[techtalk] login restriction

[Samantha Jo Moore]

> Does anyone know how to restrict users on a RHL 6.0 box from being able to
> actually login?  I know this sounds strange, but hear me out.  I have this
> new mailserver up, and I want people to be able to POP to it to retrieve
> mail, but not anything else.  I had thought the way to do this was through
> the /etc/security/access.conf, and indeed that file seems to say
> that's what
> it's for, yet when I add a rule to it like:
>
> -:username:ALL
>
> that user can still login.  Any ideas?

Yes.  It's very simple.  Edit the /etc/passwd file.  The last field of each
user is the program to be executed at login.  It is usually /bin/sh,
/bin/bash,
or something of the like.  If you change this for /bin/false then they won't
be able to telnet in.

Samantha