NAME

       pam_timestamp - Authenticate using cached successful authentication attempts

SYNOPSIS

       pam_timestamp.so [timestampdir=directory] [timestamp_timeout=number] [verbose] [debug]

DESCRIPTION

       In a nutshell, pam_timestamp caches successful authentication attempts, and allows you to
       use a recent successful attempt as the basis for authentication. This is similar mechanism
       which is used in sudo.

       When an application opens a session using pam_timestamp, a timestamp file is created in
       the timestampdir directory for the user. When an application attempts to authenticate the
       user, a pam_timestamp will treat a sufficiently recent timestamp file as grounds for
       succeeding.

       The default encryption hash is taken from the HMAC_CRYPTO_ALGO variable from
       /etc/login.defs.

OPTIONS

       timestampdir=directory
           Specify an alternate directory where pam_timestamp creates timestamp files.

       timestamp_timeout=number
           How long should pam_timestamp treat timestamp as valid after their last modification
           date (in seconds). Default is 300 seconds.

       verbose
           Attempt to inform the user when access is granted.

       debug
           Turns on debugging messages sent to syslog(3).

MODULE TYPES PROVIDED

       The auth and session module types are provided.

RETURN VALUES

       PAM_AUTH_ERR
           The module was not able to retrieve the user name or no valid timestamp file was
           found.

       PAM_SUCCESS
           Everything was successful.

       PAM_SESSION_ERR
           Timestamp file could not be created or updated.

NOTES

       Users can get confused when they are not always asked for passwords when running a given
       program. Some users reflexively begin typing information before noticing that it is not
       being asked for.

EXAMPLES

           auth sufficient pam_timestamp.so verbose
           auth required   pam_unix.so

           session required pam_unix.so
           session optional pam_timestamp.so

FILES

       /var/run/pam_timestamp/...
           timestamp files and directories

SEE ALSO

       pam_timestamp_check(8), pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(7)

AUTHOR

       pam_timestamp was written by Nalin Dahyabhai.