Linux PAM: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:05, 17 November 2023

Latest revision as of 05:54, 6 May 2025

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{{Short description|Software library to manage authentication on Linux systems}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Linux PAM

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| released = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->

| discontinued =

| latest release version = 1.5.3{{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q6555077|P348|P548=Q2804309}}

| latest release date = {{Start date and agewikidata|2023qualifier|05preferred|08single|Q6555077|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}

| latest preview version =

| latest preview date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->

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| size =

| genre = authentication

| repo = https://{{URL|github.com/linux-pam/linux-pam}}

| license = [[GNU General Public License]] or [[Modified BSD License]]

| website = {{URL|http://www.linux-pam.org/}}

}}

'''Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules''' (PAM) is a suite of libraries that allow a Linux [[system administrator]] to configure methods to [[Authentication|authenticate]] users. It provides a flexible and centralized way to switch authentication methods for secured applications by using configuration files instead of changing application code.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chapter 1. Introduction|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506140423/http://www.linux-pam.org/Linux-PAM-html/sag-introduction.html|access-date=2023-11-11|website=An Internet Archive page of Linux PAM site|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506140423/http://www.linux-pam.org/Linux-PAM-html/sag-introduction.html |archive-date=2021-05-06 }}</ref> There are Linux PAM libraries allowing authentication using methods such as local passwords, [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol|LDAP]], or fingerprint readers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lauber|first=Susan|date=2020-07-22|title=An introduction to Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) in Linux|url=https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/pluggable-authentication-modules-pam|access-date=2021-02-28|website=Red Hat|language=en}}</ref> Linux PAM is evolved from the [[Unix]] [[Pluggable Authentication Modules]] architecture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5940|title=Securing Applications on Linux with PAM {{!}} Linux Journal|last1=Fernandes|first1=Savio|last2=Reddy|first2=KLM|website=[[Linux Journal]]|language=en|access-date=2018-09-30}}</ref>

Linux-PAM separates the tasks of authentication into four independent management groups:<ref>{{Cite web|title=pam.d(8): Pluggable Authentication Modules for - Linux man page|url=https://linux.die.net/man/8/pam.d|access-date=2021-02-28|website=linux.die.net}}</ref>

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*[https://github.com/linux-pam/linux-pam Development site for the Linux-PAM project]

* [http://aplawrence.com/Basics/understandingpam.html ''Understanding PAM'', by A.P. Lawrence]

* [https://likegeeks.com/linux-pam-easy-guide/ ''Linux PAM modules'', by Mokhtar Ebrahim]

{{Linux kernel}}