Pam

Configure a Message of the Day The MOTD is typically stored in /etc/motd or a related directory, such as /etc/update-motd.d or /etc/motd.d/. The related message or messages are then displayed after a user is logged in. Another option is that the MOTD is displayed using the PAM configuration. To see if this is the case, perform a grep in your PAM configuration directory. grep -ir motd /etc/pam.d | grep -v ":#"

Using pam_tally2 on Linux Most Linux distributions use pluggable authentication modules (PAM). This modular type of configuration allows system administrators to configure and fine-tune the authentication of users. It also defines the behavior on specific events, like providing an invalid user account or password. PAM can use these events to automatically take an action, like locking an account. Introduction to PAM The configuration of PAM is not that hard, but there are risks involved in the process of making changes.

Linux and password strength One of the options to improve password security is by setting a minimum length. This prevents users from choosing easy passwords. As part of Linux system hardening, you don’t want your passwords to be cracked too quickly by modern password crackers. Configuration Let’s have a look at how to configure password security and in particular the length and its strength. Login settings The first area where you can set a password length is in /etc/login.