Passwords and accounts

Examples in this documentation depend on features activated in the ds-evaluation setup profile.

For details, refer to Learn about the evaluation setup profile.

The ldappasswordmodify command lets authorized users change their own passwords and reset other users' passwords.

Reset a password

Whenever one user changes another user’s password, DS servers consider it a password reset. Often password policies specify that users must change their passwords again after a password reset.

Assume password administrator Kirsten Vaughan has the password-reset privilege. The following example shows Kirsten resetting Andy Hall’s password:

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=kvaughan,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword bribery \
 --authzID "dn:uid=ahall,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com"

The LDAP password modify operation was successful
Generated Password:  <password>

More information

If a client application performs the LDAP password modify extended operation on a connection that is bound to a user (in other words, when a user first does a bind on the connection, then requests the LDAP Password Modify extended operation), then the operation is performed as the user associated with the connection. If the user associated with the connection is not the same user whose password is being changed, then DS servers consider it a password reset.

To change, rather than reset, the password as the user while binding as an application or an administrator, use the LDAP Password Modify extended operation with an authorization ID. Alternatively, use proxied authorization, as described in Proxied authorization.

If you reset a password, and do not want it to count as a password reset, use the manage-account command with the set-password-is-reset hidden option, supported only for testing:

$ manage-account \
 set-password-is-reset \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --targetDN uid=ahall,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --operationValue true \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin

Change your password

Users can change their own passwords with the ldappasswordmodify command as long as they know their current password:

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=ahunter,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword egregious \
 --newPassword chngthspwd

The same operation works for directory superusers, such as uid=admin:

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --authzID dn:uid=admin \
 --currentPassword password \
 --newPassword OzNOkkfkTJDSW9Bg

Check password quality

The ldappasswordmodify and ldapmodify commands support password quality advice controls to get additional information about why a password update failed. When you use the request control and a password update fails, the server can send the response control with details indicating which validators rejected the new password.

You can use this as a means to test a password, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a new password policy.

The new LDAP control has interface stability: Evolving.

The following commands demonstrate how the tools show the information from the response control:

$ ldapmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password << EOF
dn: dc=example,dc=com
changetype: modify
add: aci
aci: (targetcontrol="PasswordQualityAdvice") (version 3.0; acl
  "Authenticated users can check password quality";
  allow(read) userdn="ldap:///all";)
EOF

$ ldapmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password << EOF
dn: cn=Minimum length policy,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: subentry
objectClass: ds-pwp-password-policy
objectClass: ds-pwp-validator
objectClass: ds-pwp-length-based-validator
cn: Minimum length policy
ds-pwp-password-attribute: userPassword
ds-pwp-default-password-storage-scheme: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512
ds-pwp-length-based-min-password-length: 8
subtreeSpecification: {base "ou=people", specificationFilter "(uid=pshelton)" }
EOF

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=pshelton,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword nosedive \
 --control PasswordQualityAdvice:true \
 --control NoOp \
 --newPassword passwd

The LDAP password modify operation failed: 19 (Constraint Violation)
Additional Information:  The provided new password failed the validation
checks defined in the server: The provided password is shorter than the
minimum required length of 8 characters

The new password was rejected by the password policy located in "cn=Minimum
length policy,dc=example,dc=com"

The following password quality criteria were not satisfied:
* length-based with parameters {max-password-length=0, min-password-length=8}

Notice that the check can be performed as a no-op.

Passwords with special characters

DS servers expect passwords to be UTF-8 encoded and base64-encoded when included in LDIF. UTF-8 characters such as à or ô must be correctly encoded:

$ export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=wlutz,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword bassinet \
 --newPassword pàsswȏrd

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=wlutz,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword pàsswȏrd \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 "(uid=wlutz)" \
 1.1

dn: uid=wlutz,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com

Check account usability

The account usability control lets a password administrator read information about whether the user can authenticate to the directory:

The remote LDAP directory service must support the LDAP control, which has OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.42.2.27.9.5.8.
The password administrator must be able to use the LDAP control.

To try the account usability control:

Enable the password administrator to use the LDAP account usability control.

The following example sets a global ACI for Kirsten Vaughan:

$ dsconfig \
 set-access-control-handler-prop \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --add global-aci:"(targetcontrol=\"AccountUsability\")\
 (version 3.0; acl \"Account usability access\"; allow(read) \
 userdn=\"ldap:///uid=kvaughan,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com\";)" \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

Use a password policy that produces results for account usability, as in the following example:

$ ldapmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password << EOF
dn: cn=Lockout with max age and grace logins,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: subentry
objectClass: ds-pwp-password-policy
cn: Lockout with max age and grace logins
ds-pwp-password-attribute: userPassword
ds-pwp-default-password-storage-scheme: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256
ds-pwp-lockout-failure-expiration-interval: 10 m
ds-pwp-grace-login-count: 3
ds-pwp-lockout-duration: 5 m
ds-pwp-lockout-failure-count: 3
ds-pwp-max-password-age: 30 d
subtreeSpecification: { base "ou=people", specificationFilter "(uid=bjensen)" }
EOF

Use the account usability control to get information about an account:

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=kvaughan,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword bribery \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 --control AccountUsability:true \
 "(uid=bjensen)" \
 1.1
# Account Usability Response Control
# The account is usable
# Time until password expiration:  <time>
dn: uid=bjensen,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com

Perform actions to change the account usability information on the account:

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword wrong-password \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 "(uid=bjensen)" \
 1.1

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword wrong-password \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 "(uid=bjensen)" \
 1.1

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword wrong-password \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 "(uid=bjensen)" \
 1.1

Use the account usability control again to get the changes:

$ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=kvaughan,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword bribery \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 --control AccountUsability:true \
 "(uid=bjensen)" \
 1.1
# Account Usability Response Control
# The account is not usable
# The account is locked
# Time until the account is unlocked:  <time>

Directory Services 7.3.5