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-   -   Need a simple linux website that allows users to change their system password (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-server-73/need-a-simple-linux-website-that-allows-users-to-change-their-system-password-4175548189/)

mrohl 07-16-2015 06:53 PM

Need a simple linux website that allows users to change their system password
 
I am trying to give my users a simple way for them to change their system account passwords without logging in via command line.

What I'd like is a very simple web UI that lets them log in with username and password, reset their password, and save it back into /etc/shadow.

I've been searching for something like this for a few hours, but figured I'd just ask the experts here.

Thanks

Mike

BenCollver 07-16-2015 07:23 PM

Here is an article about open source web hosting panels. The top choices can change system passwords.

http://www.gnutomorrow.com/best-free...l-alternative/

jefro 07-16-2015 09:01 PM

I guess someone could make a webpage to do that without too much fuss.

What distro do you have and are the people locally logged in to the local system? (redundant)

mrohl 07-17-2015 05:56 PM

Most of what we are using is rhel/centos 6. We also have some Ubuntu 14.04 servers as well.

mrohl 07-17-2015 05:59 PM

Yeah I've looked at a lot of these interfaces. However, most are for website hosting administration and password changes are usually specifically for this admin interface, not the actual system accounts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenCollver (Post 5392527)
Here is an article about open source web hosting panels. The top choices can change system passwords.

http://www.gnutomorrow.com/best-free...l-alternative/


astrogeek 07-17-2015 06:21 PM

As jefro says, you could probably write a simple web interface for that easily enough. I am not aware of one that already exists.

But you would want to be careful how you implement that, and how users would access it, because it would be a non-priv'd web server process that also needs to run as a system user or root at least in part, to be able to make those changes. That is always a big potential security issue.

You would also want to make it use a secure connection only (SSL/TLS) to prevent user passwords from being exposed to man in the middle attacks, etc...

Offhand, it seems to me to be a fairly major headache/exposure security-wise, for a very small convenience for login users when you could simply have them use the passwd command when logged in. It would seem like a non-issue for most non-login users. Of course, your requirements are your own.

BenCollver 07-18-2015 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrohl (Post 5392915)
not the actual system accounts.

The article has two cpanels labeled "top choice": VestaCP and Webmin. Coincidentally, they are at the top of the article. As I wrote before, they both do system accounts.


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