Description of problem: When the prompt for authentication appears and the user just hits Ctrl-D to abort, pkttyagent dumps core with following backtrace: -------- 8< ---------------- 8< ---------------- 8< ---------------- 8< -------- Core was generated by `/usr/bin/pkttyagent --notify-fd 5 --fallback'. Program terminated with signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap. #0 0x00007eff7b5e45f5 in _g_log_abort (breakpoint=1) at gmessages.c:580 580 G_BREAKPOINT (); [Current thread is 1 (Thread 0x7eff759cc700 (LWP 11071))] (gdb) bt #0 0x00007eff7b5e45f5 in _g_log_abort (breakpoint=1) at gmessages.c:580 #1 0x00007eff7b5e56a1 in g_log_default_handler (log_domain=log_domain@entry=0x0, log_level=log_level@entry=6, message=message@entry=0x7eff6800c220 "Got unexpected EOF while reading from controlling terminal.", unused_data=unused_data@entry=0x0) at gmessages.c:3158 #2 0x00007eff7b5e58ef in g_logv (log_domain=0x0, log_level=G_LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, format=<optimized out>, args=args@entry=0x7eff759cb2e0) at gmessages.c:1370 #3 0x00007eff7b5e5ae3 in g_log (log_domain=<optimized out>, log_level=<optimized out>, format=<optimized out>) at gmessages.c:1432 #4 0x00007eff7bb045f3 in on_request () from /lib64/libpolkit-agent-1.so.0 #5 0x00007eff7b8ba3bd in g_closure_invoke (closure=0x7eff6c009d90, return_value=0x0, n_param_values=3, param_values=0x7eff759cb640, invocation_hint=0x7eff759cb5c0) at gclosure.c:804 #6 0x00007eff7b8cd945 in signal_emit_unlocked_R (node=node@entry=0x55738748e7b0, detail=detail@entry=0, instance=instance@entry=0x7eff68007b00, emission_return=emission_return@entry=0x0, instance_and_params=instance_and_params@entry=0x7eff759cb640) at gsignal.c:3635 #7 0x00007eff7b8d6a06 in g_signal_emit_valist (instance=instance@entry=0x7eff68007b00, signal_id=signal_id@entry=10, detail=detail@entry=0, var_args=var_args@entry=0x7eff759cb878) at gsignal.c:3391 #8 0x00007eff7b8d7526 in g_signal_emit_by_name (instance=0x7eff68007b00, detailed_signal=<optimized out>) at gsignal.c:3487 #9 0x00007eff7bb023f7 in io_watch_have_data () from /lib64/libpolkit-agent-1.so.0 #10 0x00007eff7b5de67d in g_main_dispatch (context=0x7eff6c000b20) at gmain.c:3176 #11 g_main_context_dispatch (context=context@entry=0x7eff6c000b20) at gmain.c:3829 #12 0x00007eff7b5dea48 in g_main_context_iterate (context=0x7eff6c000b20, block=block@entry=1, dispatch=dispatch@entry=1, self=<optimized out>) at gmain.c:3902 #13 0x00007eff7b5ded72 in g_main_loop_run (loop=0x7eff6c003610) at gmain.c:4098 #14 0x00007eff7bb02ed7 in server_thread_func () from /lib64/libpolkit-agent-1.so.0 #15 0x00007eff7b606d9a in g_thread_proxy (data=0x55738747eb70) at gthread.c:784 #16 0x00007eff7b3792de in start_thread (arg=<optimized out>) at pthread_create.c:486 #17 0x00007eff7b0aa133 in clone () at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/x86_64/clone.S:95 -------- 8< ---------------- 8< ---------------- 8< ---------------- 8< -------- Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): polkit-0.115-9.el8.x86_64 How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. As a normal user, issue some command requiring authentication $ systemctl start foo ==== AUTHENTICATING FOR org.freedesktop.systemd1.manage-units ==== Authentication is required to start 'foo.service'. Authenticating as: rmetrich Password: 2. Hit Ctrl-D Actual results: ** (pkttyagent:11148): ERROR **: 09:47:16.382: Got unexpected EOF while reading from controlling terminal. polkit-agent-helper-1: pam_authenticate failed: Authentication failure + coredump
See also BZ #1951905 on RHEL7.
Proposal: pkexec should use no higher than g_warning() for this. g_critical() is for programmer error and g_error() is to crash, neither of which are suitable for issues caused by user input.
After evaluating this issue, there are no plans to address it further or fix it in an upcoming release. Therefore, it is being closed. If plans change such that this issue will be fixed in an upcoming release, then the bug can be reopened.