Description of problem: XAUTHORITY env var not reset on 'su -' Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): OS RHEL4 pam-0.77-66.17 How reproducible: Always, if you follow the step. Steps to Reproduce: (1) Login to X Window as root user (2) Open a terminal. (3) # su - non_root_user (4) $ su - root Actual results: su to non_root_user in step 3 takes 0 sec. su to root user in step 4 takes 10-20 sec. Expected results: su in step 3 and 4 take 0 sec. Additional info: This problem has been fixed in #87598 on Fedora Core. But both RHEL3 (pam-0.75-69) and RHEL4(pam-0.77-66.17), this symptom still exist. Workaround: # unset XAUTHORITY; su - non_root_user $ su - root
- complete workaround text: This problem has been reported in Bugzilla bug #87598 and is due to the pam_xauth(8) PAM module that incorrectly keeps the current XAUTHORITY variable of root account in the shell user's environment. Two temporary solutions exist to avoid the delay: 1) remove XAUTHORITY variable before executing su: # unset $XAUTHORITY ; su - user_name $ su - root 2) Create .xauth/export in the root's home directory as described in pam_xauth(8) and add in the export file the list of authorized users. Note: The second method can be better in a graphics environment as it creates temporary cookie needed for running X clients. The bugzilla bug mentionned upper is however still a good candidate as method 2 can be seen as a security risk depending on the context.
This request was evaluated by Red Hat Product Management for inclusion in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux maintenance release. Product Management has requested further review of this request by Red Hat Engineering, for potential inclusion in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Update release for currently deployed products. This request is not yet committed for inclusion in an Update release.
An advisory has been issued which should help the problem described in this bug report. This report is therefore being closed with a resolution of ERRATA. For more information on the solution and/or where to find the updated files, please follow the link below. You may reopen this bug report if the solution does not work for you. http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2007-0737.html