Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:9337 comp.bugs.sys5:568
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!whuts!homxb!mtuxo!rolls!attdso!tim
From: tim@attdso.ATT.COM (Tim J Ihde)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.bugs.sys5
Subject: Re: SVR3 passwd changes mode of passwd file
Summary: Don't worry, be happy
Message-ID: <588@attdso.ATT.COM>
Date: 21 Sep 88 14:26:17 GMT
References: <3394@dunkshot.mips.COM>
Reply-To: tim@attdso.UUCP (Tim J Ihde)
Organization: AT&T DSO-HQ, Morristown, NJ
Lines: 20

In article <3394@dunkshot.mips.COM> dce@mips.COM (David Elliott) writes:
>
>It turns out that the System V (or at least SVR3) version of the
>passwd command will cause the resultant passwd file to be mode
>0444.
>
>David Elliott		dce@mips.com  or  {ames,prls,pyramid,decwrl}!mips!dce

This is not a bug.  You sure don't want anybody to be able to write to that
file (gives them root access in a hurry), and if you turn off read permission
LOTS of programs will not work right (like 'ls').  0444 is the proper mode for
/etc/passwd.

Your system is just the way it is supposed to be as of SVR3.  Eventually
the actual encoded password may get moved to another (non-readable) file,
but this is not currently the case.  Wait for R4.
-- 
Tim J Ihde					att!attdso!tim
(201) 898-6687					tim@attdso.att.com
This disclaimer intentionally left blank.  	attmail!tihde