[techtalk] Seeming inconsistency between /etc/passwd and "real" password data

[Melissa Plunkett]

I'm not positive of what you are saying but I think you are
saying that you had an entry in your passwd file and now 
you do not (and you are sure it was there at some point).  
You would most likely still be getting the info
from the /etc/shadow file.  Linux uses a shadow password
system.  What this does is protect your password from 
a hacker running a password cracker.  How?  Well it still
creates an entry in the locally readable /etc/passwd file
but the actual password is stored in the /etc/shadow file
that is only readable by root.  

Now the important part.  If you are positive that you 
and no one else removed your password entry from /etc/password
I would take that as a very suspect.  Check over your 
system logs and make sure you have not been compromised.

Melissa 


Seageraves Caren wrote:
> 
> I have noticed something strange on my system.
> 
> I no longer have an enty in the file /etc/passwd for
> my usual login.  I am able to log out and log back in
> using this login name.  So,it seems as though the data
> in the passwd file is present somewhere, but it is not
> visible in the passwd file.   I could not believe this
> so I wrote a progam to retrieve the information in
> /etc/passwd using struct passwd (pw.h).  All goes well
> when I access the information that is usually in my
> password file using the pointer returned by
> getpwnam(username).
> 
> What do I not understand about how linux stores the
> info in /etc/passwd.  I had thought the system
> referred to the passwd file when I logged in.  Will I
> find that I will not be able to login if I reboot?
> 
> caren
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
> http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
> 
> _______________________________________________
> techtalk mailing list
> techtalk at linuxchix.org
> http://www.linux.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/techtalk

-- 
/*********************************
/* Melissa Plunkett
/* System/Network Administrator
/* melissa at coe.missouri.edu    
/* College of Education
/* University of Missouri - Columbia
/* 111 London Hall
/* Columbia, MO 65211
/* Phone: (573) 884-6835
/* Fax:   (573) 884-5158
*********************************/