Techniques for managing user identities in Linux
Smart Access
Maybe password security isn't perfect, but most networks depend on it. This month we examine some tools for smarter, more versatile authentication.
Despite years of constant high-tech innovation, the password remains a fundamental feature of most networks. Various tools let you consolidate, encrypt, sanitize, and synchronize passwords, but unless your company invests heavily in smart cards or other new age technologies, you'll eventually have to log in somewhere. This month we look at some techniques for supporting, securing, and simplifying user authentication in Linux.
Our first article examines some tools for authenticating users with one-time passwords. You'll learn why many organizations prefer passwords that change with every login. We then zero in for a look at OPIE and OTPW – a pair of open source solutions for one-time password authentication.
Many Linux users would rather not even think about Microsoft, but part of our mission has always been to let readers know about free, open source tools for easy integration with proprietary technologies. Our next article describes how Samba's Windbind service lets Linux clients participate in Microsoft's Active Directory environments.
We'll also discuss some options for creating password-protected pages for your website. We'll look at how the Apache web server handles authentication, we'll examine authentication alternatives based on SQL and LDAP, we'll show you how to create a custom authentication solution in Perl.
The final article describes how to use the OpenID service as a single authentication system for multiple web accounts. Read on for more on some great techniques for managing user identities in Linux.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.