NAME
pam_krb5
- Kerberos 5 PAM module
SYNOPSIS
[service-name]
module-type
control-flag
pam_krb5
[arguments]
DESCRIPTION
The Kerberos 5 service module for PAM
provides functionality for three PAM categories:
authentication,
account management,
and password management.
It also provides null functions for session management.
Kerberos 5 Authentication Module
The Kerberos 5 authentication component
provides functions to verify the identity of a user
(pam_sm_authenticate(
))
and to set user specific credentials
(pam_sm_setcred(
)).
pam_sm_authenticate(
)
converts the supplied username into a Kerberos principal,
by appending the default local realm name.
It also supports usernames with explicit realm names.
If a realm name is supplied, then upon a successful return, it
changes the username by mapping the principal name into a local username
(calling
krb5_aname_to_localname(
)).
This typically just means
the realm name is stripped.
It prompts the user for a password and obtains a new Kerberos TGT for
the principal.
The TGT is verified by obtaining a service
ticket for the local host.
When prompting for the current password, the authentication
module will use the prompt
``
Password for <principal>:
''.
The
pam_sm_setcred(
)
function stores the newly acquired credentials in a credentials cache,
and sets the environment variable
KRB5CCNAME
appropriately.
The credentials cache should be destroyed by the user at logout with
kdestroy(1).
The following options may be passed to the authentication module:
- debug
-
syslog(3)
debugging information at
LOG_DEBUG
level.
- no_warn
-
suppress warning messages to the user.
These messages include
reasons why the user's
authentication attempt was declined.
- use_first_pass
-
If the authentication module is not the first in the stack,
and a previous module obtained the user's password, that password is
used to authenticate the user.
If this fails, the authentication
module returns failure without prompting the user for a password.
This option has no effect if the authentication module is
the first in the stack, or if no previous modules obtained the
user's password.
- try_first_pass
-
This option is similar to the
use_first_pass
option, except that if the previously obtained password fails, the
user is prompted for another password.
- renewable=timeperiod
-
Obtain renewable Kerberos credentials for the user.
The renewable time can be specified, or it defaults to one month.
Since spaces are not allowed in the pam configuration time, underscores
are used to form parseable times (e.g., 1_month).
- forwardable
-
Obtain forwardable Kerberos credentials for the user.
- no_ccache
-
Do not save the obtained credentials in a credentials cache.
This is a
useful option if the authentication module is used for services such
as ftp or pop, where the user would not be able to destroy them.
[This
is not a recommendation to use the module for those services.]
- ccache=name
-
Use
name
as the credentials cache.
name
must be in the form
type:residual.
The special tokens
`%u',
to designate the decimal UID of the user;
and
`%p',
to designate the current process ID; can be used in
name.
Kerberos 5 Account Management Module
The Kerberos 5 account management component
provides a function to perform account management,
pam_sm_acct_mgmt(
).
The function verifies that the authenticated principal is allowed
to login to the local user account by calling
krb5_kuserok(
)
(which checks the user's
.k5login
file).
Kerberos 5 Password Management Module
The Kerberos 5 password management component
provides a function to change passwords
(pam_sm_chauthtok(
)).
The username supplied (the
user running the
passwd(1)
command, or the username given as an argument) is mapped into
a Kerberos principal name, using the same technique as in
the authentication module.
Note that if a realm name was
explicitly supplied during authentication, but not during
a password change, the mapping
done by the password management module may not result in the
same principal as was used for authentication.
Unlike when
changing a
UNIX
password, the password management module will
allow any user to change any principal's password (if the user knows
the principal's old password, of course).
Also unlike
UNIX,
root
is always prompted for the principal's old password.
The password management module uses the same heuristics as
kpasswd(1)
to determine how to contact the Kerberos password server.
The following options may be passed to the password management
module:
- debug
-
syslog(3)
debugging information at
LOG_DEBUG
level.
- use_first_pass
-
If the password management module is not the first in the stack,
and a previous module obtained the user's old password, that password is
used to authenticate the user.
If this fails, the password
management
module returns failure without prompting the user for the old password.
If successful, the new password entered to the previous module is also
used as the new Kerberos password.
If the new password fails,
the password management module returns failure without
prompting the user for a new password.
- try_first_pass
-
This option is similar to the
use_first_pass
option, except that if the previously obtained old or new passwords fail,
the user is prompted for them.
Kerberos 5 Session Management Module
The Kerberos 5 session management component
provides functions to initiate
(pam_sm_open_session(
))
and terminate
(pam_sm_close_session(
))
sessions.
Since session management is not defined under Kerberos 5,
both of these functions simply return success.
They are provided
only because of the naming conventions for PAM modules.
ENVIRONMENT
KRB5CCNAME
-
Location of the credentials cache.
FILES
/tmp/krb5cc_
uid-
default credentials cache
(uid
is the decimal UID of the user).
$HOME/.k5login
-
file containing Kerberos principals that are allowed access.
SEE ALSO
kdestroy(1),
passwd(1),
syslog(3),
pam.conf(5),
pam(8)
NOTES
Applications should not call
pam_authenticate(
)
more than once between calls to
pam_start(
)
and
pam_end(
)
when using the Kerberos 5 PAM module.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
The
pam_krb5
module implements what is fundamentally a password authentication scheme.
It does not use a Kerberos 5 exchange between client and server, but rather
authenticates the password provided by the client against the Kerberos KDC.
Therefore, care should be taken to only use this module over a secure session
(secure TTY, encrypted session, etc.,)
otherwise the user's Kerberos 5 password could be compromised.