UNIX_CHKPWD(8)

📦
version 1.7.3 · 17 versions
, in arch rolling

👑 NAME 👑

unix_chkpwd — the lil helper binary that checks the password of the current user, no cap 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

unix_chkpwd [...]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so bestie, listen. unix_chkpwd is a helper program for the pam_unix module, and its whole job — its entire main character purpose — is verifying the password of the current user. 🫶

It also does a lil extra: it checks the password and account expiration dates in shadow. Very responsible of it, honestly. 🎀

🚨 not me running it from the command line… It is not intended to be run directly from the command line, and if you do it anyway, it logs a security violation. fr fr. 🙈

It is typically installed setuid root or setgid shadow. slay permissions, but respectfully. 👑

The interface of the helper — meaning the command line options, and the input/output data format — is internal to the pam_unix module. So it should not be called directly from applications. That's the vibe check and it failed. 💀

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

💖 AUTHOR 💖

Written by Andrew Morgan and other various people. iconic collaborative energy honestly 🌸

and that's the whole thing, bestie!! 🧚 this was the Linux-PAM manual page for UNIX_CHKPWD(8), dated 09/27/2026 — periodt, go forth and do not run it from your shell 💜⭐

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