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