentials you used for remote log in.

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 01:02 PM

AwesomeMachine...I was just reading your post on the DD command. Very nice! I believe you are correct. Nothing has worked so far when trying to change the password through a putty session.

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 01:13 PM

They were able to change their password through putty logged in as the user they are changing the password on. Very odd. The only thing i can think of is when the local account password expired and the user tried to change it they used the same password which could have caused a problem in PAM?? I'm talking out of my A$$ at this point.

savona · 03-22-2011, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampf0x

They were able to change their password through putty logged in as the user they are changing the password on. Very odd.

Whats odd about that? It sounds like the way you would expect it to work.

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savona

Whats odd about that? It sounds like the way you would expect it to work.

What I "expect" is the ability for the user to change their own passwords. What is "odd" is now they are unable too.

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 02:40 PM

If you delete the account and re-create the account with the same name does the /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow file keep the old user account and password?

savona · 03-22-2011, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampf0x

What I "expect" is the ability for the user to change their own passwords. What is "odd" is now they are unable too.

Sorry, but I think you mis-spoke/typed and thats what caused the confusion.

You originally said "They were able to change their password through putty logged in as the user they are changing the password on. Very odd."

I assume you meant they were unable...

swampf0x · 03-22-2011, 03:53 PM

Thanks for the reply savona.

I typed that correctly, the user was able to change their password through a putty session. Now they cannot. I think the password expired and when they went to change it they used the same password. They have to use the same password its for a account they use to scan the server. I increased the max # of days for the same password and am having them change their password from my console.