The Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) library is a generalized API for authentication related services which allows a system administrator to dynamically configure authentication schemes for all PAM-enabled system utilities and applications by adding and removing PAM modules on the running system. It's a layer between Linux applications and native underlying authentication system. PAM is implemented as shared objects or so-files, and the applications communicate with the PAM library through the PAM API. Fig. 1 : PAM Framework Traditionally, login authentication is done by comparing the encrypted password for the user in the password file (/etc/shadow), but each program that requires authentication implements its own authentication mechanisms. For example, various services like FTP, SSH, et cetera have individual ways of authenticating their users. As a result, the administrator has to spend unnecessary amount of time in maintaining the database. A PAM service module p
To us, Computer Science should not be limited to academics. It has a Soul to acknowledge. It is an Art to behold. This blog is an attempt to explore the various dimensions to Computer Science, making it simple, and not simpler.