How do I enable shadow passwords after installing RedHat Linux?
Summary: The following article provides information about how to enable shadow passwords in RedHat Linux.
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Symptoms
How to enable shadow passwords in RedHat Linux.
Run the programs pwconv and grpconf to enable shadow passwords after installation is complete. To do this, perform the following steps:
- From the console prompt, type # pwconv and then press the <Enter> key.
- Type # grpconv and then press the <Enter> key.
NOTE: Running pwconv and grpconf encrypts the passwords in /etc/passwd and /etc/group and moves them to the files /etc/shadow and /etc/gshadow. Only the root user can access /etc/shadow and /etcgshadow. These programs are installed by shadow-utils-19990827-18.i386.rpm on the RedHat Linux Operating System CD. You should run pwconv when you add a new user or grpconv when you add a new group in order to add the new user or group to the respective protected file.
The /etc/passwd and /etc/group files need to be password protected.
By default, RedHat Linux saves all user account information and passwords in two important files, /etc/passwd and /etc/group. These files are generally accessible to all users, therefore the administrator should consider protecting them in order to prevent a security breach. To accomplish this, you need to enable shadow passwords.
Cause
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Resolution
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Article Properties
Article Number: 000140666
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 05 Aug 2021
Version: 4
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