Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpcupt1!hpsal2!morrell From: morrell@hpsal2.HP.COM (Michael Morrell) Newsgroups: comp.bugs.sys5 Subject: Re: SVR3 passwd changes mode of passwd file Message-ID: <5060001@hpsal2.HP.COM> Date: 22 Sep 88 18:48:51 GMT References: <3394@dunkshot.mips.COM> Organization: HP System Architecture Lab, Cupertino Lines: 26 / hpsal2:comp.bugs.sys5 / meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal) / 7:17 am Sep 21, 1988 / 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. I have had a couple of complaints about this, and would like > to decide on a solution. I suggest you tell the complainers to always leave the passwd file 0444. NOBODY besides root should have access to that, and root can always w! from vi to force a write. User-friendly interfaces can set their uid to root, as long as they are smart enough not to become dangerous, or TOO friendly to non-root users... ---------- I think you're missing the point. The passwd program should change a user's password and THAT'S ALL. It has absolutely no business changing anything else (especially if it's not documented!). UN*X in general follows the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) philosophy and lets the user do all kinds of stupid things (or things that appear stupid to other people). This is definitely a bug in passwd(1). By the way, passwd seems to not change the mode on HP-UX (based on SVR2), but it does change the owner and group to "root" and "other". Michael