Re: xdm passwordless logins

Tobias Nygren <[email protected]> writes:

> On Thu, 29 Oct 2020 08:10:23 +0000
> nia <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> hi,
>> 
>> xdm is configured by default to disallow logins from accounts
>> without a password set. this is different to how ttys work,
>> and means if you have root with no password set you can't
>> login to the system
>> 
>> is this intentional?
>
> I think it is intentional, by historical convention.
> If xdm is configured to respond to network queries via XDMCDP, as was
> common in the old age, it opens up possibility of remote logins without
> a password. It is different from for example sshd remote logins where
> there is a "PermitEmptyPasswords no" default.

I concur with this version of history

Back in the old days (early 90s?)there were "X terminals" that spoke X
and looked via xdmcp, sort of like plugging a terminal in via ethernet
instead of serial, but X instead of text.

But I think ~nobody does remote xdm or uses X terminals any more, and if
xdm had a config PermitEmtpyPasswords that defaulted to yes if connected
to 127.0.0.1/::1/unix-socket, and no if otherwise, that would be fine.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

iF0EARECAB0WIQS7wyAjWilQwVHG9Vsf2nroCY7WDgUCX5q8IQAKCRAf2nroCY7W
Dn5NAJ4pDqr3Lf0obYcOGDKC999z56qeWQCdGm7IpSQLMVtz32unCVgwuGejzXo=
=g+bG
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----