[6970] in Athena Bugs
/etc/passwd
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Jan 28 11:48:29 1991
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 91 11:48:12 -0500
From: "Jonathan I. Kamens" <jik@pit-manager.MIT.EDU>
To: kevles@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Cc: bugs@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: bugs[6944]
This is a known problem with the way /bin/login handles adding people
to and removing them from the /etc/passwd file. It was pretty much
classified as "unfixable" quite a while back. I can describe it in
more detail in person if you're curios; feel free to stop by and ask
about it.
Jonathan Kamens
Project Athena Quality Assurance
Reference:
From: kevles@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 91 22:05:04 -0500
I logged in (telnet) from Dallas one terminal 1. Then terminal 2 opened
up. so I logged out of 1 and into 2. Both times into Medusa.mit.edu. I
logged out of 1 just fine. But when I logged in via two, it said there
was no password information about me. ("whoami" responded with "intruder
alert".) I think that the two separate logins crossed each other, and managed
to wipe out the password file.
Andy (sao) logged in about the same time I did. I think between my two
logins. His login was not affected. No one else was logged in to Medusa
at the time.
Just letting you know. I don't expect this situation occurs often.
--Beth
