Man page - pam_set_item(3)

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Manual

PAM_SET_ITEM(3) Linux-PAM Manual PAM_SET_ITEM(3)

pam_set_item - set and update PAM information

#include <security/pam_modules.h>

int pam_set_item(pam_handle_t *pamh, int item_type, const void *item);

The pam_set_item function allows applications and PAM service modules to access and to update PAM information of item_type. For this a copy of the object pointed to by the item argument is created. The following item_types are supported:

PAM_SERVICE

The service name (which identifies that PAM stack that the PAM functions will use to authenticate the program).

PAM_USER

The username of the entity under whose identity service will be given. That is, following authentication, PAM_USER identifies the local entity that gets to use the service. Note, this value can be mapped from something (eg., "anonymous") to something else (eg. "guest119") by any module in the PAM stack. As such an application should consult the value of PAM_USER after each call to a PAM function.

PAM_USER_PROMPT

The string used when prompting for a user's name. The default value for this string is a localized version of "login: ".

PAM_TTY

The terminal name prefixed by /dev/ for device files. In the past, graphical X-based applications used to store the $DISPLAY variable here, but with the introduction of PAM_XDISPLAY this usage is deprecated.

PAM_RUSER

The requesting user name: local name for a locally requesting user or a remote user name for a remote requesting user.

Generally an application or module will attempt to supply the value that is most strongly authenticated (a local account before a remote one. The level of trust in this value is embodied in the actual authentication stack associated with the application, so it is ultimately at the discretion of the system administrator.

PAM_RUSER@PAM_RHOST should always identify the requesting user. In some cases, PAM_RUSER may be NULL. In such situations, it is unclear who the requesting entity is.

PAM_RHOST

The requesting hostname (the hostname of the machine from which the PAM_RUSER entity is requesting service). That is PAM_RUSER@PAM_RHOST does identify the requesting user. In some applications, PAM_RHOST may be NULL. In such situations, it is unclear where the authentication request is originating from.

PAM_AUTHTOK

The authentication token (often a password). This token should be ignored by all module functions besides pam_sm_authenticate(3) and pam_sm_chauthtok(3). In the former function it is used to pass the most recent authentication token from one stacked module to another. In the latter function the token is used for another purpose. It contains the currently active authentication token.

PAM_OLDAUTHTOK

The old authentication token. This token should be ignored by all module functions except pam_sm_chauthtok(3).

PAM_CONV

The pam_conv structure. See pam_conv(3).

The following additional items are specific to Linux-PAM and should not be used in portable applications:

PAM_FAIL_DELAY

A function pointer to redirect centrally managed failure delays. See pam_fail_delay(3).

PAM_XDISPLAY

The name of the X display. For graphical, X-based applications the value for this item should be the $DISPLAY variable. This value may be used independently of PAM_TTY for passing the name of the display.

PAM_XAUTHDATA

A pointer to a structure containing the X authentication data required to make a connection to the display specified by PAM_XDISPLAY, if such information is necessary. See pam_xauth_data(3).

PAM_AUTHTOK_TYPE

The default action is for the module to use the following prompts when requesting passwords: "New UNIX password: " and "Retype UNIX password: ". The example word UNIX can be replaced with this item, by default it is empty. This item is used by pam_get_authtok(3).

For all item_types, other than PAM_CONV and PAM_FAIL_DELAY, item is a pointer to a <NUL> terminated character string. In the case of PAM_CONV, item points to an initialized pam_conv structure. In the case of PAM_FAIL_DELAY, item is a function pointer: void (*delay_fn)(int retval, unsigned usec_delay, void *appdata_ptr)

Both, PAM_AUTHTOK and PAM_OLDAUTHTOK, will be reset before returning to the application. Which means an application is not able to access the authentication tokens.

PAM_BAD_ITEM

The application attempted to set an undefined or inaccessible item.

PAM_BUF_ERR

Memory buffer error.

PAM_SUCCESS

Data was successful updated.

PAM_SYSTEM_ERR

The pam_handle_t passed as first argument was invalid.

pam_get_item(3), pam_strerror(3)

06/29/2025 Linux-PAM