Accounts

Unused Linux Users: Delete or Keep Them?

Got unused or unknown system accounts on your Linux system? This article explains the different strategies and actions to take and keep the system healthy.

Summary

We get often the question what one should do with unused users on Linux. Everyone who looked in the /etc/passwd file will recognize them, strange usernames. A great example is UUCP, or Unix-to-Unix Copy. Once used for communication on direct lines, now another piece of history in our password files. The Options Before we make any decision on dealing with unused Linux accounts, we should look at the most obvious choices we have.