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PAM_PWHISTORY(8)                                   Linux-PAM Manual                                  PAM_PWHISTORY(8)



NAME
       pam_pwhistory - PAM module to remember last passwords

SYNOPSIS
       pam_pwhistory.so [debug] [use_authtok] [enforce_for_root] [remember=N] [retry=N] [authtok_type=STRING]

DESCRIPTION
       This module saves the last passwords for each user in order to force password change history and keep the user
       from alternating between the same password too frequently.

       This module does not work together with kerberos. In general, it does not make much sense to use this module
       in conjunction with NIS or LDAP, since the old passwords are stored on the local machine and are not available
       on another machine for password history checking.

OPTIONS
       debug
           Turns on debugging via syslog(3).

       use_authtok
           When password changing enforce the module to use the new password provided by a previously stacked
           password module (this is used in the example of the stacking of the pam_cracklib module documented below).

       enforce_for_root
           If this option is set, the check is enforced for root, too.

       remember=N
           The last N passwords for each user are saved in /etc/security/opasswd. The default is 10. Value of 0 makes
           the module to keep the existing contents of the opasswd file unchanged.

       retry=N
           Prompt user at most N times before returning with error. The default is 1.

       authtok_type=STRING
           See pam_get_authtok(3) for more details.

MODULE TYPES PROVIDED
       Only the password module type is provided.

RETURN VALUES
       PAM_AUTHTOK_ERR
           No new password was entered, the user aborted password change or new password couldn't be set.

       PAM_IGNORE
           Password history was disabled.

       PAM_MAXTRIES
           Password was rejected too often.

       PAM_USER_UNKNOWN
           User is not known to system.

EXAMPLES
       An example password section would be:

           #%PAM-1.0
           password     required       pam_pwhistory.so

FILES
       /etc/security/opasswd
           File with password history

SEE ALSO
       pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8)pam_get_authtok(3)

AUTHOR
       pam_pwhistory was written by Thorsten Kukuk <[email protected]>



Linux-PAM Manual                                      09/19/2013                                     PAM_PWHISTORY(8)