PAM_TMPDIR(8)

📦 version 0.11build1, in debian trixie, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 PAM_TMPDIR ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to pam_tmpdir(8) — straight out of the System Manager's Manual, no less 👑. this one's a PAM module and it's lowkey iconic for one very specific reason, so let's get into it 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

pam_tmpdir — the PAM module that makes a secure directory for users' temporary files 💅

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

pam_tmpdir.so

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so here's the vibe: you can plug this module into the session stack of whatever service you want, and it hands out secure, per-user directories for temporary files. that's it, that's the whole personality. per-user, secure, temporary, slay ✨

💅 OPTIONS 💅

where do the users' temp dirs actually get made? you decide, bestie. you set it with an entry in /etc/security/tmpdir.conf:

tmpdir=/path/to/tmpdir
  • the default? it's /tmp/user — that's where it goes if you don't say otherwise 💜

👑 MODULE TYPES PROVIDED 👑

so like, obviously this is meant to be used with the session module type — that's its whole moment. but it also provides account, auth, and password module types too. overachiever behavior fr fr 🎀

⭐ RETURN VALUES ⭐

  • PAM_SUCCESS — yay!! the temporary directory was successfully created 🎉✨
  • PAM_ABORT — uh oh. something went wrong while trying to create that temporary directory 😭
  • PAM_SERVICE_ERR — an internal error happened. not our fault, not your fault, it's just giving internal 💀

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

1. let users log in even if pam_tmpdir fails to create a safe tmpdir:

session    optional     pam_tmpdir.so

2. deny login if an error occurs while setting up the safe tmpdir:

session    required     pam_tmpdir.so
NOTE: this could allow for a DoS attack if a malicious user creates /tmp/user before pam_tmpdir does. so like... be aware. this is the dramatic part. 🚨

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

🍓 AUTHOR 🍓

Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no> 💖

Copyright © 2002-2012 Tollef Fog Heen <tfheen@err.no>.

This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. (ngl that's the standard disclaimer but the caps lock is doing a LOT here 😭)

and that's the whole page bestie 🫶 this came from the System Manager's Manual, dated as PAM_TMPDIR(8) — so like, go forth and make secure temp dirs. periodt 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from