[SOLVED]What does this message mean?

Krieger · n00b Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 52

Hello. I have just finished the base of my first Linux install and I have a question. I have searched the forums for this but didn't find anything like it.

2.6.9 from stage 1
genkernel
athlon-xp

I just compiled the kernel and installed GRUB. All seems fine in that regard, but when I successfully log in to the system I get this message:

donjuan · l33t Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 760 Location: At Uni

X is the desktop rendering system for Linux/Unix. XAUTHORITY probably relates to the way X authenticates users logging in via a GUI. So once you emerge xorg it will probably go away.
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The Stage 1 on 3 Install

Maedhros · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:11 am Post subject:

Have you remembered to install a sys-logger, and add it to the default run-level?
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sammy2ooo · Apprentice Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 225

same problem here:

Nov 10 11:03:51 uranos sudo: sammy : TTY=pts/0 ; PWD=/home/sammy ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/ping localhost
Nov 10 11:03:51 uranos sudo: PAM pam_putenv: delete non-existent entry; REMOTEHOST
Nov 10 11:03:51 uranos PAM-env[19855]: Unknown PAM_ITEM: <XAUTHORITY>
Nov 10 11:03:51 uranos sudo[19855]: PAM pam_putenv: delete non-existent entry; XAUTHORITY

i have updated pam and afterwards this entries showed up in my logs.
but this only happens when running a command with sudo. reinstalling sudo / pam didn't solve the problem.

Any hints on this?

mirko_3 · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 605 Location: Birreria

Same here, after updating pam...
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Krieger · n00b Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 52

Thank you for the responses.

donjuan

Krieger · n00b Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 52

Solved.

I obviously emerged, but did not add metalog as the default as mentioned by Maedhros.

I added my logger to the default run-level and the messages are now gone.

Thanks to all who helped.

Maedhros · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:57 pm Post subject:

I think my comment might have been irrelevant - the messages are still there, they're just being put into the system log as opposed to being shown on the screen. Whatever's causing these messages (and it looks likely to be PAM) hasn't been fixed, merely hidden from you...

Edit: And I just checked - my system log is full of these messages too.

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xsteadfastx · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 3:59 pm Post subject:

i have the same problem after pam update. but no X installed...so i dont think it has something to do with it. and i use metalog in default runlevel. any idea?

Krieger · n00b Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 52

Maedhros:
Right, I thought that the messages would now be logged by metalog, so it's not as though the messages 'don't occur', it's just that they are no longer shown to the console.

I installed Xorg-X11 , did a reboot and the messages still occur. I cannot shed further light at this time. Perhaps it is a permissions issue with PAM as suggested by donjuan.

hanj · Veteran Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 1490

Had the same problem after pam upgrade.

Comment the following in /etc/securitypam_env.conf

xsteadfastx · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:48 pm Post subject:

hanj · Veteran Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 1490

my bad...

the file is /etc/security/pam_env.conf

hanji

Krieger · n00b Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 52

hanji:

I'll do that when I get home, and I'm sure it will work. Thanks.

tomk · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 6:55 pm Post subject:

Moved from Installing Gentoo.
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xsteadfastx · Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 6:58 pm Post subject:

Erik Agtig · n00b Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 4

Thanks, worked for me too! But what are the security implications of commenting these lines? Is this "the correct way", or just the quick and dirty fix to undo the PAM maintainers' attempts to make the default config more secure in the newest release?

mirko_3 · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 605 Location: Birreria

No updates on this?
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Deranger · Veteran Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 1215

Commenting those lines from /etc/security/pam_env.conf fixed it, it seems that new pam is a bit b0rked.

mirko_3 · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 605 Location: Birreria

I mean, is this just a hack or the Right Way(tm)? Any sides effects, on security maybe?
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Deranger · Veteran Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 1215

xmit · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 10:53 pm Post subject:

I filed a bug report: https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=71094
BTW, anyone can do this.

LinuxRocks · Guru Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 397 Location: New Mexico

Personally, if no one know whether its a security risk or not, I would leave it untill either PAM is fixed, if it is in fact broken, or a known "secure" resolution is put into place. I would hate to see someones machine compromised just because of some harmless lines in a syslog.

Thoughts?

Joe

Sm1 · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:09 am Post subject:

I wouldnt say that ther were completely harmless lines in configuration files, I previously couldnt X forward to or from ANY machine, and after this fix X forwarding decided it would work. There are some other implications to this problem

Gentree · Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2004 1:10 am Post subject:

The post refered to harmless lines in a sys-log.

While the lines in a sys-log are harmless, the error they are reporting may not be so "harmless".

Until I know what this shit is about or somebody fixes it I am masking pam-0.77-r1 and "downgrading" to one that works.

I am having SERIOUS shit with this system since I updated a week back.

Hopefully eleminating some such buggy update will straighten it out when I get the rightone.

I can't even startx at the moment so this one goes down the pan, pam.
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