Dangers of vi & passwd (Was Re: SVR3 passwd changes mode of passwd file)

David Goodenough dg at lakart.UUCP
Wed Oct 5 02:33:25 AEST 1988


dag at fciva.FRANKLIN.COM (Daniel A. Graifer) sez:
] This is a summary of the responses I received when I asked "why shouldn't
] I use vi to edit /etc/passwd?"
] 
] The reason is simple: I load up the file with vi.  Someone else issues a
] passwd command to change their passwd.  I save my changes.  Poor someone
] else looses out.  I guess I should have thought of that! :-)  Thanks
] much to all of you who mailed or posted responses.
] 
] 	-Dan

This is what vipw was invented for.
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