Restoring users

From: Alexander Toresson (alexander.toresson_at_gmail.com)
Date: 04/29/05

  • Next message: Thomas Adam: "Re: keymap in debian" 
    Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:10:49 -0700
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org

    I got a tip from a linux security freak that to increase the security
    of my box, I should delete all unnessecary users and groups. I did
    that, however, I seem to have deleted a little too much.

    exim4-config complains that user uucp does not exist and thus doesn't
    configure itself, and this makes bunch of other packages not configure
    themselves.

    I've tried using adduser --system to add it again, but it gives this error:
    useradd: unable to open password file
    adduser: `/usr/sbin/useradd -d /home/uucp -g nogroup -s /bin/false -u
    106 uucp' returned error code 1. Aborting.

    I've doing tried doing dpkg-reconfigure base-passwd, but that gives
    the following output:

    update-passwd has found some differences between your system accounts
    and the current Debian defaults. It is advisable to allow update-passwd
    to change your system; without those changes some packages might not work
    correctly. For more documentation on the Debian account policies please
    see /usr/share/doc/base-passwd/README.

    The list of proposed changes is:

    Adding group "uucp" (10)
    Adding group "proxy" (13)
    Adding group "fax" (21)
    Adding group "tape" (26)
    Adding group "dip" (30)
    Adding group "operator" (37)
    Adding user "sync" (4)
    Adding user "uucp" (10)
    Adding user "proxy" (13)
    Adding user "nobody" (65534)
    Would commit 10 changes

    It is highly recommended that you allow update-passwd to make these changes
    (a backup file of modified files is made with the extension .org so you can
    always restore the current settings).

    May I update your system? [Y/n] Y
    Okay, I am going to make the necessary updates now
    Adding group "uucp" (10)
    Adding group "proxy" (13)
    Adding group "fax" (21)
    Adding group "tape" (26)
    Adding group "dip" (30)
    Adding group "operator" (37)
    Adding user "sync" (4)
    Adding user "uucp" (10)
    Adding user "proxy" (13)
    Adding user "nobody" (65534)
    10 changes have been made, rewriting files
    Writing passwd-file to /etc/passwd
    Error making backupfile /etc/passwd.org: Operation not permitted

    How can it not have access to write to that file? I run as root!

    Regards, Alexander Toresson

  • Next message: Thomas Adam: "Re: keymap in debian"