PAM_FTP(8)

✨ PAM_FTP — the anonymous ftp moment 💅

okay so bestie, we're looking at PAM_FTP(8) from the Linux-PAM Manual, and honestly? she's a little chaotic but she does one job and she does it. let's get into it 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

pam_ftp — the PAM module for anonymous access, periodt.

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

pam_ftp.so [debug] [ignore] [users=XXX,YYY,...]

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so pam_ftp is a PAM module that gives you a pluggable anonymous ftp mode of access. very niche, very demure.

here's the tea on how she works: this module intercepts the user's name and password. if the name is ftp or anonymous, then the user's password gets broken up at the @ delimiter into a PAM_RUSER part and a PAM_RHOST part — and those pam-items get set accordingly, no cap. the username (PAM_USER) gets set to ftp. in this case, the module succeeds. 🎉

but alternatively? the module sets the PAM_AUTHTOK item with the entered password and fails. that's it, that's the vibe. 😭

⚠️ BESTIE. LISTEN. This module is not safe and is easily spoofable. i'm not being dramatic, that's literally what the page says. protect yourself. 💀

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• debug — print debug information. she's telling you everything, fr fr. 🐛
• ignore — pay no attention to the email address of the user (if one was supplied). living in blissful ignorance, iconic. 🙈
• ftp=XXX,YYY,... — instead of ftp or anonymous, you can provide anonymous login to a comma separated list of users: XXX,YYY,.... and if the applicant enters one of these usernames, the returned username gets set to the first one in the list: XXX. first come, first served energy 👑

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👑 MODULE TYPES PROVIDED 👑

only the auth module type is provided. that's the whole roster, she's a specialist 💅

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🔥 RETURN VALUES 🔥

• PAM_SUCCESS — the authentication was successful. slay! ✨
• PAM_USER_UNKNOWN — user not known. who is she? don't know her. 🦋

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

drop this line into /etc/pam.d/ftpd to handle ftp style anonymous login, and you're so set:

#
# ftpd; add ftp-specifics. These lines enable anonymous ftp over
#       standard UN*X access (the listfile entry blocks access to
#       users listed in /etc/ftpusers)
#
auth    sufficient  pam_ftp.so
auth    required    pam_unix.so use_first_pass
auth    required    pam_listfile.so \
           onerr=succeed item=user sense=deny file=/etc/ftpusers

like. she ate. 🍓

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🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8) — go read the fam too, iykyk 💜

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

pam_ftp was written by Andrew G. Morgan <morgan@kernel.org>. ty for your service king 🫶

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and that's a wrap on PAM_FTP(8) bestie!! this page came from the Linux-PAM crew, dated 09/27/2026 — so yeah, she's current, she's giving documentation main character energy, and she's fully yours now. go forth and configure responsibly 💅✨🎀