unixUserPassword

[boyjaew2]

Can someone tell me what the "unixUserPassword" attribute on a user account is used for? Another admin happened to run across this setting on a couple of user accounts in ADSI and it has a clear-text password set. It makes NO sense to me why this would be the case and only on a few user accounts. This seems very strange to me as we have no unix systems in our environment. What the heck?

[boyjaew2]

This - unixUserPassword: ABCD!efgh12345$67890 - Why is this set on some users in an environment with no SAMBA or unix systems?

[Peter33]

This value is not used for several other connection methods, like NIS(Identity Management for Unix Systems), NFS(Network File System), OPENLDAP.

Check your Domain Controller role Services. Maybe one of them is activated.

This is also used for Google Apps (single signon).

 

 

Second thought:

 

This might be also a workaround for a self scripted single signon solution to some internet web service, without storing the password in the script. Your best shot si to inspect the machines of these users for login/autostart scripts.

[boyjaew2]

Interesting. Thanks!

 

In your experience could this be leveraged as a vulnerability?

[Peter33]

Hard to tell. The Attribute should have self-rw rights for the owner and deny for everyone else. So if someone can read the value who is not supposed to, you have bigger problems already.

First i would try to find out if NIS or NFS are enabled in your Environment, if yes then why and if it's really needed anymore. Could been a workaround for migrating data from UNIX to Windows or something like that. If there is no need, disable it. One thing less to care about.

[boyjaew2]

Agreed.

 

Thanks