Security Basics: Re: remote passwd change

[george njoku <gnjoku () pegasus rutgers edu>]

Normally, when you refer to mail passwords of account holders on a unix or
linux boxes, they are also the passwords to their accounts. It's not like
samba where the user must exist but can use a different passwd or htaccess
that a username and passwd can be specified. The only way to change these
passwds remotely is to login via telnet or ssh and changing these passwds
individually or writing a script( that will run on the server that is )
then log in remotely and execute that script.

You example below is thoughtful but it's like write another telnet script
to use telnet to connect remotely..think about it :-)

HERE's a tip

----------------------------------------
list of users
-------------
john
james
pdiddy
joe
-------------------------------

[snippet]
open ( R "list of users" );
my @list = (<R>);
close R;

foreach my $user ( @list ){

        system( "passwd $_" );

}
[end snippet]


then when you login remotely and run these script, it will then prompt you
with you stuff below.

Hope that helps




On Thu, 2 Oct 2003, Ruiz Cifuentes, Rolando Matias (CL - Santiago) wrote:

> Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 16:21:40 -0400
> From: "Ruiz Cifuentes, Rolando Matias (CL - Santiago)" <rruiz () deloitte cl>
> To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: remote passwd change
>
> Here is the scenario:
> RedHat 7.2 using shadows passwords -> used for popmail use
> popmail users are RedHat users, so their password are in /etc/shadow
> users dont know nothing about linux (they are windows basic users)
>
> Here is my problem:
> I need to make them (~200 users) able to change their linux (mail) pasword
> remotely, in the easiest every ever thought way. how can i do this? (i' dont
> care if passwds are send in plaint text over the net) I' was thiking in
> something like:
>
> telnet myserver anyport (using a .bat file in their computers)
>
> and then the server replies something like:
>
> Enter your Username: <user>
> Enter your OldPass: <pass1>
> Enter your NewPass: <pass2>
> Enter your NewPass again: <pass2>
> Your password has been change. Have a nice day!
>
> do anyone knows anyway to do this? (in this or any other way)
>
> thaks for your help
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Njoku



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