3 kas_setfields - Sets fields in an Authentication Database entry
10 B<kas setfields> S<<< B<-name> <I<name of user>> >>>
11 S<<< [B<-flags> <I<hex flag value or flag name expression>>] >>>
12 S<<< [B<-expiration> <I<date of account expiration>>] >>>
13 S<<< [B<-lifetime> <I<maximum ticket lifetime>>] >>>
14 S<<< [B<-pwexpires> <I<number days password is valid ([0..254])>>] >>>
15 S<<< [B<-reuse> <I<permit password reuse (yes/no)>>] >>>
16 S<<< [B<-attempts> <I<maximum successive failed login tries ([0..254])>>] >>>
17 S<<< [B<-locktime> <I<failure penalty [hh:mm or minutes]>>] >>>
18 S<<< [B<-admin_username> <I<admin principal to use for authentication>>] >>>
19 S<<< [B<-password_for_admin> <I<admin password>>] >>> S<<< [B<-cell> <I<cell name>>] >>>
20 S<<< [B<-servers> <I<explicit list of authentication servers>>+] >>>
21 [B<-noauth>] [B<-help>]
23 B<kas setf> S<<< B<-na> <I<name of user>> >>>
24 S<<< [B<-f> <I<hex flag value or flag name expression>>] >>>
25 S<<< [B<-e> <I<date of account expiration>>] >>>
26 S<<< [B<-li> <I<maximum ticket lifetime>>] >>>
27 S<<< [B<-pw> <I<number days password is valid ([0..254])>>] >>>
28 S<<< [B<-r> <I<permit password reuse (yes/no)>>] >>>
29 S<<< [B<-at> <I<maximum successive failed login tries ([0..254])>>] >>>
30 S<<< [B<-lo> <I<failure penalty [hh:mm or minutes]>>] >>>
31 S<<< [B<-ad> <I<admin principal to use for authentication>>] >>>
32 S<<< [B<-pa> <I<admin password>>] >>> S<<< [B<-c> <I<cell name>>] >>>
33 S<<< [B<-s> <I<explicit list of authentication servers>>+] >>> [B<-no>] [B<-h>]
35 B<kas sf> S<<< B<-na> <I<name of user>> >>>
36 S<<< [B<-f> <I<hex flag value or flag name expression>>] >>>
37 S<<< [B<-e> <I<date of account expiration>>] >>>
38 S<<< [B<-li> <I<maximum ticket lifetime>>] >>>
39 S<<< [B<-pw> <I<number days password is valid ([0..254])>>] >>>
40 S<<< [B<-r> <I<permit password reuse (yes/no)>>] >>>
41 S<<< [B<-at> <I<maximum successive failed login tries ([0..254])>>] >>>
42 S<<< [B<-lo> <I<failure penalty [hh:mm or minutes]>>] >>>
43 S<<< [B<-ad> <I<admin principal to use for authentication>>] >>>
44 S<<< [B<-pa> <I<admin password>>] >>> S<<< [B<-c> <I<cell name>>] >>>
45 S<<< [B<-s> <I<explicit list of authentication servers>>+] >>> [B<-no>] [B<-h>]
52 The B<kas setfields> command changes the Authentication Database entry for
53 the user named by the B<-name> argument in the manner specified by the
54 various optional arguments, which can occur singly or in combination:
60 To set the flags that determine whether the user has administrative
61 privileges to the Authentication Server, can obtain a ticket, can change
62 his or her password, and so on, include the B<-flags> argument.
66 To set when the Authentication Database entry expires, include the
67 B<-expiration> argument.
71 To set the maximum ticket lifetime associated with the entry, include the
72 B<-lifetime> argument. L<klog(1)> explains how this value interacts with
73 others to determine the actual lifetime of a token.
77 To set when the user's password expires, include the B<-pwexpires>
82 To set whether the user can reuse any of the previous twenty passwords
83 when creating a new one, include the B<-reuse> argument.
87 To set the maximum number of times the user can provide an incorrect
88 password before the Authentication Server refuses to accept any more
89 attempts (locks the issuer out), include the B<-attempts> argument. After
90 the sixth failed authentication attempt, the Authentication Server logs a
91 message in the UNIX system log file (the F<syslog> file or equivalent, for
92 which the standard location varies depending on the operating system).
96 To set how long the Authentication Server refuses to process
97 authentication attempts for a locked-out user, set the B<-locktime>
102 The B<kas examine> command displays the settings made with this command.
106 The password lifetime set with the B<-pwexpires> argument begins at the
107 time the user's password was last changed, rather than when this command
108 is issued. It can therefore be retroactive. If, for example, a user
109 changed her password 100 days ago and the password lifetime is set to 100
110 days or less, the password effectively expires immediately. To avoid
111 retroactive expiration, instruct the user to change the password just
112 before setting a password lifetime.
114 Administrators whose authentication accounts have the C<ADMIN> flag enjoy
115 complete access to the sensitive information in the Authentication
116 Database. To prevent access by unauthorized users, use the B<-attempts>
117 argument to impose a fairly strict limit on the number of times that a
118 user obtaining administrative tokens can provide an incorrect
119 password. Note, however, that there must be more than one account in the
120 cell with the C<ADMIN> flag. The B<kas unlock> command requires the
121 C<ADMIN> privilege, so it is important that the locked-out administrator
122 (or a colleague) can access another C<ADMIN>-privileged account to unlock
125 In certain circumstances, the mechanism used to enforce the number of
126 failed authentication attempts can cause a lockout even though the number
127 of failed attempts is less than the limit set by the B<-attempts>
128 argument. Client-side authentication programs such as B<klog> and an
129 AFS-modified login utility normally choose an Authentication Server at
130 random for each authentication attempt, and in case of a failure are
131 likely to choose a different Authentication Server for the next
132 attempt. The Authentication Servers running on the various database server
133 machines do not communicate with each other about how many times a user
134 has failed to provide the correct password to them. Instead, each
135 Authentication Server maintains its own separate copy of the auxiliary
136 database file F<kaserverauxdb> (located in the F</usr/afs/local> directory
137 by default), which records the number of consecutive authentication
138 failures for each user account and the time of the most recent
139 failure. This implementation means that on average each Authentication
140 Server knows about only a fraction of the total number of failed
141 attempts. The only way to avoid allowing more than the number of attempts
142 set by the B<-attempts> argument is to have each Authentication Server
143 allow only some fraction of the total. More specifically, if the limit on
144 failed attempts is I<f>, and the number of Authentication Servers is I<S>,
145 then each Authentication Server can only permit a number of attempts equal
146 to I<f> divided by I<S> (the Ubik synchronization site for the
147 Authentication Server tracks any remainder, I<f> mod I<S>).
149 Normally, this implementation does not reduce the number of allowed
150 attempts to less than the configured limit (I<f>). If one Authentication
151 Server refuses an attempt, the client contacts another instance of the
152 server, continuing until either it successfully authenticates or has
153 contacted all of the servers. However, if one or more of the
154 Authentication Server processes is unavailable, the limit is effectively
155 reduced by a percentage equal to the quantity I<U> divided by I<S>, where
156 I<U> is the number of unavailable servers and I<S> is the number normally
159 To avoid the undesirable consequences of setting a limit on failed
160 authentication attempts, note the following recommendations:
166 Do not set the B<-attempts> argument (the limit on failed authentication
167 attempts) too low. A limit of nine failed attempts is recommended for
168 regular user accounts, to allow three failed attempts per Authentication
169 Server in a cell with three database server machines.
173 Set fairly short lockout times when including the B<-locktime>
174 argument. Although guessing passwords is a common method of attack, it is
175 not a very sophisticated one. Setting a lockout time can help discourage
176 attackers, but excessively long times are likely to be more of a burden to
177 authorized users than to potential attackers. A lockout time of 25 minutes
178 is recommended for regular user accounts.
182 Do not assign an infinite lockout time on an account (by setting the
183 B<-locktime> argument to C<0> [zero]) unless there is a highly compelling
184 reason. Such accounts almost inevitably become locked at some point,
185 because each Authentication Server never resets the account's failure
186 counter in its copy of the F<kaauxdb> file (in contrast, when the lockout
187 time is not infinite, the counter resets after the specified amount of
188 time has passed since the last failed attempt to that Authentication
189 Server). Furthermore, the only way to unlock an account with an infinite
190 lockout time is for an administrator to issue the B<kas unlock>
191 command. It is especially dangerous to set an infinite lockout time on an
192 administrative account; if all administrative accounts become locked, the
193 only way to unlock them is to shut down all instances of the
194 Authentication Server and remove the F<kaauxdb> file on each.
202 =item B<-name> <I<name of user>>
204 Names the Authentication Database account for which to change settings.
206 =item B<-flags> <I<hex flag or flag name expression>>
208 Sets one or more of four toggling flags, adding them to any flags
209 currently set. Either specify one or more of the following strings, or
210 specify a hexadecimal number that combines the indicated values. To return
211 all four flags to their defaults, provide a value of C<0> (zero). To set
212 more than one flag at once using the strings, connect them with plus signs
213 (example: C<NOTGS+ADMIN+CPW>). To remove all the current flag settings
214 before setting new ones, precede the list with an equal sign (example:
215 C<=NOTGS+ADMIN+CPW>).
221 The user is allowed to issue privileged kas commands (hexadecimal
222 equivalent is C<0x004>, default is C<NOADMIN>).
226 The Authentication Server's Ticket Granting Service (TGS) refuses to issue
227 tickets to the user (hexadecimal equivalent is C<0x008>, default is
232 The Ticket Granting Service cannot use the contents of this entry's key
233 field as an encryption key (hexadecimal equivalent is C<0x020>, default is
238 The user cannot change his or her own password or key (hexadecimal
239 equivalent is C<0x040>, default is C<CPW>).
243 =item B<-expiration> <I<date of account expiration>>
245 Determines when the entry itself expires. When a user entry expires, the
246 user becomes unable to log in; when a server entry such as C<afs> expires,
247 all server processes that use the associated key become inaccessible.
248 Provide one of the three acceptable values:
254 The account never expires (the default).
258 Sets the expiration date to 12:00 a.m. on the indicated date
259 (month/day/year). Examples: C<01/23/1999>, C<10/07/2000>.
261 =item "I<mm/dd/yyyy hh:MM>"
263 Sets the expiration date to the indicated time (hours:minutes) on the
264 indicated date (month/day/year). Specify the time in 24-hour format (for
265 example, C<20:30> is 8:30 p.m.) Date format is the same as for a date
266 alone. Surround the entire instance with quotes because it contains a
267 space. Examples: C<"01/23/1999 22:30">, C<"10/07/2000 3:45">.
271 Acceptable values for the year range from C<1970> (1 January 1970 is time
272 0 in the standard UNIX date representation) through C<2037> (2037 is the
273 maximum because the UNIX representation cannot accommodate dates later
274 than a value in February 2038).
276 =item B<-lifetime> <I<maximum ticket lifetime>>
278 Specifies the maximum lifetime that the Authentication Server's Ticket
279 Granting Service (TGS) can assign to a ticket. If the account belongs to a
280 user, this value is the maximum lifetime of a token issued to the user. If
281 the account corresponds to a server such as C<afs>, this value is the
282 maximum lifetime of a ticket that the TGS issues to clients for
283 presentation to the server during mutual authentication.
285 Specify an integer that represents a number of seconds (3600 equals one
286 hour), or include a colon in the number to indicate a number of hours and
287 minutes (C<10:00> equals 10 hours). If this argument is omitted, the
288 default setting is 100:00 hours (360000 seconds).
290 =item B<-pwexpires> <I<number of days password is valid>>
292 Sets the number of days after the user's password was last changed that it
293 remains valid. Provide an integer from the range C<1> through C<254> to
294 specify the number of days until expiration, or the value C<0> to indicate
295 that the password never expires (the default).
297 When the password expires, the user is unable to authenticate, but has 30
298 days after the expiration date in which to use the B<kpasswd> command to
299 change the password (after that, only an administrator can change it by
300 using the B<kas setpassword> command). Note that the clock starts at the
301 time the password was last changed, not when the B<kas setfields> command
302 is issued. To avoid retroactive expiration, have the user change the
303 password just before issuing a command that includes this argument.
305 =item B<-reuse> (yes | no)
307 Specifies whether or not the user can reuse any of his or her last 20
308 passwords. The acceptable values are C<yes> to allow reuse of old
309 passwords (the default) and C<no> to prohibit reuse of a password that is
310 similar to one of the previous 20 passwords.
312 =item B<-attempts> <I<maximum successive failed login tries>>
314 Sets the number of consecutive times the user can provide an incorrect
315 password during authentication (using the B<klog> command or a login
316 utility that grants AFS tokens). When the user exceeds the limit, the
317 Authentication Server rejects further attempts (locks the user out) for
318 the amount of time specified by the B<-locktime> argument. Provide an
319 integer from the range C<1> through C<254> to specify the number of
320 failures allowed, or C<0> to indicate that there is no limit on
321 authentication attempts (the default value).
323 =item B<-locktime> <I<failure penalty>>
325 Specifies how long the Authentication Server refuses authentication
326 attempts from a user who has exceeded the failure limit set by the
327 B<-attempts> argument.
329 Specify a number of hours and minutes (I<hh:mm>) or minutes only (I<mm>),
330 from the range C<01> (one minute) through C<36:00> (36 hours). The B<kas>
331 command interpreter automatically reduces any larger value to C<36:00> and
332 also rounds up any non-zero value to the next higher multiple of 8.5
333 minutes. A value of C<0> (zero) sets an infinite lockout time; an
334 administrator must issue the B<kas unlock> command to unlock the account.
336 =item B<-admin_username> <I<admin principal>>
338 Specifies the user identity under which to authenticate with the
339 Authentication Server for execution of the command. For more details, see
342 =item B<-password_for_admin> <I<admin password>>
344 Specifies the password of the command's issuer. If it is omitted (as
345 recommended), the B<kas> command interpreter prompts for it and does not
346 echo it visibly. For more details, see L<kas(8)>.
348 =item B<-cell> <I<cell name>>
350 Names the cell in which to run the command. For more details, see
353 =item B<-servers> <I<authentication servers>>+
355 Names each machine running an Authentication Server with which to
356 establish a connection. For more details, see L<kas(8)>.
360 Assigns the unprivileged identity C<anonymous> to the issuer. For more
361 details, see L<kas(8)>.
365 Prints the online help for this command. All other valid options are
372 In the following example, an administrator using the C<admin> account
373 grants administrative privilege to the user C<smith>, and sets the
374 Authentication Database entry to expire at midnight on 31 December 2000.
376 % kas setfields -name smith -flags ADMIN -expiration 12/31/2000
379 In the following example, an administrator using the C<admin> account sets
380 the user C<pat>'s password to expire in 60 days from when it last changed,
381 and prohibits reuse of passwords.
383 % kas setfields -name pat -pwexpires 60 -reuse no
386 =head1 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED
388 The issuer must have the C<ADMIN> flag set on his or her Authentication
396 L<kas_setpassword(8)>,
403 IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.
405 This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was
406 converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ
407 Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.