[repost] how to reset a unix password...not!

[pvaneynd]

I noticed that the ssh server kept asking for my password, so I opened a ticket to have it reset. A few hours later (the efficiency of a helpdesk a continent away) I get a new password. So I log in (situation recreated at home):

Last login: Thu Oct  5 20:53:21 2006 from 192.168.10.36
Could not chdir to home directory /home/pvaneynd: Permission denied
-bash: /home/pvaneynd/.bash_profile: Permission denied
pvaneynd@frost:/$

I'm slightly taken aback and try:

pvaneynd@frost:/$ ls -ld /home/pvaneynd/
drwxr-x--- 56 1302 users 4096 Oct  5 13:02 /home/pvaneynd/
pvaneynd@frost:/$ id
uid=8493(pvaneynd) gid=50(users) groups=45(networking),20(users)

Talking with a unix SE and looking at the ldap we see the 'password reset procedure' at work: to reset the password of user pvaneynd do: remove the user and then recreate the user and force a password change on login. The small detail that your UID changes and that you lose your home directory is just a bonus.

A bit later the SE told me that he tried to clean up the mess but his script failed because of embedded ^H's in the usernames. Wow, now that is a first for me :-(.

Comments

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

I had to watch the effect of the very same password-change procedure at a customer today. Upon talking to Administrator (note the capital-A) (because he needed my cooperation wrt. setting back the passwords on systems said Administrator doesn't have access to) it turned out that this procedure seems to be the standard recommendation of a Very Large Consulting Company here in .at wrt. UNIX systems.

[pvaneynd]

Stunning. Do they follow it up with 'chmod -R 777 /home' to avoid any nasty permission problems?

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

I've no idea - I only manage a couple systems that aren't under central manglement.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Just so you know, i got two pieces of spam from Paul Van den Eynde, CEO of Antwerp Blanka Diamonds. I think you need to take this guy out for impersonating you. Then you can take over the diamond business and become rich rich rich.