I know this is technically a windows question, but I think it still a good one for this forum.

I've disabled pub key auth both in putty and on the server. When I connect, it asks for my username, which I enter, then lets me in with no password. This only happens on one client computer, and in one specific account of that computer, which leads me to believe this is a Putty configuration/bug issue. So if I try to login into the same server account on a different client computer, I get prompted for my password, as expected.

This is weird since Putty doesn't officially support remembering passwords. I have no idea how this could be happening.

> This only happens on one client computer, and in one specific account of that computer, which leads me to believe this is a Putty configuration/bug issue.

Nope, that leads to me to believe password login is disable for that user on that computer.

From man 5 passwd
/etc/passwd contains one line for each user account, with seven fields delimited by colons
(“:”). These fields are:

· login name

· optional encrypted password

· numerical user ID

· numerical group ID

· user name or comment field

· user home directory

· optional user command interpreter

The encrypted password field may be blank, in which case no password is required to
authenticate as the specified login name.

Checked passwd and shadow. Not the issue.

> Nope, that leads to me to believe password login is disable for that user on that computer.

How would the server know which client computer the SSH login is coming from ? By IP? I see no such setting described in man 5 passwd.

The sshd would know.

Go to the machine itself and go to "the Dark Place" (A virtual console (cntrl-alt-f2)

And try login. Now you have removed all complexity of putty and ssh.

(You can get back to "The Light Place" (X windows) by going alt-f7)

> The sshd would know.

How? What would it know exactly?

UPDATE: Credentials are managed across the organization using Centrify. It looks like it might be caching credentials somehow, since I was able to login without a password via command line from another linux server. It looks like I can login password-less if I'm accessing the server from a resource from which I'm already authenticated, from Centrify's point of view.

In the putty case, I was authenticated via Windows AD and Centrify knew about it. (The other putty instances were from non AD accounts or a different AD account).
In the server to server case, I was autheniticated via SSH from the first server, and Centrify knew about it.

So it looks like this may be a feature.

Sorry, haven't used Centrify, so can't help, beyond saying testing from a virtual console would isolate whether it's and ssh problem or a pam problem.

Confirmed from another source that it is in fact Centrify logging me in automagically. Marking as solved.