1PAM_PWHISTORY(8) Linux-PAM Manual PAM_PWHISTORY(8)
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6 pam_pwhistory - PAM module to remember last passwords
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9 pam_pwhistory.so [debug] [use_authtok] [enforce_for_root] [remember=N]
10 [retry=N] [authtok_type=STRING] [file=/path/filename]
11 [conf=/path/to/config-file]
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14 This module saves the last passwords for each user in order to force
15 password change history and keep the user from alternating between the
16 same password too frequently.
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18 This module does not work together with kerberos. In general, it does
19 not make much sense to use this module in conjunction with NIS or LDAP,
20 since the old passwords are stored on the local machine and are not
21 available on another machine for password history checking.
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24 debug
25 Turns on debugging via syslog(3).
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27 use_authtok
28 When password changing enforce the module to use the new password
29 provided by a previously stacked password module (this is used in
30 the example of the stacking of the pam_passwdqc module documented
31 below).
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33 enforce_for_root
34 If this option is set, the check is enforced for root, too.
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36 remember=N
37 The last N passwords for each user are saved. The default is 10.
38 Value of 0 makes the module to keep the existing contents of the
39 opasswd file unchanged.
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41 retry=N
42 Prompt user at most N times before returning with error. The
43 default is 1.
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45 authtok_type=STRING
46 See pam_get_authtok(3) for more details.
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48 file=/path/filename
49 Store password history in file /path/filename rather than the
50 default location. The default location is /etc/security/opasswd.
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52 conf=/path/to/config-file
53 Use another configuration file instead of the default
54 /etc/security/pwhistory.conf.
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56 The options for configuring the module behavior are described in the
57 pwhistory.conf(5) manual page. The options specified on the module
58 command line override the values from the configuration file.
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61 Only the password module type is provided.
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64 PAM_AUTHTOK_ERR
65 No new password was entered, the user aborted password change or
66 new password couldn't be set.
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68 PAM_IGNORE
69 Password history was disabled.
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71 PAM_MAXTRIES
72 Password was rejected too often.
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74 PAM_USER_UNKNOWN
75 User is not known to system.
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78 An example password section would be:
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80 #%PAM-1.0
81 password required pam_pwhistory.so
82 password required pam_unix.so use_authtok
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85 In combination with pam_passwdqc:
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87 #%PAM-1.0
88 password required pam_passwdqc.so config=/etc/passwdqc.conf
89 password required pam_pwhistory.so use_authtok
90 password required pam_unix.so use_authtok
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95 /etc/security/opasswd
96 Default file with password history
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98 /etc/security/pwhistory.conf
99 Config file for pam_pwhistory options
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102 pwhistory.conf(5), pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8) pam_get_authtok(3)
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105 pam_pwhistory was written by Thorsten Kukuk <kukuk@thkukuk.de>
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109Linux-PAM 05/07/2023 PAM_PWHISTORY(8)