topic Re: authentication - security in Operating System - HP-UX

authentication - security

long_live_unikum — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:18:10 GMT

Hi!

Is there any way to apply more security on authentication apart from turning a system into trusted mode? e.g. passwords longer than 8 characters, defining password history length, max nr of capitol letters in passwords etc. ???

Re: authentication - security

Matti_Kurkela — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:55:30 GMT

It depends on your HP-UX version.

For HP-UX 11.11, there's an optional package on http://software.hp.com called "HP-UX Shadow Passwords". It does not enhance password length nor maintain password history nor quality, but at least it hides the password hashes from users' view and allows more fine-grained specification of password aging.

For HP-UX 11.23, software.hp.com offers Standard Mode Security Extensions, which brings much of the previous trusted-mode features to the standard mode (about everything except the password length, if I recall correctly). In 11.23, the previously-separate Shadow Passwords package was integrated to the core OS.

For HP-UX 11.31, the previously-separate Standard Mode Security Extensions are now integrated to the core OS.
If you want longer passwords in non-trusted mode, software.hp.com offers a free product for 11.31 called LongPassword. It allows passwords of up to 255 characters, and requires the use of shadow passwords.

MK

Re: authentication - security

Dennis Handly — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:02:20 GMT

What HP-UX version are you using?
Besides trusted, which is obsolescent on 11.31, there is shadow passwords or Standard Mode Security Extensions.
http://docs.hp.com/en/5991-8678/5991-8678.pdf

Re: authentication - security

long_live_unikum — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:28:43 GMT

We are running Hpux 11.31.
Well I assume there's really such a big difference between Unix platforms, e.g. on Sun Solaris almost everything what Hpux only offers with "trusted system" is included in the standard os version.