Subject: misc/29913: /etc/security defaults complain about non-alphanumeric characters (such as in _pflogd)
To: None <misc-bug-people@netbsd.org, gnats-admin@netbsd.org,>
From: None <arto@selonen.org>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 04/07/2005 07:35:00
>Number:         29913
>Category:       misc
>Synopsis:       /etc/security defaults complain about non-alphanumeric characters (such as in _pflogd)
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    misc-bug-people
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Thu Apr 07 07:35:00 +0000 2005
>Originator:     Arto Selonen
>Release:        NetBSD-current 3.99.3 ~20050406
>Organization:
>Environment:
NetBSD blah 3.99.3 NetBSD 3.99.3 (BLAH) #1: Wed Apr  6 09:08:18 EEST 2005  blah@blah:/obj/sys/arch/i386/compile/BLAH i386

>Description:
By default (/usr/src/etc/crontab) /etc/daily is run every night.
By default (/etc/defaults/daily.conf) /etc/daily runs /etc/security.
By default (/etc/defaults/security.conf) /etc/security runs check_passwd
with check_passwd_permit_nonalpha=NO.

With the introduction of '_pflogd' (and presumably others to follow),
/etc/security starts to complain nightly:

Checking the /etc/master.passwd file:
Login _pflogd has non-alphanumeric characters.

Checking the /etc/group file:
Group _pflogd has non-alphanumeric characters.

I doubt the system should warn nightly about consistent, intended
settings. This also reduces usefulnes of /etc/security checks.

>How-To-Repeat:
Install NetBSD-current and observe nightly warnings about non-alphanumeric
characters in uid/gid names.
>Fix:
Make /etc/security know about special system accounts using '_' as
first character.